Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
One old koan tells the story of a student who asks his teacher for permission to leave the monastery. “Where do you want to go?” the teacher asks. “Around on pilgrimage,” replies the student. The teacher presses him, “What is the purpose of a pilgrimage?” After all, doesn’t practice teach us that everything we’re looking for is already right here?
... See moreBarry Magid • Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: A Zen Guide
Buddha in the Jungle by Kamala Tiyavanich. From her research of Buddhism in Thailand, extending back to the earliest written records of previous centuries, you see a very wide range of meditation practices in use. You read how the forest lineages included healers, educators, schoolteachers, priests, peacemakers, and meditators; some were
... See moreJack Kornfield • Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are
Rinzai Roku (a celebrated Zen text of the T’ang dynasty) and the teachings of Bankei, the seventeenth-century Japanese master who, for me, represents Zen at its best.
Alan Watts • In My Own Way: An Autobiography
Not long after bringing her demented mother home to live with her, Gillian walked into the living room to find her beloved books, including sacred Buddhist texts, scattered across the floor. Her mother announced, “I’m tired of all these dusty old books. I’m going to give them to my dentist.” Gillian was momentarily trapped by her anger. She scolded
... See moreFrank Ostaseski • The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully
Chef Sati Invites You to Dinner Chef Sati—a chef and Buddhist teacher—invited us to dinner to introduce us to the art of mindful cooking and eating. He promised that his dishes would enlighten our senses and that the evening would simply be an opportunity to touch the joy of life, but we would all have to take an active part in the meal. He placed
... See moreLilian Cheung • Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life
Bodhidharma’s Vast Emptiness
John Tarrant • Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life
Bankei (1622–1693) was a contemporary of Hakuin and for some time roshi at the Myoshinji monastery in Kyoto. Translations of his informal talks on Zen, directed especially to lay people, may be found in D. T. Suzuki’s Living by Zen (Pasadena, Calif.: P. D. and Ione Perkins, 1949), and in Lucien Stryk, ed., World of the Buddha (New York: Doubleday &
... See moreAlan Watts • In My Own Way: An Autobiography
