So many holidays center around a meal. In our multi-cultural country, it seems as if a festival is always being celebrated by some group, giving us a chance to enjoy so many different customs and foods. Even Satori, the Buddha’s enlightenment remembrance, really begins some days before with his accepting a bowl of sweet rice and…
Tag: Dharma
The Buddha Has no Voice
by Levi Shinyo Sensei, I’m an avid reader, both fiction or nonfiction. And ever since I was young I’ve had an enormous imagination, one which I’ve been lucky enough to retain in part as I’ve aged. Ever since I was able to read by myself I’ve been able to create vivid movies and scenes in…
Starling
By Marilyn Chiyo I will confess to you that I have a history of difficulty holding my hands together in gassho. To gassho, by putting the palms of both hands together in front of one’s heart, is the highest form of respect symbolizing Oneness. For me, the gesture never felt authentic, like I was…
Cloud
by Andy Gyoyo Sensei My mother is an artist and sees the world through her unique perspective. She looks at seemingly disparate patterns and challenges us to see what she sees… “See that cloud? What do you see?” Quite frankly, I never see what she sees and often I see no pattern at all so…
Everything connects us to other things
Noah Ma-yo Sensei I’ve been developing a daily routine with my kids as I strive to teach them mindfulness and Buddhist principles. In the past several weeks we’ve been focusing on meditation and learning to sit quietly before going to bed. My 3-year-old can now sit for 60 seconds at a time and she’s so…
Sacred Space
by Shirleen Soyo What makes a space sacred? Religious use? Blessings? Dedication? Perhaps it’s just a flip of a mind switch. The words about sacred space in Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambala this week spoke to me. I thought, “What if every space was sacred? Home? Everywhere would be filled with peace, unconditional love, and fun. Causes and conditions this past week allowed…
Life Cycle of a Rock
by Ken Kenyo The word “Cycle,” refers to a process that repeats itself. Rocks change their state and composition throughout time. This cycle repeats itself in the vast scales of geologic time. Rocks begin deep in the Earth as a molten liquid material called magma. This magma may be pushed to the Earth’s surface through…
Deep Listening as Practice
“listening is a very important understanding in Buddhism. To hear connotes the “I” hears, it is the ego subjective way of hearing but to listen is to be aware, to attend and has no tinge of ego in it.” Rev. Gyomay Kubose
Who Am I: Who is the Self?
by Linda Sensei Last week we worked on Koan’s addressing non-attachment. The quote I used was “the strongest attachment of all is the attachment to one’s self”. In meditation, the following came up addressing this. Initially I called it “Ode to broken Bones” but it really addresses the question- “Who is the Self”. Aug 1st…
Six Senses
by William Toyo Sensei Most all my adult life I have relied on my senses as a chef, and working in the food industry, wine industry, and now the olive oil industry. My mother being a great cook and having a degree in food science made an impression on me at a young age. While…
A Bright Dawn 