Sangha Arana

Happy New Year!

2012-01-07T11:23:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends, Happy New Year of joyful moments and a chance renew our commitment to practice! We will resume our regular sittings starting Sunday January 9 at 9AM. Over the next few months, we will practice with the Heart Sutra - the Prajnaparamita - a central guide to the practice of liberation. It is both very simple text that opens us to the interconnectedness of all things and a

Ritual

2012-01-02T22:24:00.000-05:00

In the shadow of the monuments to striving, the market greets another morning. Open to life in balance, with the coming and goings of it's world We often have dreams of being able to do what we want to do. Perhaps we will win those millions that will give us the freedom to thumb our noses at the world's tedious demands. We work toward that promotion which we expect will give us more

There Is No Simple Right In Right Livelihood

2011-12-14T07:49:00.000-05:00

The Serenity of the landscape is deceptive Its reality is a complex web connecting Chemically driven agriculture To a commodities market In a greed driven world When we try to sort out what we Buddhists should do about our work, we usually focus our attention on the Buddha’s Eightfold Noble Path. It seems sensible to start there since Right Livelihood is one of the three Ethical

Landscapes of Compassion

2011-11-26T20:39:00.001-05:00

Nestled at the corner of Greed Street and Delusion Avenue A bit of compassion works away quietly Sure of its place Of the Four Immeasurable Minds, Compassion, Loving Kindness, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity, Compassion is perhaps the practice we believe we understand the best. As a term it certainly pops up more often in conversations than Loving Kindness and Sympathetic Joy or even

What is Buddhism?

2011-11-15T12:11:00.001-05:00

Justin Whitaker, author of American Buddhist Perspective and PhD candidate in Buddhist Ethics at the U. of London UK, has written a terrific post on "What is Buddhism?" And in counterpoint, "What is NOT Buddhism." We tend to hold personally rooted views about Buddhism - what we think it is, how we want it to be, and so on. When we do encounter aspects of Buddhism that don't meet our

Without the milk-maiden, would there have been a Buddha?

2011-10-30T23:04:00.001-04:00

War's Only Certain Peace Without the milk-maiden, would there have been a Buddha? Would another Buddha other than Prince Siddhartha have emerged? We do know that the pressures of change in that time in history produced more sages than in any other time before or since. But ultimately those questions remain unanswerable. The question that is answerable though is, “Was the Buddha special

The Buddha Wasn’t Buddhist

2011-10-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

In the magic of the ordinary moment a band of colours holds the clouds in place The explosion of interest of psychology and the neurosciences in Buddhist practices has given us powerful techniques for connecting differently with the human experience. And we Buddhists have become greedy. Seeing that the way the Buddha practiced has been adopted as a therapeutic tool, we also want his

Living skillfully with our cows

2011-09-26T15:07:00.000-04:00

From our dharma council yesterday on the skillful ways to live with our cows:Living skillfully on the Eight-fold Path requires a clarity of vision of our current state. Seeing reality. It also means seeing the many cows we collect. This comes from the story of a farmer who lost his cows and anxiously asked the Buddha and his monks if they had seen his cows. They hadn't and the Buddha said to

Is it finally time for the meek to inherit The Earth?

2011-09-23T18:04:00.000-04:00

A Place To Begin The truth is that no matter how enlightened and thoughtful we think we are, we are consistently blinded by our own personal delusions. As much as we may believe we are objective, in reality the moment we commit ourselves to a cause we find it hard to accept an opposite point of view. We excuse our discomfort with a homeless person by saddling her or him with a

A Roshi Joan Minute

2011-09-13T12:10:00.000-04:00

A Roshi Joan minute on practice. Enjoy!

Schedule for September-October Sunday Zazen

2011-09-09T12:31:00.001-04:00

Schedule and topics for Sunday morning zazen and dharma talks from 9:00 - 11:00 AM (See sidebar for details of each session) September 11 - Intro to Buddhist practice - Recitation of Mindfulness Trainings September 18 - The Four Noble Truths - transforming your victimhood September 25 - Living skillfully on the Eight-fold Path October 02 - Impermanence October 08 - (SATURDAY) Day of

Open Mind Open Heart retreat in Vancouver

2011-08-09T08:37:00.000-04:00

Thich Nhat Hanh's talk at the opening day of the retreat in Vancouver. To view this on the Plum Village Site, click here.

