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Essays by Yao Xiang Shakya

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….

Think Differently!

Think Differently!
There is Nothing in the World and  Everything All at Once
Nothing is separated as the jet rolls across the sky and the “I” is at once everything hearing its own roar. The sound comes but where is the ear that heard and what is heard?

A Deeper Embrace

Are you in a spiritual crisis?
Don’t forget the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS….a monk in training reminds us of the power of these teachings.

Create the Conditions

At first glance we might mistake this instruction Create the Conditions to represent a makeover of our house, a clean out of things in the closets and dresser drawers or a pledge to fix things up. No. It’s not like that at all.

A Spiritual Refugee Trains to Live as a Monk in the World: A Biography.

This biography is about an ordinary woman. A householder. Married. Children. Work. Aging. Illness. And all the ordinary things of life….except in the middle of it all, she looked for Truth….something universal, bigger than material interests….in this short bio you see her perseverence and determination to keep going, keep looking. It is inspiring as it is ordinary. Well worth the read. A wonderful reminder….begin and continue.

Welcome Back to Zen

Our late Ming Zhen calls out to the busy among us to come back to Zen as she cautions us with Newton’s third law….for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is sobering to realize this law applies to our daily life, especially in speech. But in all actions we are subject to the reaction of our actions….to what degree? Equal and opposite.

Get Out! Get Out!

Get Out! Get Out! by Fashi Lao Yue is a continuation of looking at karma yoga and what it means for the Zen adept. In this short essay there is a clarification of a teacher’s message, Get Out! Get Out! which is strong medicine….strong clarifying medicine indeed!!!!