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| Zen Thoughts 13 - The open mind |
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| The “open mind” is one of the characteristics of Zen Heart. It contains acceptance, forgiveness and patience.
It seems it’s always harder to accept ... |
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| Zen thoughts 15 - About the “key step” |
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| During our walking meditation, our concentration is on each step in the process: lifting-moving-falling, there’s not necessarily any logical thinking ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 22 - The Nature of nature |
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| Human beings live with nature and our living is based on nature so we should be careful and think it over when we say “we can transcend nature”. We s ... |
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| Zen thoughts 26 - Where’s your mind? |
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| In the year 527, a monk from India named Bodhidharma followed his master’s advice to come to China to spread what he had learned through enlightenmen ... |
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| Zen thoughts 27 - Just look |
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| In late Tang Dynasty (nearly more than 1000 years ago), there’s a well-known Zen (in Chinese called Chan) Master CongShen. He lived in ZhaoZhou (Zhao ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 29 - The Five Powers |
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| Faith: When we have faith in something, there will be a firmer and more stable mind to keep doing it. So if we trust in the way we practice, we would ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 37 - Living in Zen moment |
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| Life consists of all kinds of activities, and each activity consists of plenty of different moments. So, how can life be dependent on how each moment ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 43 - Step out of snares |
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| There’s a Chinese saying: “To get enmeshed in a cocoon of one’s own spinning.” The silkworm will experience its process of rebirth in spinning. It is ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 46 - True or false |
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| As I remember my younger days at school, we always met “true or false” questions in examinations. Sometimes it was so hard to tick a choice and simpl ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 49 - Dancer of life |
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| Life is like a dancing performance. On the stage, every dancer has a role. You might be a solo dancer or there’s a partner. With varied melody, you e ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 52 - A piece of cloud |
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| A small cloud is floating in the sky, it has been in space for a long long time ago, nobody knows where it comes from, it even don’t know when and wh ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 53 - Dragon boat |
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| The dragon boats are coming with drums and whistles! When we are looking at the race of dragon boats, don’t forget we are on the dragon boat too; we ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 60 - Don’t be surprised |
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| There’s a story about the childhood of a Japanese Zen monk Ikkyu. One day the old master went out, another child monk broke the vase which the old ma ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 61 - Everyday vacation |
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| During this season, many friends are on vacation, some of them go to the sea shore, some of them move into the mountains, and some others go back to ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 62 - Unified mind |
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| From the very non-beginning, our mind is split into pieces, which can be called “false mind”. But the “real mind” has always been intact. When the fa ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 63 - The steps of life |
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| Before we feel cool enough, the autumn has arrived silently. According to Chinese lunar calendar, August 7th is the beginning of autumn, which is cal ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 64 - Welcome home |
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| The homeless body Everyday we move this body to go here and there, to do this and that, we even don’t want to slow down, until the weariness forces t ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 65 - Beyond desire |
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| Desire reflects our needs to other people, to things and nature. In our life, most of our satisfactions must be relied on through others. Buddha’s te ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 67 - Neither…nor… |
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| When the wick is coated with wax, we call it candle. Only when the candle is burnt up, does it start its real life! And since it has started its livi ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 70 - Live as a whole |
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| When somebody greets us with “how are you?”, we always answer right away “fine, thank you.” It seems “fine, thank you.” should always be after “how a ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 71 - The crop of life |
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| Just came back from my wife’s hometown, a small village in mid-south of China. We made many friends not only with a few farmers but also with many ve ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 73 - The One Mind |
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| Everybody has a different world, for we have different “mind mirrors” to reflect reality. Each mirror of ours has irregular facets in varied angles, ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 78 - Open |
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| Open means a continuous broadness. To contain everything except nothing. The good is not so “good”, the bad is not really “bad”. Let neither the good ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 81 - Science of freedom |
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| The Zen is nothing mysterious, and a real Zen practitioner never expects the marvels. It is why sometimes it is called the “Science of freedom”. One ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 83 - Keep awake in dream |
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| Everybody has the experience of dreaming, and some of us may have the experience of being aware of dreaming in a dream. Nevertheless you are not abl ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 84 - Spring is blooming |
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| The Chinese spring festival is always in the coldest days, the solar term Li-Chun (stand-up of spring) can remind us that the spring is coming ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 85 - No problem |
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| Zen is a problem solver, but from the inside. When you are eager to get rid of the problem from outside, you are cultivating more than that. I ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 87 - Stay nowhere |
