Skip to content

English

Mind-Stuff

Listen. Understand. Practice. Again. Again. Again. Do this all day long. ardent (adj.) early 14c., of alcoholic distillates, brandy (ardent spirits), etc., from Old French ardant “burning, hot;… Read More »Mind-Stuff

To Subscribe to ZATMA

The Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun, developed by the founders of the Nan Hua Zen Buddhist Society, was the first exclusively electronic ministry on the Internet. The priests of ZBOHY follow the ancient teachings of Hui Neng and Lin Chi and the modern teachings of Hsu Yun. The Sangha has no dues or fees of any kind, neither do we accept donations of any kind. Our site is maintained by volunteers all over the world in a spirit of service. Precepts are given free of charge to correspondents who have demonstrated a sincere desire to follow the Buddha’s Eight-Fold Path.

We Want What We Think – And Think What We Want

MIng Zhen’s wise words are over 20 years old and show us the retrospective links to the governing entities that have run amok! The title change shows the selfie approach to just about everything – WE WANT WHAT WE THINK which apparently means restrictions on hearing teachings that offer wisdom and not just information leading us to THINK WHAT WE WANT which has very little to do with wisdom. Most of what we think are thoughts about our self.

This 1996 gem captures Ming Zhen’s take on some of the craziness that has got us to where wisdom in the name of constitutional interpretations has gotten us here.

In the Bardo: Uncertainty as Refuge

Brilliant! Both the novel, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders and this spiritual illumination of his work by Getsu San Ku Shin. “A bardo is the transitional space between death and re-birth, filled with spiritual tasks and meaning. Bardos arise within our lives, when a mind state of relative clarity disintegrates, and we are thrown, sometimes momentarily, sometimes for years…. We may enter a bardo when we lose a job, move to a new city, have a baby.  9-11 was a bardo for many of us….those times when the printer breaks down, or a major project in which we have been immersed is over. Getsu San Ku Shin helps us navigate this realm with clarity. Well-worth a read, maybe even two or three….

On Shi Ke Two Minds in Harmony

An inspiring elucidation of two masterpiece’s by Shi Ke. Ming Zhen helps us see beyond the obvious in Master Shi Ke’s figure painting into the spiritual magnificence of Shi Ke’s depiction of the Nirvanic Void, A must read!