“Why am I doing this?” is a constant companion along the way. “What’s the point?”
Category: Buddhism
Questioning the Breath
Yaoshan once asked his student, Daowu, “Where have you been?”
“Walking on the mountain,” Daowu replied.
“Answer without leaving this room!”

It Starts in Darkness
This is the first step on what’s called the path of Transcendental Dependent Arising, wherein we use the same laws that turn the merry-go-round to see that there is no merry-go-round and assert our own shining silence.
My Journey: From God to Zen
I was raised Roman Catholic, because my mom was Catholic. But she never forced me to blindly accept her religion. In fact, she encouraged me to keep questioning things, to come to my own conclusions. To, putting it in a cliche way, follow my heart. I was a good Catholic. I was even an altar […]

Hsin Hsin Ming Part 4
Part Four of my commentary and translation of the Hsin Hsin Ming.
What if the Breath Freaks Me Out?
The breath isn’t for everyone. Here are some other meditation objects to try out.

Anapanasati in Zen (Part One)
Even though anapanasati isn’t orthodox Zen, there’s no reason why it can’t be. It’s such a simple practice that can bring so much joy and ease into life, and we desperately need more of that in the world.
Building an Inner Teacher
through study and practice, we can kind of hijack that inner critic and turn it into an inner guide.

The Art of Being
When we stop trying to be and just are, being does the work for us.