Thelma’s Grudge: A Lesson in Compassion
Rebecca Dixon
31 October 2014
In the mid-1990s, I spent a year as a volunteer at Zen Hospice Project’s (ZHP) Guest House in downtown San Francisco, helping the four resident
Look for a Butterfly
Sister Ocean
10 October 2014
Some years after my grandmother died, my mother went to see a psychic to “talk” to her mother. The only thing that I know of
The Variety of Practice in Soto Zen Buddhism
Gereon Kopf
10 October 2014
Dogen’s (1200–53) Soto Zen is known for its emphasis on shikantaza—“sitting only.” In his popular Once Born Zen – Twice Born Zen: The Soto and Rinzai Schools
Mindfulness: Diverse Perspectives on its Meaning, Origins and Applications
BD Dipananda
26 September 2014
Mindfulness is an ancient technique used in many meditative religious traditions, and has inspired an entire industry in the fields of health and psychology. It
Buddhistdoor View: Prisons and Buddhists
Buddhistdoor Global
12 September 2014
Lewis Lancaster and his longtime friend Danny Tam are the dynamic duo of Buddhist prison visitation. In an interview with this website in 2013, the
Opening the Heart to Difficult People
Rebecca Dixon
12 September 2014
Rick was a hardscrabble kid from Indiana who came to Zen Hospice Project’s (ZHP) four-patient guest house in downtown San Francisco with AIDS. He was not
Perceptions and Misperceptions
Sister Ocean
8 August 2014
“Sentient beings, self and others, enemies and dear ones—all are made by thoughts. It is like seeing a rope and mistaking it for a snake.
Overcoming the Near Enemy of Lovingkindness
Rebecca Dixon
10 July 2014
Being present with terminally ill people will teach you a lot. It’s a powerful mindfulness practice to maintain an accepting awareness of the sights, sounds,
How Mindfulness Works: What does the Field of Science have to Offer?
Caitlin Dwyer
20 May 2014
We all know that life is suffering – but why do we suffer? And when we spend ten minutes sniffing, examining, chewing, and finally mindfully eating a
“When a fly falls into a cup of tea”: ahimsa and life-preserving actions
Tinley Fynn
19 March 2014
It’s been several years since I read Heinrich Harrer’s classic, Seven Years in Tibet (1953). Amidst Harrer’s dramatic journey through Tibet’s soaring mountain peaks, harrowing political landscape,
What are the drawbacks of mixed practice in Pure Land Buddhism?
Alan Kwan
11 February 2014
Remarks in the Commentary of the Contemplation Sutra Soon after Master Shandao defined exclusive practice and mixed practice in his Commentary of the Contemplation Sutra, he told
Meditating: the Art of Everydayness
Tinley Fynn
21 January 2014
Recently, I met a new friend from Bhutan who introduced me to a meditation class. Some of the most useful instruction was given on common