‘When you know it [habit] as illusion, you are at that moment separate from it and have no need for any expedient means.’ Bassui Tokushō

‘There is no need to have any special attitude while drinking tea except one of thankfulness.’ Popchong Sunim

You know that magical moment when you wake up within a dream and know you’re dreaming? That’s lucid dreaming. It’s a skill you can develop and a beneficial meditation practice you can do. A nonlucid dream is a distracted dream, a mindless dream, a forgotten dream—you...

'With thoughts clear, sitting silently, wander into the centre of the circle of wonder. This is how you must penetrate and study.' Hongzhi Zhengjue

Question: Buddhism says that there are all kinds of beings out there—buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities—but I can’t perceive them. Is there something wrong with me? How do I work with this discrepancy? What do I need to do to be able to feel or perceive them? What will it...

Question: Buddhism was an oral tradition for hundreds of years, and many of the earliest writings were lost centuries ago. If we can’t have 100 percent certainty about what the Buddha actually taught—and it seems that we can’t—how do we determine what is the true...

‘Whoever perceives that all characteristics are in fact no-characteristics perceives the Tathagata.’ Diamond Sutra. Bassui Tokushō

Practitioners have always understood impermanence as the cornerstone of Buddhist teachings and practice. All that exists is impermanent; nothing lasts. Therefore nothing can be grasped or held onto. When we don’t fully appreciate this simple but profound truth we...

Every time we sit in meditation, every time we turn the mind toward positive thought and action to benefit others, we are strengthening our intention, our commitment, and our vow to practice continuously—moment after moment forever. The “four great reflections” is a...

My introduction to the world of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen in Tibetan) occurred when I was just a small boy. The first years of my life were spent in my mother’s village near the border of Tibet and Nepal. I haven’t been back there since I was young, but I vividly...