The Function of a Zen Center

2011-06-26T15:22:00.000-04:00

This is a transcribed talk given by Joko Beck and was posted on Sweeping Zen (click through). It is a lovely explanation of how sangha functions and the way relationships become the path of our practice. The dharma talk we listened to by Ezra Bayda dovetails well with Joko's (Bayda's Dharma teacher) views. What I want to talk about today is the function of a Zen Center. In a general way we

Summer Sessions

2011-06-25T14:41:00.000-04:00

Join us this Summer for peaceful Sunday morning sittings followed by dharma chats with tea and snacks. July 03 Regular sitting at 0900 July 10 Regular sitting at 0900 July 17 Regular sitting at 0900 July 24 No sitting; we are leading an MBi Training Retreat! July 31 Regular sitting at 0900 August 07 Regular sitting at 0900 August 14 No sitting - at Upaya for Chaplaincy August 21 No

Joko Beck passed on

2011-06-15T13:31:00.000-04:00

Zen teacher Charlotte Joko Beck died at 0730 this morning. She was born in 1917 and received transmission from Maezumi Roshi. Joko wrote two powerful books, Everyday Zen and Nothing Special, which were turning points in my early years of studying and practicing Zen. An interview with Barry Magid of Ordinary Mind School of Zen (founded by Joko) can be read here. May her teachings continue to

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | Video on TED.com

2011-06-05T17:56:00.000-04:00

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | Video on TED.comAnd amazing commencement speech to graduates of Harvard. Easily a call to an engaged life!Enjoy!

Embodying The Life That Grace Alone Created

2011-04-30T13:29:00.006-04:00

The evening’s ebbing sundraws its reflection on the river.Softened through the latticed woodsit melds with the stream.In that chanced momenta path of light connects the shoresA central concept, perhaps the central concept in Buddhism is the interdependent nature of all phenomena. That concept termed, Dependent Co-Arising, was often expressed by the Buddha in his usual parsimonious style as, “If

On Spiritual Friends

2011-04-13T21:46:00.000-04:00

On Spiritual Friends courtesy of it's all dhamma by Zoketsu Norman Fischer Some of the people you know now, who you are practicing with now, are going to be, and are already becoming, your close spiritual friends. These people are the most precious thing in the world to you. These relationships in spiritual practice are unique. They are not the same as other relationships. There is

One Small Step Away

2011-03-27T13:00:00.011-04:00

Just a step away,from the city's laughterA Payday Loan Store corners the square.It is holding a place for all of us,for that monentwhen our good lives slip away,and we tumble to the marginswhere the ends never meet,and survival is a daily struggle.We have a tendency to believe that we are the authors of our good fortune and circumstances create our demise. When we are successful we attribute it

Enlightened Interbeing

2011-02-04T11:06:00.000-05:00

Interbeing is a statement of our willingness to use every ounce of who we are in service. Lightheaded from Mike Dacko on Vimeo. Thanks to Ox Herding for a great reminder.

In the Aftermath of Happiness

2011-01-10T05:00:00.008-05:00

In the aftermath of the happy moment, After the little girl has torn the wrapping from the box and revealed the toy, the one she has been begging to have. When the surprise and glee has ebbed to quiet cuddling—if it is soft, and restless fiddling if it is not. When the morning comes when she does not take it with her to show her friends, And it’s left alone in a lost corner of her room to be

Day of Mindfulness Jan 29th with Chan Huy

2011-01-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

We are please to invite all of the practitioners in the Ottawa-Hull region to a Day of Mindfulness with Dharma Teacher Chan Huy. Biography of Chan Huy Dharmacarya Chan Huy, MS, MBA, CPC has successfully integrated mindfulness meditation and buddhist ancient wisdom into his professional life as well as in his personal and family life. His knowledge and deep understanding of the mind functions

What Do You Do When There Is Nothing You Can Do: The Reality of Ordinary Suffering

2010-12-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

A new Shelter for Homeless Women will soon open less than a kilometre from the former Home for Friendless Women. That latter home provided shelter and support for women from the mid-19th century until it closed sometime before 1930. Like the current Homeless Women’s Shelter, it was founded and supported by local Christian charities. No matter what our spiritual persuasion (I assume that

Testing blog feed to facebook

2010-12-22T19:28:00.001-05:00

Testing a blog feed to my 108 Zen Books facebook page. Apologies for the interruption but as long as I have you here, shall we breathe?

