Subhana gives meditation instructions, an introduction and guided meditation practice on Silent Illumination. Silent Illumination is a both a practice and the direct realisation of mind. It was developed by Chinese Zen master Hongzhi and has its roots in Shamata Vipassana practice of early Buddhism. It was later called Shikantaza in Japanese Zen
The Dharma talk explores the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows and how they have their roots in the Four Noble Truths and hence the four great related tasks in walking the path of liberation from suffering. What does it mean to live by and embody these aspirational vows and noble intentions for
It is as though a water buffalois passing through a lattice window.Its head, horns and four legs have all gone through. Why can’t its tail go through? Case 16 Wu’Men Kuan Koans can truly ring like the theatre of the absurd. Their playful logic challenges us. And vast dimensions revealed
This phrase, “Snow in a silver bowl”, comes down to us via an interesting succession of teachings that begins with a most likely mythical Zen lineage history. Once a monk asked Ba-ling, “What is the Deva sect?” Ba-ling said, “Snow in a silver bowl”. Peter explores this short but nevertheless
In our Miscellaneous Koan collection there is a koan that asks us to “Save a ghost”. It offers us a rich contemplation on the nature of salvation, and what manifesting that salvation for others looks like. The great vow of saving the many beings means bringing forth our practice, which
These words are dedicated to Tony, who fully lived his wild and precious life with generosity and love, until June 20 this year. The disease Tony had, MND, is known as the One Thousand Day Disease, but we didn’t know this when he was diagnosed. We knew the disease was
This talk by Jane Andino deals with the question presented in many koans: ‘What is Buddha?’ What does it mean to be awake? What does it mean, in the words of Yuanwu’s pointer to Case 7 of the Blue Cliff Record, to ‘have personally heard the single word before sound?’
Peter Bursky weaves his own discovery of Dogen’s Mountains and Waters Sutra into a wander through the opening paragraph of this beautiful and poetic text. Mountains and waters encompass much of what the form of Zen practice, art and language is, and it’s like this because they are the form
This beautiful piece of music was played on guitar at Jane Andino’s transmission ceremony in June 2022, by her husband Ricardo. The title of the piece, La Negra Noche, literally means ‘the black night’ but Ricardo translates it as ‘The dark night’which resonates more with the spiritual. Composer: Emilio UrangaGuitarist:
