In a World of Division, the Middle Way Late in autumn, as the last leaves had fallen and only a few lingered on the branches above the Shoyoan Teien Zen garden, I found myself speaking words that arose extemporaneously. They were shaped by a reading, the season, and the stillness of that moment. During a…
'Buddha nature' tagged posts
Awakening unfolds as we orient ourselves through view, rest in awareness through meditation, and allow wisdom and compassion to express themselves naturally in how we live together. Buddhism is often described as a path of awakening, but at its heart it begins with a simple and compassionate insight: our deepest nature is already whole. Even…
In the Buddhist path, suffering (dukkha) is often seen as an unavoidable part of life—something each of us meets again and again in different forms. Whether it appears as frustration, loss, or confusion, it often feels like a solid wall blocking our peace. Yet Buddhism teaches that this wall is not as real as it…
“To live as a Buddhist is not to wear doctrine but to embody dharma, in speech, mind, and deed.” To live as a Buddhist is not to collect doctrines, wear labels, or decorate ourselves with symbols. Rather, it is to let the teachings of the Buddha become flesh and blood in our daily lives. In…
“There is no path to awakening that does not pass through the simple act of being fully here, now.” In Buddhism, awakening is not a distant goal found only in monastic isolation or after years of abstract study—it begins and ends in the immediacy of our present experience. The quote, “There is no path to…