Do Dishes, Rake Leaves

Karen Maezen Miller

                I have a garden in my backyard, and even if you don’t call it a garden, you do too. In the fall, the broad canopy of giant sycamores in my yard turns faintly yellow and the leaves sail down. First by ones, and then by tons. A part of every autumn day finds me fuming at the sight of falling leaves. Then I pick up a rake

Tell me, while I’m sweeping leaves till kingdom come, is it getting in the way of my life? Is it interfering...

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Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Introduction
Everyone has pain and suffering.  It is possible to let go of this pain and smile at our suffering.  We can only do this if we know that the present moment is the only moment in which we can be alive.
    Gathas are short verses that we can recite during our daily activities to help us return to the present moment and dwell in mindfulness.  As excercises in both meditation and poetry, gathas are an essential part of Zen B...

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Dear Sangha,

For this discussion I thought we would join Deer Park as they study and practice together during the winter retreat. The selection from this month is week 7 of the monastery's Ten Gates Winter Retreat Practice. The materials include the Sutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings, the Universal Door Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and some study questions to guide and focus our practice. Follow the link below to access the materials.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pmnz29ypc93a79l/v...
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#11 in the Lin Chi Lu

From Thich Nhat Hanh’s Nothing to Do, Nowhere To Go

The Master taught: “In these times whoever studies the Buddhadharma needs right view. Once there is right view, birth and death can no longer touch you. At that pint, whether you stay or go, you do so as a free person. You do not need to go in search of the transcendent, but the transcendent will seek you out.

                “Friends on the Path, the virtuous monks of old have all offered human beings a path...

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The Way of Practice
from Understanding Our Mind
by Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditating on the nature of interdependence
can transform delusion into enlightenment.
Samsara and suchness are not two.
They are one and te same.

When we live in mindfulness, we are able to see the interdependent nature at the heart of things and transform our ingnorance into insight. Delusion becomes enlightenment - we see that what we formerly perceived as samsara is really non onther than nirvana, the realm of suchness. Mindfulne...
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"If I stood still, I sank; if I struggled, I was carried away. Thus by neither standing still not struggling, I crossed the flood."

-Buddha
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The Three Jewels
From The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
By Thich Nhat Hanh

I take refuge in the Buddha,
the one who shows me the way in this life.

I take refuge in the Dharma,
the way of understanding and love.

I take refuge in the Sangha,
the community that lives in harmony and awareness.

Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha is a fundamental practice in Buddhims. These are universal values that transcend sectarian and cultural boundaries. When we were in our mother's womb, we felt secur...
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From Shenryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

When you are practicing zazen, do not try to stop your thinking. Let it stop by itself. If something comes into your mind, let it come in, and let it go out. It will not stay long. When you try to stop your thinking, it means you are bothered by it. Do not be bothered by anything. It appears as if something comes from outside your mind, but actually it is only the waves of your mind, and if you are not bothered by the waves, gradually they will b...
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Discourse on the Dharma Seal

I heard these words of the Buddha one time when the Lord was residing at Vaishali with his community of bhikshus. One day, he told the community, “Do you know of the wonderful Dharma Seal? Today I would like to tell you about it and explain it to you. Please use your pure mind to listen and receive it with care, and make the best effort to remember and practice it.” The community of bhikshus replied, “Wonderful, World-Honored One! Please teach us. We will...

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Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

by: Thich Nhat Hanh

Introduction
Everyone has pain and suffering.  It is possible to let go of this pain and smile at our suffering.  We can only do this if we know that the present moment is the only moment in which we can be alive.
    Gathas are short verses that we can recite during our daily activities to help us return to the present moment and dwell in mindfulness.  As excercises in both meditation and poetry, gathas are an essential part of Zen Buddhis...

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LOSING OUR APPETITE FOR AGGRESSION

A talk by Pema Chodron at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, June 2, 2004
(Transcribed by Steve Goldman from an audiotape.)

What I realize lately in doing these teachings, the Buddhist teachings, is that there is no way these
days to do this in a way that is separate from what is happening in the world. The teachings have
to be relevant to the world situation that we find ourselves in. This topic, of losing our appetite for
aggression, is very timely, wouldn't ...

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Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing

Anapanasati Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 118

translated by Thich Nhat Hanh

I heard these words of the Buddha one time when he was staying in Savatthi in the Eastern Park, with many well-know and accomplished disciples, including Sariputta, Mahamoggallana, Mahakassapa, Mahakacchayana, Mahakotthita, Mahakappina, Mahachunda, Anuradha, Revata, and Ananda. The senior bhikkus in the community were diligently instructing bhikkus who were new to the pract...

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Discourse on Knowing the Better Way to Catch a Snake

Alagaddupama Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 22

translated by: Thich Nhat Hanh

I heard these words one time when the Buddha was staying at the Anathapindika Monastery in the Jeta Grove, near Shravasti. At the time, the Bhikshu Arittha, who before being ordained had been a vulture trainer, had the wrong view that according to the teachings of the Buddha, sense pleasures are not an obstacle to the practice. After hearing this, many bhikshus w...

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The Three Doors of Liberation

From Thay's book, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

The Three Dharma Seals are the keys we can use to enter the Three Doors of Liberation – emptiness (shunyata) signlessness (animitta), and aimlessness (apranihita). All schools of Buddhism accept the teaching of The Three Doors of Liberation. These Three Doors are sometimes called the Three Concentrations. When we enter these doors, we dwell in concentration and are liberated from fear, confusion, and sa...

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Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness

Sattipatthana Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 10

translated by Thich Nhat Hanh and Annabel Laity

I heard these words of the Buddha one time when he was living at Kammassadhamma, a market town of the Kuru people. The Buddha addressed the bhikkus, “O bhikkus.”

And the bhikkus replied, “Venerable Lord,”

The Buddha said, “Bhikkus, there is a most wonderful way to help living beings realize purification, overcome directly grief and so...

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A talk by Pema Chodron at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, June 2, 2004
Transcribed by Steve Goldman for a dharma discussion at Cedar Sangha on December 13, 2011.

Preface

In September 2004, I attended a weekend workshop taught by Pema Chodron, which was entitled "Losing our appetite for aggression."  I found these particular teachings to be profound, as they strongly resonate with my own experience, and they offer a pwerful application of meditation practice to daily life.

Earlier that year, Pem...

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just want to add my appreciation for this blog page....thank you, jonathan, and also want to clarify that the previous blog entries were posted by jonathan and not by nana, as is implied/stated.
i am so very much enjoying reading these pages, jonathan, and wish to encourage you in your efforts and accomplishments.
a bow and a smile, and much gratitude  and respect to you for the fruits of your practice, slowly and surely ripening with in you. and it is indeed benefiting me, and i also hope, all...
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    My spirituality has become the main guiding force in my life. It plays a role in almost every decision I make, in my relationships with family and friends, and in my perspective of the world. Indeed, as the days go by, I am noticing my life and my spirituality are becoming one.
    My so-called spiritual journey set off when I started becoming aware of the immense suffering in the world. I saw people unable to maintain relationships, destroying their lives with drugs, and pillaging the env...
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