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| It snowed again today. Endless pieces of snowflakes are falling down from the sky; it seems they don’t have any hesitation to stay in the air ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 88 - Guest only |
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| When we stay at home, we feel we are the host. When we are away from home, we still feel we are the owner. Shall we ask ourselves: How can we own it ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 89 - Best wishes |
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| In Chinese, there are two characters to describe compassion. One is Ci, meaning “to give peace and happiness to others”. The other is Bei, mea ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 92 - Wandering around Zen |
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| The sun shows its face out of clouds, Calling me to get out into its shining realm, The wind flies through the light, The shadows are moving with th ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 93 - Don't wait |
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| In Chinese medicine, there’s a term called “Zhi-Wei-Bing” (treat before getting sick), which means “protect or prevent from sickness”. In other words ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 94 - Channels |
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| When watching TV, we are going to find a favorite channel, but sometimes it is so hard. Partly because our favorites are not so stable, and ar ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 95 - Fresh heart |
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| As Zen practitioners, we must have a fresh heart, which is experiencing every moment without sticking. When you are blocked by the form, you are losi ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 98 - Moving in silence |
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| The whole universe is moving all the time. Our lives consist of all kinds of movements. Is there something moving dependant on itself? Is there ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 99 - Dust in the wind |
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| During this late spring, sandstorm is attacking many cities. Everything is covered in brown dust. The vision is blocked. We can’t see things clearly, ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 100 - The boat of Dharma |
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At the break of dawn,
The sail is rising up with the dancing of seagulls,
The wind is calling for weighing anchor,
The captain takes his tea of ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 102 - Cover and core |
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We always say Zen practice is about peeling the cover to find the core, that’s for us who think we are really covered. Just like we never think it ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 104 - When it is coming |
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| In the morning, when the alarm clock rings, you should not be alarmed, but be aware of the coming of breathing. Your belly rises up when breath ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 106 - Rebirth of garbage |
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| A big title with a colorful background catches my eye: Rebirth Of Garbage, on one page of Beijing Evening Newspaper. It is a group of articles and pi ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 107 - Eskimo's snow |
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| Beijing now is in summer, but in Inuit ( Eskimo) land, the snow is still covering their roofs. The snow is their year long partner. When a frie ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 108 - No pain no gain |
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| The pain provides a chance to recognize suffering. The pain reminds us to free ourselves from suffering. The pain is a partner for a real pract ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 109 - Goal without desire |
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| Aim with no expectationWhen an outstanding shooter aims at a target, what does he expect? Nothing, but concentrate on the aiming and be aware of the ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 110 - The weather of mind |
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| Recently, I was talking about the weather worldwide with a friend. He grumbled about changeable weather around the world this year. I said:“ compared ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 111 - SOS |
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| One of my friends got a hit by a taxi on his bicycle on the way to work, fortunately not seriously, and luckily just outside the gate of a SOS ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 114 - Koan and life |
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| Koan (Gong An) is the case study of Zen (Chan) between a specific Zen master and a specific disciple, it is the way to help a practitioner have ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 116 - Back packer |
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Are you a back packer? No matter if you are walking through cities or hiking in the mountains, are you always ready to welcome uncertainties an ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 117 - Zen biking |
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It is a beautiful day today, let's go out biking…but for Zen biking, besides enjoying the sunlight with breeze, we must keep ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 118 - Morning glory |
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Today a morning glory was blooming on the window sill at sunrise. It was opening its mouth bigger when more sunshine streamed in and ra ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 121 - Three poisons |
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It is natural for us to avoid taking poisons in life, we eat nutritious food, take healthy drinks, keep our room in fresh air, protect ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 122 - Zen Tea |
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There’s a Zen saying: Zen and tea have the same taste. Because drinking tea has many common features and benefits with Zen practicing. ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 125 - Kite of Zen |
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On the way home,
riding on my bike, run into a kite;
It is in the sky,
Dancing with the clouds passing by;
Sometimes it is ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 128 - Not two |
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Zen practice is always called the gate of “Not Two”. Originally, Buddha sometimes used “Not Two” to illustrate ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 129 - Who am I |
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In Zen, “Who am I” is a big question, which should be always asked. But in daily life, it can not be a question, because ev ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 130 - Real care |
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Care is what everybody requires. But to give real care to oneself, others or the environment is not always what we are good at. The rea ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 133 - WHAT |
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Every day, we immerse ourselves in all kinds of birth and death. We experience the coming and going of breathing in, coming and going o ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 135 - Radiation |
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We experience radiation every day, but seldom are aware of it. It is intangible, but it is there.
