‘If one sits dozing in dullness assuming that maintaining silence is Son [Zen (mediation)] how can spiritual powers possibly manifest.’ Chinul Sunim

“Make it a great day that ends with a smile in your heart.” Growing up, I always heard my father speak variations of these words. They’ve always sort of been ingrained in my head, but now more than ever are forever planted. He lived by them. He breathed them. And in...

‘Going, coming, sitting, standing, Don't attach to anything. Affirming no direction, Can there be leaving or entering?’ Niutou Farong

Franz Alt: Your Holiness, dear friend, fifteen years ago you said to me in an interview: “The twenty-first century could become the happiest and most peaceful one in human history. I hope so for the youth.” Do you still cherish that hope? His Holiness the Dalai Lama:...

‘There is neither unifying nor dispersing, Neither slow nor quick. Brightness and tranquility are Just as they are. They cannot be explained in words.’ Niutou Farong

‘In Buddhism, transcendence does not imply escaping the world in a dualistic sense, but rather seeing through the illusions of saṃsāra. Instead of pointing to a higher realm, it often refers to transcending ignorance, craving, and ego—realising the true nature of...

Many meditation practitioners believe that formal sitting meditation is the pinnacle of practice, relegating other meditation practices to a secondary status. Contrary to common belief, the Buddha taught that mindfulness, and even awakening, can be cultivated in any...

After graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York City, the artist Rima Fujita was introduced to the most prestigious art dealers in the New York art world. This seeming good fortune came with a dark cloud. She was deceived, dealers stole her work, and she...