buddhism

To Take the Posture is the Purpose of the Practice

"These forms are not a means of obtaining the right state of mind. To take this posture itself is the purpose of our practice. When you have this posture, you have the right state of mind, so there is no need to try to attain some special state. When you try to attain something, your mind starts to wander about somewhere else. When you do not try to attain anything, you have your own body and mind right here." ~Shunry Suzuki in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind … [Read more...] about To Take the Posture is the Purpose of the Practice

The AWOL Yogini by Kelly Morris ~ Wanderlust SPEAKEASY 2011

Video description: Kelly Morris is the founder and director of The Conquering Lion Yoga Teacher Training Program/NYC. A close student of Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally, Kelly's Conquering Lion Yoga reunites two sacred lineages that were once One: the precious Tibetan Buddhist insights of karma and emptiness with the Indian vinyasa tradition. By practicing both the out vinyasa of breath and the inner vinyasa of intention and aim, an unsurpassed opening in the heart of the … [Read more...] about The AWOL Yogini by Kelly Morris ~ Wanderlust SPEAKEASY 2011

To Be More Mindful, Try Emptying the Mind

Shunryu Suzuki in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: When you study Buddhism you should have a general house cleaning of your mind. Despite a few classes in college on Buddhism, I am by no means an expert on Zen philosophy. Inspired by the minimalist tradition, however, I occasionally have Zen-like moments and find myself thinking about meditation or cleaning off one of my many desks in hopes of discovering some sort of nirvanic bliss by the very act of hiding junk in drawers. In a world crammed … [Read more...] about To Be More Mindful, Try Emptying the Mind

Ensō – The Art of the Zen Buddhist Circle

While surfing the web tonight I came across a magnificently simple Zen image that transfixed my mind. Of course I've seen ensō before (Zen circles)--kind of hard to miss since I live in Japan--but tonight the image apparently worked its enlightening effect upon me. It took me by surprise. According to Audrey Yoshiko Seo, author of Ensō: Zen Circles of Enlightenment: "Zen circles, ensō, are symbols of teaching, reality, enlightenment, and a myriad of things in between. Seemingly perfect in … [Read more...] about Ensō – The Art of the Zen Buddhist Circle