When you are watching TV, ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 137 - Zen and coffee |
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The cloudy days recently encouraged me to stay closer with my coffee, the brightness of the deep brown color and its mellow smell makes ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 138 - Unplug |
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Every morning, before waking up,
The world has been plugging away at itself;
Every night, after sleeping away,
Life is still plu ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 141 - Archer of life |
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Life is like shooting out arrows one time after another, and we have no chance to repeat. So we must stay with sincere, clear and eq ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 142 - The bubble |
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When I was having a walk in the community park, I saw a little boy who was playing soap bubbles. He blew one after another into the sk ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 146 - Pandora's Box |
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Recently I read an article about a modern Pandora's Box invented by British scientists. It can be used for forecasting how long a p ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 147 - Learn to stop |
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This afternoon I invited a friend to have some tea at home. One of the reason is he said he was so busy that there's even no time ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 148 - Map of practice |
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If a person is going to travel to a place, at first, he will open a map, and based on the general direction (coordinates) of that place, he ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 150 - No fear |
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In Heart Sutra, it was said: “…With nothing to attain, the bodhisattva relies on wisdom beyond wisdom and the mind has no ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 151 - Mind soil |
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This morning, after a gust of rain last night, I walked around in community fresh smelling garden. There were several gardeners who wer ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 154 - Zen retreat |
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I feel happy and excited that I wrote this Zen Thought together with our participants during the Zen retreat of last weekend. They lef ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 155 - Just sitting |
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Sometimes, when you are quarreling with somebody, you might be persuaded: “ok, take a seat and let's talk slowly.” When ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 156 - Zen bike |
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More and more people have a car or are going to own a car, but I'm glad that I just have a regular bike. It is not only because it ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 157 - Zen writing |
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I was trained since childhood on the traditional Chinese calligraphy. I love it because of the whole atmosphere during writing. In ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 159 - Bucket list |
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An old friend talked about his bucket list with me, and found we shared one item, to meet with the elephants in the wild. And I'm s ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 160 - Zero mind |
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When I think of zero,
An image of a soap bubble arises in mind;
When I hear of zero,
Reminds me of a fire circle swung in the ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 161 - No gain no loss |
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Our everyday life depends on seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and consciousness. We enjoy and suffer with what we contact w ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 164 - Falling season |
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A gust of rain arrived with a blast of wind,
The shadow of the sun was dimming swiftly,
The coolness occupied night until morning. ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 165 - Family Zen |
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The family is the basic unit of a society. If each one of us can take care of our own family properly, both our personal life ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 166 - Slim mirror |
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A friend said recently that he was cheated by a slim mirror in the fashion shop. He tried an overcoat in front of a slim mirror and ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 167 - Old taste |
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There’s a restaurant called “Old taste restaurant” nearby my community. But I could never have an old taste of my ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 169 - Just “Now” |
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Sitting meditation is a way to learn to stay with “the moment of now”. To sit in the moment of now is to experience the re ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 170 - Intuition |
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During a chat with an old friend, we talked about intuition. This has been a popular topic since early 20th century; people want to be ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 172 - Mind plough |
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When we feel the mind becomes dull and murky, it might be the time to plough. While ploughing the field, there are many things to do: ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 177 - Centering |
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The world in human eyes,
Is a gathering of all kinds of self,
Each depends on its own side,
To be here or there.
Every p ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 179 - No separation |
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It seems more difficult for modern people to live in a complete world. The modern forms of living and existence instill the illu ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 180 - Wave |
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I have an old friend that I have not heard from in a long time, but one of his experiences still lingers in my mind. One time, he had ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 182 - Captain Mind |
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Our lives are like sailing from one harbor to another,
But the boat of spirit seems unable to find a dock to stop at,
Even in the ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 183 - No battle |
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The world is full of battles, between individuals, between companies and between nations. The battle starts from resistance, the resis ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 184 - Grain Rain |
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Today is the sixth of 24 solar terms Guyu –“Grain Rain” in the Chinese traditional calendar. It begins when the Sun reache ... |
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| Zen Thoughts 186 - Mirror |
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The mind is like a mirror,
But never the same one,
Wherever it is reflecting,
Through eyes or through ears.
The forms ... |
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