zen – it's not necessary

Habit

As I sat meditating this morning, I was aware of a rage rising within me, so extreme was the anger that I started to tremble. I followed its path backwards and came to my supposed beginning, my birth. I saw this infant grow, the seed of rage growing into a sapling, then a plant withContinue reading “Habit”

Keep Trying

My mother has been preparing my father’s meals for over 40 years now. This is but a small portion of what she does for him. In these 40 odd years I have never heard a single word of acknowledgement or appreciation. My mother says she does it so that her good karma spills onto herContinue reading “Keep Trying”

Riches

It’s so strange, I had always imagined that following the Buddhist tradition involved detachment and giving up. I have always been enchanted by the Buddha, but it is through the interpretation and teachings of his disciple, my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, that I am beginning to see how much richer my life is, how muchContinue reading “Riches”

Teacher

I am listening to a discourse by Thich Nhat Hanh, on the true nature of things. He begins by pulling out a matchbox and asking us, is the flame not already there, it has not manifested true, it requires certain conditions to manifest, oxygen, for me to strike the match, but can we qualify thatContinue reading “Teacher”

Magic

It was different today. Some sort of breakthrough. I lost all sense of form and shape. I did not feel sleepy. A discovery, my sleepiness is not the result of relaxation during meditation, rather a means to avoid the unknown. The ‘concept’ of letting go is beginning to reveal itself. What must that be, allContinue reading “Magic”