What is the meaning of the Buddhist holiday Rohatsu?- Beliefnet.com

2010-11-29T16:09:00.000-05:00

I will be leaving for my first Rohatsu Retreat at Upaya Zen Center on Wednesday. The retreat is one way to connect with that original goodness the Buddha realized within himself at the dawn of the Morning Star - an event we celebrate on December 8th every year. The week of intense meditation is a time of reflection on our practice of the year and a time to commit ourselves to unceasing practice

Testing a new format

2010-11-20T10:58:00.002-05:00

I'm testing a new format to send post to the sangha. Thank you for your patience!

Who Benefits From My Practice?

2010-10-10T10:24:00.000-04:00

Without friends to hold memories there are no illusions of permanence The other day I was walking though Beechwood Cemetery on my way to a favorite coffee shop. I had just moved out of the heat and into the shade of the mature hardwoods bordering the narrow roadway when I saw the three grave stones lined up one behind the other, centered in a patch of open ground that separated them

life of a Korean bhikkhuni candidate

2010-09-09T13:03:00.000-04:00

My dharma friend Barry Briggs of Ox Herding sent on this beautiful life record of a Korean nun working her way to ordination as a bhikkhuni. Korean Zen has been in the forefront of ordination opportunities for women and have one of the highest representations of women as Zen Masters. ( have to remember that the term "Master" is not always masculine and refers to being accomplished... yet I wish

Council reminder & Bhikkhuni Ordination News

2010-09-04T12:31:00.000-04:00

Practice Reminder: We will sit in Council this Tuesday to welcome a new season of practice. Please be sure to join us and add your voice to community. Great news: Few of us are aware that the bhikkhuni line (of female monastics) died out about 1500 years ago. Without the elder nuns to transmit the Dharma in the Theravadin lineage, the order of fully ordained female moanstics died out and

The Banality of Everyday Integrity

2010-08-28T15:21:00.000-04:00

The bridge spans the river because each element connects with the other with integrity. Each, without fuss, does what it is made to do. Each continues to do its job because it is its job. Each would know - if it could know - that it plays its role and, without playing its role, the bridge would fall. There is one more interesting back story to tell about the all too human Buddha. This

Small Mercies

2010-08-18T20:18:00.005-04:00

One interesting piece of the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment involves a young woman and a small act of mercy. The incident which involved feeding a simple meal of milk and rice to a starving Gautama likely saved his life. But it also set the stage for his final push to Awakening. There is no evidence in the record that the maiden ever knew what her action had enabled. There are of course the

Lofty Ideas

2010-08-07T14:37:00.010-04:00

Lofty Ideas Come From Small Communities of Dedication Near the base of the mountain pictured at the left is the entrance to the Santa Fe Institute. In many ways the small group of mathematicians and the scientists who work there ask the same question the Buddha asked 2600 years ago, How can we eliminate the uncertainty in our lives? Their answer is not that much different from the

Website for talks by Thich Nhat Hanh

2010-07-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

I've added the web link to the sangha blog for up-to-date talks given by Thay. It's both in the "Mahasangha" section and the "Blogs to Enjoy." You can also subscribe to them here.

Meditation: Throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

2010-06-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

Interesting commentary by James Shaheen on Ed Halliwell's article in the Guardian on the move towards a secular meditation. The comments on the Tricycle Editor's Blog are interesting too.

