A Mistake Was Made: Taking a Problem to Meditation

Portland Buddhist Priory Posted on by

Follow this link to see the Priory Newsletter where this was originally published.

Recently, someone was asking me, via email, about some turbulent difficulties they were having with a family member and it seemed like it might be helpful to share a revised and expanded version of my written response to that person.

Just talking with someone else about a difficult situation can be helpful in clarifying what might be going on, but bringing a problem to practice can add an extra dimension to our insight and, in addition to the help this might add to resolving the trouble, it can also help us to deepen our practice.

One of the things that emerges when we bring our troubles to practice Continue reading →

Just Drop It

Portland Buddhist Priory Posted on by

Follow this link to see the Priory Newsletter where this was originally published.

Shasta Abbey's Great BellIt is axiomatic that the most important aspect of Zen is the practice of meditation. But, it is also very important that meditation be practiced in the context of the other aspects of Buddhism. Meditation practiced in the context of preceptual inquiry and restraint becomes a life of compassion. Meditation in the context of the Eightfold Path is Buddhist meditation and all of this rests on the bedrock of compassion: if the outcome of our practice is suffering, then maybe we have gone astray from at least the Buddhadharma, but also from our own basic intention?

I say all of this, in part, for context as I zero in on an important aspect of the mind of Zazen, the aspect of just dropping whatever arises in the mind. When we sit down to meditate, our technique is to pay attention and when we notice that our mind is wandering around in some stream of thought, we just Continue reading →

The Other Side Of Suffering

Portland Buddhist Priory Posted on by

Follow this link to see the Priory Newsletter where this was originally published.

Most of the time, my compassionate impulse is to see a problem, analyze it, see what can be done to address the problem, and then implement the steps to fix it. But, every now and then, I come across a situation where nothing can be done (or at least I can’t see anything that could wisely be done). In the face of this “nothing can be done” situation my compassion seems to take on a burdensome quality: it is sort of frustrating.

Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett wrote: “All acceptance is the key to the gateless gate.” While this can seem a little exotic and out of reach, and it may have dimensions that I do not yet see (probably does), it turns out to be pretty down to earth and practical. Like, when I encounter that “nothing can be done” sort of situation, I can work on acceptance, I can Continue reading →