Last night at the Dharma center, as part of our Ango, our teacher held a Shossan. A shossan is a like sanzen (private interview with the teacher), except that it is it conducted in front of the entire sangha. Those who wanted to participate, lined up and each asked our teacher a question. Some questions …
My Ango Commitment
About a week ago my sangha entered what’s known as Ango. Ango translates to “peaceful dwelling” and is a period of intensified practice. It is an old tradition that was practiced during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. Monks would come together during the monsoon season to deepen and intensive their practice. Our Ango is six …
The Vitality of the Precepts
Lately I have been thinking about the precepts: Why I am so drawn to them and why do I strive to incorporate them into every aspect of my life? While reading earlier today, I found my answer: The precepts have a vitality different from any ethical teachings I have encountered in the great religions of …
a poor sort of memory that only works backwards
The quote above is from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. I have to admit, I haven’t read the book since sophmore English in high school. However, that quote has always stuck with me. It draws one’s attention to just how inadequate our memory is in terms of helping us in the present. So often we …