Always Buddha

2010-06-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

If the time come just to get up and to come here and sit and talk or listen and go home all those procedures are our practice. If so you are always Buddha without any idea of attainment.Dharma Talk by Shunryu Suzuki

An Island of Loving Kindness

2010-05-28T15:25:00.005-04:00

Uncle John and Aunt Mary embodied Loving Kindness, the first of the four immeasurables that are both the focus for and the result of meditation. My first memory of, what I now realize, was Loving Kindness was in Uncle John’s seed store. It was its quiet acceptance that always seemed to envelope and hold me as soon as I walked through the door. It was usually on a summer Saturday afternoon. I

Stephen Batchelor's on line retreat via Tricycle Magazine

2010-04-09T11:02:00.000-04:00

“The practice of mindfulness is the practice of learning to be with your ordinary everyday experience in a very different way— a way in which you’re not compulsively pushed or pulled by whatever impulse, fear, or desire that pops up into your mind. Rather, an awareness that somehow stands back, takes account of what i...s going on, is far more present to what is happening, and that does not seek

The Gift of No Hope

2010-04-05T09:17:00.007-04:00

Awhile ago I introduced five people I have referred to as ordinary Buddha’s. Viola you may recall exposed me to her equanimity in the face of systemic racism. Uncle John and Aunt Mary embodied loving kindness in a culture that values violence. Willie treated me with compassion at a time when I had impulsively placed myself at risk and taking that time to treat me with compassion meant that he

God in 100 words or less

2010-03-18T05:00:00.003-04:00

Patheos is a fascinating site offering a "balanced view of Religion and Spirituality." Debra Arca Mooney of Patheos contacted me about 10 days ago and offered a "theoblogger" challenge: Who/What is God?In 100 words or less A previous challenge had been issued to a selection of Christian writers. As a result of the responses to that challenge, bloggers across a variety of faith traditions

The Buddha on PBS

2010-03-16T09:03:00.000-04:00

From the Facebook page "The Buddha" Twenty-five hundred years ago, a child was born who was to become the Buddha. This is part 1 of 19 of the PBS documentary THE BUDDHA, a film by David Grubin, premiering April 7, 2010 at 8 p.m. (check local listings) Learn more at The Buddha on PBS. We will be watching this preview in sangha tonight. Looking forward to practicing with you all! Gassho,

Longing

2010-03-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

This quote was posted by my dharma sister, Maia Duerr of The Jizo Chronicles: "If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." ~ Antoine de St. Exuperygassho,Lynette

True poverty

2010-02-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

The beat of my heart has grown deeper, more active, and yet more peaceful, and it is as if I were all the time storing up inner riches…My [life] is one long sequence of inner miracles. — The young Dutchwoman Etty Hillesum wrote that in a Nazi transit camp in 1943, on her way to her death at Auschwitz two months later… from The Joy of Less by Pico Iyer We listened to a dharma talk by Roshi Joan

Crisis in Mongolia

2010-02-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

There is an absence of coverage on this crisis in Mongolia. Because of intense cold weather, livestock are dying in the millions and people are on the verge of starvation. Please read and do what you can to help. John Pappas at Zen Dirt Zen Dust gives a summary of the situation and ways to help. Gassho,Lynette

Karen refugees to be repatriated by Thai government

2010-02-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

Over the last two decades, the Karen people have been systematically persecuted by the Burmese government. Many thousands of them live in refugee camps on the edge of the forest and border of Burma and Thailand. Frequently the Thai police raid the camps driving the refugees back into Burma. Now the Thai government has launched a open plan to repatriate the refugees. This will be certain

from DigitalZendo: Looking Deeply

2010-02-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

Please enjoy this 5-min talk by Thay on Nirvana. From the Yahoo listserve click here

"Jason"

2010-01-27T22:04:00.000-05:00

I met Jason later in life after I had established myself as a middle class professional separated by time and culture from the violence that defined the time and place of my childhood. He was one of those rare members of the helping professions who was truly engaged with his work. It was apparent in the way he walked down the hall—eyes and face connecting to everyone and everything he passed. Too

Bat Nha koan from Thay

2010-01-26T18:52:00.000-05:00

Dear Sangha, Please visit the Deer Park Monastery blogsite to enjoy Thay's latest teaching. Gassho, Lynette

Tzu Chi Foundation now in Haiti

2010-01-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Emily Breder at the Examiner and Peace Ground Zero has written of the Tzu Chi Foundation which is on the ground in Haiti. Donations can be made to their organization here. For more information you can also read Maia Deuer at The Jizo Chronicles. Gassho, Lynette

