Doubt

Great Balls of Doubt!

In the Rinzai tradition there are three core elements that form the foundation of practice. They are the Great Root of Faith, the Great Mass of Doubt and a Great Fierce Resolve. But why are they “great”? I have always loved the idea that the character for great, 大, features the pictographic element of someone standing with their arms outstretched.

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Can do it, Can’t do it

As students of the way, if we are serious about awakening to our true nature, or Buddha nature, we need to believe that from the beginning we are Buddhas and the realisation of our true nature is our birth right. The following is a koan called ‘Nan-chuan’s Stone Buddha’, and it is case 3 from the Iron Flute collection of

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