Tag: Buddhism
-
Non-seeking
This spring, after I thoroughly screwed up my lineage chart, Zen went empty. The lineage chart Last May, two of my sangha mates were receiving the precepts. As they handed in their rakusus and lineage charts, they chatted about how afraid they had been of making mistakes. It set the expectation in my mind that…
-
Language in Buddhism
Part 1. The Four Noble Truths One of the big challenges of Buddhism is communication. Language is the primary means that we use to share ideas. It’s so important that the Bible tells the story of the Tower of Babel to explain how languages came to be. Also, many experiences in Buddhism are outside of…
-
Destructive Spirituality
Destructive spirituality initially sounds like an oxymoron. How can something that is supposed to help us establish core values and make sense of life be destructive? The unfortunate truth is that abuse of power is commonplace in spiritual and religious organizations. The stronger our faith and thirst for meaning, the more vulnerable we are to…
-
Escaping into Reddit
As I expand my Zen practice I’m taking time to look at my daily behavior. Lately I’ve found myself escaping into Reddit a lot. I’ve decided the solution is to collect my writing here instead. I’ve always liked message boards, going clear back to Usenet in the 1990s. Across decades of using them I’ve made…
-
Telling myself fewer stories
I was hanging out with a friend this weekend and she asked me why I practice Buddhism. I thought about it for a moment, and answered that it helps me stop telling myself so many stories. My friend replied “that’s the first answer I’ve ever heard that makes it sound appealing.” She said other friends…