Haiti Support Urgent

2010-01-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Sangha, Please let us direct our attention to the situation in Haiti. My dharma brother, Barry Briggs at Ox Herding has listed a number of ways to help. Please click here. Dharma brother, Andre of Bodhi Leaf, has recommended The Humanitarian Coalition comprised of CARE, OXFAM, OXFAM-Quebec and Save the Children. World Vision Canada is also another organization that would welcome

Willie

2010-01-09T12:08:00.001-05:00

I knew Willie when I was in my teens. He worked in the auto body shop that shared the building with my dad’s auto repair shop. Aside from being one of the most skilled craftsmen I have even known he was a tremendous storyteller.When I thought no one was looking I would slip over to where Willie was working and listen to his tales of moving from a black urban neighborhood in Baltimore to where he

Irritants & Ethics

2010-01-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

Please join Justin Whitaker of American Buddhist Perspective who is Guest author for 108 Zen Books today. Here are a few enticing quotes: "The topic is, I’m afraid to say, pretty difficult because, quite frankly, so much irritates me. Trying to be mindful of the irritants in my life only seemed to show just how irritable a person I am!" "Plenty to practice with, I should think. But then I

Memorial for slain Ottawa Police Officer

2010-01-06T11:07:00.000-05:00

Dear Sangha, As most of you have read in the news, Officer Eric Czapnik died on duty December 29, 2009. He leaves a young family of four children and his wife. Eric was 48 years old when he began his career as a police officer. Those of you who know our professional role in Ottawa Police Service will likely be aware that we were honored to have been part of the team who selected him in this

Metta Chant for a Happy New Year

2010-01-01T00:06:00.000-05:00

May you be warmed, held safe, and protected by love. May you find nourishment in community. May you be free while others are at peace! ~~~~~~~~~~~ May our commitment to practice wholeheartedly in this New Year bring benefit to all beings. Deep bows to all, Lynette & Frank

A Question

2009-12-30T22:44:00.000-05:00

A Question A question that’s worth asking is why the enlightenment of Prince Siddartha create a paradigm shift? Why didn’t his awakening simply go unnoticed and his teachings join the other spiritual practices of the period that history cast onto the growing pile of religious outliers? The tendency is to look for the answer in his experience sitting in meditation under the Bodhi tree and in the

Bat Nha Blessings video

2009-12-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

Uncle John & Aunt Mary

2009-12-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

I spent time with Uncle John and Aunt Mary when I was twelve or so. By that time my dad had his own automobile repair business and I had just begun working for him mostly on Saturdays but sometimes also after school. The garage was on the north end of a street that ran from the centre of the town past rows of warehouses where tobacco, the only crop commercially grown in that part of the state,

Burma - It can't wait: message fromThay

2009-12-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

Please watch this video of Thay speaking about the monk's protests. He was one of the "30 days Million Voices" campaign by US Campaign for Burma. May 2008. gassho, Lynette

Now!

2009-12-17T14:11:00.001-05:00

Don't waste it! http://advaitatoons.blogspot.com/ And metta with deep bows to all of you. Thank you for making practice so easy this year! Gassho, Lynette & Frank

Confused? Try this!

2009-12-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

Again, Barry at Ox Herding has hit the nail on the head... This should definitely solve all our problems - especially if we're short on time to buy presents for Christmas, Bodhimas, or whatever holiday we're dreading! gassho, Lynette

Viola

2009-12-10T15:24:00.001-05:00

In my last post I promised to introduce you to four ordinary Buddhas I have met. The first is Viola. She was the woman who looked after me for a time when I was six or seven. The time was just after the end of World War II. The dates would have been 1949 to 1950. When I knew Viola, my parents lived in a poor white neighborhood in a southern mill town. Because poverty like wealth is nuanced, it

The Buddha Way

2009-12-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

So, to hear, to know what is, to feel something about Buddhism is not the main point. Whether that feeling is good or bad is out of question. We don’t mind whatever it is. Buddhism is not good or bad. We are doing what we should do. That is Buddhism.So it is the same thing as you take breakfast and go to bed. This is Buddhism. Of course some encouragement is necessary, but that

