Original sin vs. original goodness: Mahayana Buddhism offers a more hopeful view of human nature. Zen teacher Melissa Myozen Blacker reveals how nondual practice frees us from our temporary obscurations and reveals our true, awakened nature. The news is not good these days, and I suspect it never has been. Our hearts break as we witness the suffering of the world. We [...]
About Melissa Myozen Blacker
A Woman of Zen
Melissa Myozen Blacker recounts how she, as a practitioner and a teacher, has navigated a male-dominated tradition. Case 24, Blue Cliff Record Iron Grindstone Liu went to Guishan. Might as well gather together, touching the difficult. Playing her part, this experienced old woman does not play by the rules. Shan said, “Old cow, you’ve come!” Point—search the grass [...]
Meeting Ourselves as We Are
Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, one of three teachers leading this year's Lion's Roar Retreat, "Facing Life's Challenges," shares how to find space and relief when painful emotions are present. It’s hard to be a human being. Even if you live a life of privilege and luxury, you are still subject to aging, illness, and death. If you are born into poverty, or if you don’t [...]
The Wonder & Mystery of Zen Koan Practice
Each Friday, we share three topical longreads in our Weekend Reader newsletter. This week, Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi explores Zen koan practice. Sign up here to receive the Weekend Reader in your inbox. I encountered koans before I started practicing Zen, through the charming little book of stories and koans collected by Paul Reps, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. Something about [...]
Koans: One with the Question
The enlightenment stories of the ancient masters are confounding to conventional mind. Their truth, says Melissa Myozen Blacker, is revealed only when our whole being becomes the koan. Koans represent the sayings and doings of Zen masters and their friends and students, as collected many centuries ago. Koan (Japanese) literally means “public case” (as in a legal precedent), [...]
Let Me Know When You See the Iguana
Melissa Myozen Blacker proposes that awakening isn't that complicated. It’s when we encounter something just as it is, without preconception. You know the feeling: you’ve lost something and suddenly you realize it’s been there right in front of you the whole time. Those missing keys or that misplaced hat were, as they say, hiding in plain sight. They seemed to be invisible and [...]
Melissa Myozen Blacker’s 5 Favorite Movies With Buddhist Lessons
Melissa Myozen Blacker shares her own picks for great films that portray something meaningful related to the dharma. Intentionally or not, lots of movies do a great job of illuminating Buddhist ideas, giving us an entertaining way to contemplate the dharma. Here are some of my favorites. Let us know your favorites in the comments on Facebook: Lion's Roar - What would [...]
How to watch “Inside Out” and start talking about emotions with your kids
The hit film Inside Out will delight children and help them appreciate their emotions—even the difficult ones. Melissa Myozen Blacker offers tips for watching it together. Talking about emotions with your kids isn’t always easy, but this year’s blockbuster Pixar film Inside Out can be a real help. It’s not specifically Buddhist, but it explores important truths about the [...]
The Joyful Leap – Embrace Change
Embrace Change: ten leading Buddhist teachers and writers offer personal stories, teachings, and meditations to touch our hearts, open our minds, and help us embrace the change in our lives. In the first episode of the television show Heroes, a young man has a recurring dream of leaping off a tall building and flying instead of falling. One day, he decides to jump for [...]
