Random Thoughts

Buddha said there are two indications of becoming enlightened.  One is that little things no longer bother you.  What is the second?

Compassion and wisdom become one and the same.

"I swear, by my life and my love of [...]

Learning Zen Buddhism is in ways like learning a language.  Or relearning a language.  Some words are added; some words are banned.  Some words have different meaning.

Look around you.

When I bring myself tightly into the moment, I often feel gratitude to everything that gave rise to what I think of as, "me."  

One day, at the Guanyin Temple, in the midst of breakfast, a monk came to the abbot Zhaozhou  and said: "I have recently become your disciple in this Temple. Please guide me with your teachings, master."

At the bottom of this post there's a link to [...]

I have no questions for my teacher, and that is a very strange feeling.

Ask a Buddhist monk a question, and there's a fair chance the answer will make you think, "What the heck?"

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

I always thought you had to die to be, "free from the cycle of birth and death." a.k.a. Samsara. I just found out you don't. And that's great, as I'm rather fond of living.

I recently accompanied my Zen teacher on a trip to Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar. He asked me why I joined him on this trip. The answer also answers why I'm attracted to Buddhism.

How do I know what I don't know? Knowing little to nothing about a subject can lead one to believe that they know quite a lot about it.