Seven layers of understanding

2009-12-07T16:53:00.000-05:00

With Rohatsu just beyond dawn tomorrow, it is a good time to reflect on our practice and our connections with our teachers. Thich Nhat Hanh's power as a teacher lies in his ability to convey multiple layers of understanding at the same time to diverse audiences. We can read Thay's books as a fresh sprout stretching for the sunlight or as an oak tree with deep, broad roots cultivated over

Chrysler dedicates film to Aung San Suu Kyi

2009-12-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Precious Metal for posting this: Interestingly, this is Dr. Cynthia Maung's birthday - much to celebrate as the world shifts. gassho, Lynette

The Ordinary Buddha

2009-12-05T12:22:00.001-05:00

Last week Lynette reminded us that the Buddha didn't reach enlightenment by sitting around waiting for things to happen. No, instead he first had to face that the approach he had dedicated his spiritual life to wasn't working. With the realization that his asceticism wasn't furthering his understanding he had to be able to let go of those many years of practice. Along with that letting go, he

the illusion of ownership

2009-12-03T10:48:00.000-05:00

In Buddhism, we work with resolving the illusion of an absolute self. This video shows how we may come to believe a disembodied object is a part of "us". It opens a fascinating question of how we may create this illusion of ownership with other aspects of our Self.

Sustaining practice

2009-12-01T15:12:00.003-05:00

Several writers with blogs on Buddhism got together and swapped articles which were published today. For a list of the hosts and guests you can click here. I was asked to write for Nate at Precious Metal on Sustaining Practice. I hope you enjoy this and all the other articles. The author for Budding Buddhist wrote for me at 108 Zen Books on the evolution of her own practice. Dwan is an

Radical Joy Part 2-6 of 8

2009-12-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

Radical Joy Part 2 of 8 Parts 3-6 are also uploaded to the Audio podcasts site. Enjoy! Posted using ShareThis

Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan's retreat talks on Radical Joy

2009-11-26T18:55:00.000-05:00

Radical Joy Part 1 of 8Speakers: Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax & Zuleikha Sharon opens the retreat by illustrating the role of joy in our everyday lives as a quality that can arise when we let go and begin again even amidst our imperfection, to feel the sense of renewal always present in our lives. She then guides the participants through a meditation. Roshi sets down the aspirations of

Dhamma Dana - DVD

2009-11-19T20:08:00.001-05:00

Precious Metal - the Blog editor Nate posted this DVD review of the movie Dhamma Dana by Theodore Martland. Here's a bit of the review: Theodore is able to bring us not only a glimpse into this world, but give us such insight I felt like some of the misconceptions I had were made clear. For one, I couldn’t comprehend how the monks of the country could continue on under such tyranny. But through

Charter for Compassion

2009-11-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

Charter for CompassionThis is the aspiration of Karen Armstrong who won the TED Prize.About Karen Armstrong Karen Armstrong is one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world. Armstrong is a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford. She has written more than 20 books around the ideas of what

Psychology and Buddhism

2009-11-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

This is a terrific talk - informative and personal - on the evolution of Buddhism from the time of the of historical Buddha to today's "friendship" of Psychology and the Dharma. The speaker is Musai Roshi of Prajna Zendo in Santa Fe. He is a psychotherapist and zen teacher from the Big Mind tradition. With gratitude for all the varied teachers we can access! Gassho, Lynette

Zoya Phan interview Nov 2007

2009-10-30T22:28:00.001-04:00

Listen to this incredibly articulate and poised young woman as she speaks to the tragedy of Burma and of her own life. Frank and I heard her tonight and were deeply moved. She is the first activist I've heard who acknowledges the suffering of those who left Burma in the '60's and 70's. You can go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQVm4qdSEI from the yahoo site or to the blogsite (click on

Killing a mosquito

2009-10-28T20:55:00.000-04:00

A very neat video of the Dalai Lama and his take on killing a mosquito. It's the perennial question asked about the First Mindfulness Training. Enjoy!

