I once heard Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron talk about the instructions she gave to people who came to retreats while dealing with trauma. She gave them the mantra, “Stay.” Whatever is going on, stay with it. Thoughts might be crazy — let them fly but stay with the moment. Want to get up and run — don’t, just stay. Stay within the body; stay within your field of hearing. Just stay. After a while, the individual would invariably settle.
The Birth of Buddha
We observe the traditional Zen practice of Hanamatsuri, or flower festival, to commemorate the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha. The birthday is observed on April 8, which coincides with the arrival of cherry blossoms in Japan, considered the first sign of spring. All celebrants at our service offer flowers at the altar and participate in the […]
Possibilities. Possibilities. Possibilities.
A friend asked me to go to New Orleans a couple of months ago. I said no. She was going there for a convention, and we could split the convention hotel rate the week before. I checked the hotels in the area. It was a great rate. I said no. I had always wanted to visit New Orleans. I said no. I checked into the airfare: $220 roundtrip non-stop. I said no…
Impossible to Deny
Mary Jotai Rosendale, student at the Hazy Moon, considers the meaning of Zen practice. “For me it’s life with practice, as opposed to life without practice.”
Present Moment, Wonderful Moment
Here’s how the script went. Loving doggie mama sees her boy through his final years with compassion and patience and lovingkindness. (She is a Buddhist, after all). She soothes his fears (she knows him so well), gently cares for him as he drifts into that dark night and makes the right decision when the time […]
A Bodhisattva Never Hesitates
He was maybe in his 70’s—out of shape, but not so out of shape that he couldn’t cradle a large, limp dog in his arms. I was coming off the dog beach near my house and he was just stepping onto it. The dog’s head hung over the man’s arm. There was a towel, in […]
