Myanmar was hit earlier today by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake — felt also in Thailand, China, India, and Vietnam. A quake of this size is of course never good, but as Amnesty International’s Myanmar expert Joe Freeman says, this “could not come at a worse time” for the...

‘Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present.’ Bassui Tokushō

‘The significance of the Three Marks of Existence cannot be overstated. These truths about the nature of reality — impermanence, suffering, and not-self — are at the core of the Buddha’s teaching enlightenment.’ Everyday Buddhism

The other day I received an email regarding the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy, “a newly formed national organization of Buddhists from multiple lineages created in response to the ongoing threat to democracy.” The Coalition had crafted and issued a Call to Action —...

‘You must neither postulate a mind, nor try to compel a state of peace. That is what is called peace.’ Zen Master Niutou

What is enlightenment? This is often the first question people ask when they begin to explore Buddhism, because enlightenment is the culmination of the entire Buddhist path. Of his own enlightenment, the Buddha said, “Ignorance was destroyed; knowledge arose; darkness...

‘Dharma — In the eye, it is called seeing. In the ear, hearing. In the nose, smelling; in the mouth, tasting. In the feet, walking.’ Zen Master Rinzai

‘One of the greatest challenges in spiritual practice is to go beyond the need for names and descriptions, for these are the tools of thought, not of awareness.’ Everyday Buddhism

‘Those who are able to realise the Truth within their own mind have sown the seed of Buddhahood.’ Hui Neng

‘Within not-self, there is no duality; this is the meaning of not-self.’ Dao Sheng