Training in the gym of the Five Mindfulness Trainings

2009-10-28T14:08:00.002-04:00

Last night we recited the Five Mindfulness Trainings and shared council about them. We paid attention to our "second mind" - the mental chatter that reflected our resistance to some or all of the trainings. It's not a good idea to recite these trainings without paying attention to the snags we feel. There is more to learn from observing our push-backs than from any passive group-think about

Burning huts & taking refuge

2009-10-20T22:14:00.001-04:00

Tonight we chanted the Three Refuges and reflected on how our practice embodies wisdom, teachings, and community - the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. To take shelter is to hope for protection from powerful elements in our lives that threaten to sweep us away. Sometimes however we can find ourselves "hiding out" rather than using the protection as a respite to gather our strength. This is

Five Remembrances & touching the earth: antidotes for suffering

2009-10-14T14:40:00.003-04:00

Last night, in our practice, we honored the life and diligence of John Daido Loori, roshi. In The Heart of Being: Moral and Ethical Teachings of Zen Buddhism, Daidoshi writes, This practice is contagious. Zazen is contagious. Living the precepts is contagious. Realizing the ground of being and actualizing it in our lives is contagious. Your practice transforms not only you but all those

God, it's not that simple

2009-10-12T19:41:00.001-04:00

God, it's not that simpleShared via AddThis

New blogsite for John Daido Roshi

2009-10-12T15:47:00.001-04:00

http://bit.ly/11qeDm #loori #daido #zen Dear Sangha, Please take a look at this beautiful commemorative site. The comments by visitors is worth a read. How amazing to have had such an impact on so many! Inspiring! Gassho, Lynette

Teaching beyond the words

2009-10-07T13:09:00.002-04:00

Last night we chanted the Enmei Juku Kannon Gyo and offered the merit of our practice to John Daido Loori, Roshi, who is dying. In his lifetime and likely well beyond it, Daido Roshi has contributed to the illumination of thousands of us. He has offered his teachings continuously to the very last moment possible in this human container. The dharma talk last night was about the Three Poisons:

Daido Loori's continuation

2009-10-06T09:22:00.009-04:00

Dear Sangha: Please keep Daido Loori's continuation in your prayers and offerings. Dear Friends, Over the last few days, Daido Roshi's condition has changed significantly and it is now apparent that he has only a few days of life left. Because of this, the Descending the Mountain ceremony scheduled for this Sunday at Zen Mountain Monastery needs to be cancelled.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings

2009-09-30T22:27:00.015-04:00

Tuesday we recited the Five Mindfulness Trainings. We took a moment before the recitation to remember that the Trainings are not rules to bind us but practices that enhance our awareness of our interconnectedness. The awareness of interconnectedness is present from the First Mindfulness Training where our awareness of the suffering caused by killing leads to an aspiration to not kill to the

Bat Nha conflict now urgent

2009-09-27T10:10:00.004-04:00

Over the last months, we have followed the situation in Bat Nha (Vietnam) with sadness and fear. The most recent news is below and it seems things have escalated significantly. You can also follow the developments at www.helpbatnha.org (the site is down at this moment but should be fixed shortly). Please keep our monastic brothers and sisters in your meditations. You can read more at http

The dance of form and emptiness as adaptation

2009-09-26T19:59:00.001-04:00

An Interview with David Loy in Vol. 1, No. 1 (2005) www.holosforum.org TOM MCFARLANE: ...how thought isn’t necessarily always used to grasp at things and to ground ourselves in the world. DAVID: Well, this relates to the way we understand spirituality and meditation. For example, we often tend to understand meditation—in Zen especially—as getting rid of thoughts. We think that if we can just

Burma events to support

2009-09-26T13:48:00.001-04:00

Some Burma education and discussion events occurring around town this week. Burma's war against women When: Monday September 28 @12:30pm Where: CUPW 1st floor Board Room, 377 Bank Street, Ottawa A discussion with three prominent members of Burma's democracy movement and presentation will focus on the impact that decades of armed conflict and military dictatorship has had on Burma’s women.

