Category Archives: Buddhism

WHEN TOO MUCH TURMOIL PREVAIL OUTSIDE, LOOK FOR PEACE WITHIN, GO INTO COLD MOUNTAIN.

If the wheel of fortune is fickle by nature?  The chances of your turn to be loved by it, May arrive at some point. The title of my last post was: A year to forget, and move on, what follows? … Continue reading

Posted in A World in Crisis, Buddhism, Buddhist Monk, China, Consciousness, Crisis, Crisis of Values, Current Affairs, Democracy, Dystopia, Inner Journey, Inspiration, Pandemic, Solitude, Suffering, Uncategorized, Values, World View | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

DIFFERENT WAYS SAME GOAL, THE CONCEPTIONS OF THE SOUL, AND THE TURNING OF THE HEART.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36: … Continue reading

Posted in Atman, Buddhism, Enlightenment, Heart, Hinduism, Inspiration, Islam, Knowing Self, Knowledge, Love, Metaphysics, Mysticism, Soul, Spiritual Training, Spirituality, Sufism, Transformation, Transmutation, Uncategorized, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

IT MATTERS, HAVING THE PROPER ATTITUDE, TAKES YOU A LONG WAY, THE ORIGINAL MIND.

The Sage is occupied with the wordless And acts without effort. Teaching without speaking, Producing without possessing, Creating without regard to result, Claiming nothing, The Sage has nothing to lose. Tao Te King Human conditions, often we forget are relative, … Continue reading

Posted in Attitude, Buddhism, Ch'an Buddhist, Chih Shue, Eastern Ways Vs Western Ways, Enlightenment, Inspiration, Mastery, Mind, Original Mind, Pen Shue, Pen Shue, Philosophy, Realization, Spirituality, Tao, Transformation, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Wu Wei, Zen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

SEMANTICS; WHAT IT ALL MEANS? AND OTHER WAYS OF KNOWING

“He showed the words “chocolate cake” to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. “Guilt” was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: “celebration.” Michael Pollan … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Critical Thinking, Cultural Attitudes, Education, Human Nature, Knowledge, Language, Metaphors, Mythology, Parables, Subjective, Symbology, Symbols, True Teaching, Uncategorized, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

ON LEARNING HOW TO LEARN, THE ART OF EMPTYING THE CUP

  “Once, a long time ago, there was a wise Zen master. People from far and near would seek his counsel and ask for his wisdom. Many would come and ask him to teach them, enlighten them in the way … Continue reading

Posted in Alchemy, Buddhism, Consciousness, Critical Thinking, Cultural Attitudes, Education, Ego, Inspiration, Learning, Teaching, Transformation, Transmutation, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Zen | Tagged , , , , , , | 76 Comments

ON LEARNING, AND TEACHING, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN WAYS, TO OUR WESTERN APPROACH.

Seiza (正座 or 正坐, literally “proper sitting”) is the Japanese term for one of the traditional formal ways of sitting in Japan. Zanshin is a concept found in Zen, Budo (Japanese martial arts), particularly Kendo, and in many Japanese arts, … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Critical Thinking, Cultural Attitudes, Eastern Ways Vs Western Ways, Education, Holistic View, Human Nature, Learning, Philosophy, Social Criticism, Teaching, True Teaching, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged , , , , , , | 28 Comments

PRECEPTS AND ENVIRONMENT BY JOHN DAIDO LOORI, JOINING ESPIRITUALITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Love all of God’s creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light! Love the animals. Love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will soon perceive the divine … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Buddhist Monk, Counsciousness, Environment, Extinction of Species, John Daido Loori, Love of the Beautiful, Spirituality And Environment, The Rights of Nature, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE KILLING OF ANIMALS, IDEAL KOSHER PRACTICES, DIVERSE RELIGIOUS VIEWS, AND ATHEISTS ON VEGETARIANISM

“The blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.” Deuteronomy 12:23-24   The Torah gives precise details on how animals are to be sacrificed and slaughtered (shechita). According to Rabbis Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz and … Continue reading

Posted in Animal cruelty, Atheism, Biblical Studies, Buddhism, Environment, Garden of Eden, Hinduism, Kosher Laws, Philosophy, Religion, Sanatana Dharma, Suffering, The Rights of Nature, Uncategorized, Vegetarianism | Tagged , , , , , , | 69 Comments

MY VIEWS ON RELIGION, ATHEISM, BUDDHISM AND OTHER MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, HOUSTON SMITH A LIFE ON RELIGION

It is very good to be born in a church, but it is very bad to die in a church. Swami Vivekananda It may come as a surprise to my readers,  my particular views on these issues, Religion, Atheism, and … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Religions, Anger and Violence, Atheism, Buddhism, Cosmogony, Crisis of Values, Critical Thinking, Cynicism, Direct Spiritual Experience, Freedom, Future, History, Houston Smith, Human Nature, Inner Journey, Inspiration, Mysticism, New Age, New Values, Personal Story, Religion, Secular Society, Solipsism, Spiritual but not Religious, Spirituality, Subjective, Uncategorized, Western Ideals, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

DELEUZE, WESTERN PHILOSOPHY AND THE ENDLESS REVERSING OF THE SOCK, THE CONCEPT, A SISYPHEAN TASK, ONENESS OF BEING, ZEN AND THE EVER CHATTING MIND

It is too clear and so it is hard to see. A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern. Had he known what fire was, He could have cooked his rice much sooner. Joshu A SISYPHEAN TASK … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Buddhist Monk, Conceptualism, Cosmology, Counsciousness, Critical Thinking, Deleuze, Dogen Zenji, Epistemology, Ibn Arabi, Language, Metaphysics, Mysticism, Ontology, Philosophy, Postmodernism, Semantics, Spirituality, Subjective, Transcendental Empiricism, Uncategorized, Univocity, Wahdat al Wujud, Western Civilization, Western Philosophy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga Sutras, Zen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments