Zen To Use

San Francisco Zen Center - Dharma Talks

2007-01-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

frontline: the soldier's heart: experts: the impact of killing & how to prepare the soldier | PBS

2006-12-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

frontline: the soldier's heart: experts: the impact of killing & how to prepare the soldier | PBS

An interesting look at the effect of violence on the perpetrator.

Even more Zen Podcasts

2006-12-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

If you know of more of these , please email me at jimcollins (at) gmail.com and I'll post them.
Dharma Audio Page

Why Practice?

2006-12-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

"A good place to begin is with Shakyamuni Buddha. He started practising because he recognised the pervasive nature of suffering. Before he started practising, his was a lifestyle that many upwardly mobile people today would strive to achieve- wealth, position, a beautiful wife, servants, entertainments - a princely life! Yet it didn't satisfy."

More...:

More Zen Podcast Goodness

2006-12-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

Lots of Dharma talks here! From
Iron Bell Zendo

The Mahablog » Hank Johnson

2006-12-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

Good news: We have a Buddhist in Congress.
Bad News: He belongs to Soka Gakkai International. Oh God.
Some background:
"Nichiren fixated on the Lotus as the only sutra that counted. He taught his followers to not only study the Lotus Sutra but to venerate it through devotional practices, such as the chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (yeah, that’s where that came from), which translates roughly as “turning the wheel of the Law.” Nichiren Buddhism is the only form of Buddhism I know of with the attitude that it is the only true Buddhism and all of the other sects are wrong.

The Rick A. Ross Institute maintains a web archive of articles about Soka Gakkai and its cultlike propensities. And I agree that many of these articles are alarming, such as this BBC transcript from 1995, and Daisaku Ikeda does come across as a scheming megalomaniac. Some believe Ikeda’s real goal has been to use Soka Gakkai as a vehicle for building a political power base in Japan. "

The Mahablog » Hank Johnson: "As I’ve said in previous posts, two of the new House Democrats are Buddhists — the first Buddhists ever elected to the U.S. Senate. One of the two, Maizie Hirono of Hawaii, is discssed here. Now let’s crash ahead to the other Buddhist congressperson, who is Hank Johnson of Georgia. Yes, Georgia."

Monterey County Herald | 11/25/2006 | INMATES TURN TO BUDDHISM

2006-12-24T17:04:00.000-08:00

Monterey County Herald | 11/25/2006 | INMATES TURN TO BUDDHISM

A Dance version of the Heart Sutra

2006-12-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

Audio Downloads

Zen Master, Ulmer to Present 'Ski To Live' Clinic :: First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine :: The ski and snowboard world at your keyboard

2006-12-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

Zen Master, Ulmer to Present 'Ski To Live' Clinic :: : "Snowbird, UT - Twelve-time World Champion Professional Skier Kristen Ulmer will present 'Ski to Live,' an all-inclusive ski clinic that combines Zen awareness shared by Genpo Roshi, one of the preeminent Zen masters in the Western world, with on-mountain ski instruction at three Utah ski resorts and one in New Hampshire this winter.

Each night, guests are invited to participate in Big Mind gatherings with Roshi, who shares his unique and revolutionary approach of transmitting the authentic teachings that emerged from Buddha's enlightenment experience. He has more than 30 years of teaching experience and has assisted thousands of participants in achieving profound personal insights and a higher level of illumination.

Ski to Live clinics are scheduled for January 4-7 at Snowbird (Utah), March 18-18 at Bretton Woods (N.H.), March 29-April 1 at Alta (Utah), and at Deer Valley Resort (Utah) April 5-8. Guests are treated to gourmet meals, yoga lessons and spa services, and professional ski instruction by ski resort staff, as well as daily runs with Kristen Ulmer. For more information, visit www.skitolive.com."

Psychology Today: The Hidden Side of Happiness

2006-12-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

Psychology Today: The Hidden Side of Happiness: "Hurricanes, house fires, cancer, white-water rafting accidents, plane crashes, vicious attacks in dark alleyways. Nobody asks for any of it. But to their surprise, many people find that enduring such a harrowing ordeal ultimately changes them for the better. Their refrain might go something like this: 'I wish it hadn't happened, but I'm a better person for it.'"

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . FEATURE . Tensions in American Buddhism . July 6, 2001 | PBS

2006-12-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

"Widely practiced across Asia, Buddhism has attracted many converts in this country. They are developing forms of Buddhist practice that are often very different from the practices of Asian-Americans. Some observers believe there is a growing ethnic divide in American Buddhism. Correspondent Kim Lawton has our cover story."

Zen Mountain Monastery

2006-12-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

Zen Mountain Monastery is a monastic training center providing traditional yet distinctly Western Zen training to people of all ages and religious backgrounds. With a resident community of female and male monastics and lay trainees, the Monastery offers a wide variety of programs and retreats for both beginning and advanced Buddhist practitioners. Set in a nature preserve in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, the Monastery offers an atmosphere conducive to self-study and introspection.

Shambhala Sun - Zen's Radical Conservative: John Daido Loori Roshi

2006-12-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

"When asked how he came to Zen, Daido Roshi pauses, takes off his sage-green fedora and rubs his clean-shaven head. There's a blue, sun-faded anchor tattoo on each of his forearms-remnants of his navy days-and he moves his fingers across one of them as if tracing the map of his past. 'That's easy,' he says in a deep, resonant voice, 'photography.'"

New Orleans Zen Temple - What is Zen?

2006-11-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

"The Practice of Zazen is the Secret of Zen
Zazen is a daily practice. Not easy, not difficult. But very effective in expanding consciousness and developing intuition. And not only does zazen release great energy, it is the posture of awakening.
While practicing, do not seek to gain anything. Without object, only concentrate on the posture, the breathing and the attitude of mind."

Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism

2006-11-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

A nice educatioal resource

Renegade Zen: Maybe - Zen Stories

2006-10-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

Renegade Zen: Maybe - Zen Stories

Practice your personal Kaizen - Lifehacker

2006-10-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

A Japanese management strategy called Kaizen roughly translates to "continuous slow improvement." In the corporate world, it's an efficiency and defect-proofing system often used on factory floors. But Kaizen emphasizes the well-being of the employee, working smarter, not harder and developing best practices so that workers don't have to think. As such, Kaizen is an ideal approach to improve one's personal workflow.

A Basic Buddhism Guide: 5 Minute Introduction

2006-06-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

A Basic Buddhism Guide: 5 Minute Introduction

How to use everyday mindfulness to make life more enjoyable. (article)

2006-05-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

How to use everyday mindfulness to make life more enjoyable.: "What do you do when you feel a little uncomfortable meeting someone? Or conversing with someone you find difficult to be around? Or talking to someone who is mad at you? What do you do? Get mad back? Go into the other room and slam the door? Fidget? Look down? Lean back? Avoid eye contact?
A spiritual practice from Buddhism works well in situations like that. It is called various things: Zazen, vipassana, mindfulness meditation. Zazen is the shortest and most fun to say. "

Go Forward

2006-05-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

I find myself using the phrase "going forward" a lot today. What does it mean? It means "in the future" or "henceforth". Up until now, we have done that, but from now on, we we will do this. In the practice, it means that if something extraordinary has happened, that's awesome. What do you do now? Don't spend too much time admiring the open door. Yes, it's a door. It was closed, now it's open. Go forward. Go Forward.

101 Zen Stories

2006-02-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

101 Zen Stories

Welcome

2006-01-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is the first post of my new Zen blog, Zen to Use.