The Heart of Understanding: about cows, frozen yogurt and boundlessness

2009-09-24T15:04:00.004-04:00

The Prajnaparamita is a lengthy discourse that contains a zen favourite every zennie likes to quote: form is emptiness and emptiness is form. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, it tends to be shorthand for "Don't sweat it. It's all good." Buddhist teachings point out that our dissatisfaction (dukkha) is created because we hold onto things we like and reject the things we don't like. We

There ain't no cure for love

2009-09-16T22:32:00.001-04:00

“There ain’t no cure for love”: A Leonard Cohen take on the Four Noble Truths Every beginning Buddhist knows that the Buddha gave his first Dharma talk soon after his enlightenment when he had seen that all things are interconnected, In that talk he shared the Four Noble Truths. The most infamous is the first which in English is usually translated as Life is Suffering. The other three—there is a

New Beginning

2009-09-02T21:06:00.007-04:00

Tuesday September 8 at 6 PM, we enter the door to our new season of sitting and council.Sitting in council means we gather as a community with an intention to set our course for the next four months. All practitioners and their aspirations are welcomed whether you have been practicing for years, months, days or minutes. The practice of council is to bring into the community our wisdom,

Buddha's Robe is Sewn*

2009-08-17T20:54:00.006-04:00

Dear Sangha:Moon in a barrel:you never know just whenthe bottom will fall out.- Mabutsu (d.1874)I love the promise of surprise in this haiku. So often we think we have it all cornered, fish in a barrel, figured out and then - Boom! - the bottom falls out! Out of our day, out of our life, out of our zone of comfort. How wonderful!The Upaya Newsletter has a link • Jukai: August 26, 8:30PM to the

The Revised Five Mindfulness Trainings: the literal and the subtle in practice

2009-08-05T21:42:00.004-04:00

Today is a black day indeed! Woodstock anniversary concert cancelled AND Paula Abdul quit American Idol. The only thing that might make life fill with more suffering is to learn that Elvis is Dead!What are we to make of such news?Actually, probably nothing but it's a great segue to talk about the revised Five Mindfulness Trainings which addresses our longings, delusions, and mastery at avoiding

Starting here - again

2009-06-03T18:50:00.001-04:00

You Reading This, Be Ready Starting here, what do you want to remember?How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?What scent of old wood hovers, what softenedsound from outside fills the air? Will you ever bring a better gift for the worldthan the breathing respect that you carrywherever you go right now? Are you waitingfor time to show you some better thoughts? When you turn around,

Removing our head & forgetting our self

2009-04-04T13:57:00.010-04:00

Wisdom comes from the strangest places! Sipping my chai one day, I took a moment to read the little quotable on the paper cup:The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as a rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as

Roshi Joan Halifax Public Talk May 7 2009

2009-04-03T15:58:00.002-04:00

Ottawa Hospice Palliative Care Network presents:CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES FOR MINDFUL CAREGIVINGPALLIATIVE CARE PUBLIC LECTUREThursday May 7, 20097:30 - 9:30 pmat BARRHAVEN UNITED CHURCH3013 Jockvale Road, NepeanThis talk addresses how caregivers can use a contemplative approach to psycho-social, spiritual and ethical aspects of care of the dying. The main focus is the cultivation of mindful

PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION DAY

2009-04-03T15:49:00.002-04:00

Ottawa Hospice Palliative Care Network19TH ANNUAL PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION DAY“Remaining True to Palliative Care in the Midst of a Philosophical Crisis”Plenary Speakers:Roshi Joan HalifaxSusan StewartFriday, May 8, 200908:15 – 16:30Registration begins at 07:30Hampton Inn Conference Centre200 Coventry Rd Ottawa, ONJournée éducative en anglais seulement.Voir autre dépliant pour renseignements

The constellation of self

2009-03-22T09:44:00.003-04:00

On a clear winter night, the constellations of stars over our farmhouse are overwhelming in multitude and brilliance. Standing in the middle of our driveway, I feel like the center tent pole holding up a canvas filled with pinpricks through which the eternal and universal light shines. Since childhood, my favourite collection of light has been Orion, the Hunter. He's always stood in regal

An Aspiration to Commitment

2009-03-03T14:25:00.010-05:00

Last week we recited the Five Mindfulness Trainings. These are the five precepts for lay practitioners: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit sexual misconduct, do not lie, and do not take intoxicants. Thich Nhat Hanh placed the five precepts in a framework that not only makes them accessible but also places them in the context of a behavioural practice. For the full text of the Five