How do I transcend equality and differentiation? asked a monk of the priest Feng-hsueh (Case 24 Wu-men Kuan). Jane explores the meaning for us of these terms and how they relate to practice. She also relates this case to the theme of Winter sesshin: ‘Live neither in the entanglements of outer things, not in inner feelings of emptinesss.’ This teisho was
In this guided meditation Peter takes us into the silence of mind and body and introduces us to the practice of Silent Illumination (shikintaza) – where we drop away obstructions to perceive reality clearly, transcending noise and separation. He quotes Zen Master Hongzhi, who describes Silent Illumination as the “field of bound less emptiness” where everything functions freely in suchness,
Whenever a monk came to see him Luzu turned around and sat facing the wall.Full stop, end of story. This was his teaching. He offered no words. Our core practice is sitting. What does it mean? This talk considers zazen and the fact of a wall, drawing on the wisdom of Dogen and Aitken Roshi too. It meanders into a
In his ‘Song of Realising the Way’, Yungchia says: It speaks in silence In speech you hear its silence The Great Way has opened and there are no obstacles. It’s difficult to practise listening unless our minds become quiet and our thoughts aren’t clamouring for attention, or for expression in speech. We practise noticing thoughts and returning to the count
