The other week I went googling for something I could share with the Dewdrop about gratitude for sangha. I found this little story about Ananda, which I had never heard before. Ananda went to the town where Buddha was staying and, on arrival, bowed down to the Blessed One, and …
An Angry Person with a Practice
I wasn’t an angry person until I became a Zen Buddhist. Sure, I yelled. I slammed things. I broke things. But I wouldn’t have called myself angry. It was always another person making me angry. How was that my fault? The night I flung my wedding ring across the lawn …
Maezumi’s Three Admonitions
Wisdom teachings are fascinating things. They may not appear to be special. They are never complicated. They can sound so ordinary that we don’t even hear them or grant them consideration. But like seeds, they burrow into us and one day surface in full bloom. Only then are we ready …
The Truth About Lying
Whenever I think I know what someone needs or wants, what is good or best for them—wagering how things are going to turn out—it’s a good time to shut up.
Bring Zen to Life
What makes lineage living or dead? The answer is always ourselves.