Each Friday, we share three topical longreads in our Weekend Reader newsletter. This week, Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi explores Zen koan practice.
About Melissa Myozen Blacker
Everything Is Buddhanature
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.
A Woman of Zen
Melissa Myozen Blacker recounts how she, as a practitioner and a teacher, has navigated a male-dominated tradition.
Meeting Ourselves as We Are
Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi on how to find space and relief when painful emotions are present.
Koans: One with the Question
(c) The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 72-5The 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.
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.
Melissa Myozen Blacker’s 5 Favorite Movies With Buddhist Lessons
Intentionally or not, lots of movies do a great job of illuminating Buddhist ideas, giving us an entertaining way to contemplate the dharma.
How to watch “Inside Out” and start talking about emotions with your kids
L-R: Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Sadness. © Disney / Pixar.“Inside Out” will delight children and help them appreciate their emotions. Melissa Myozen Blacker offers tips for watching it together.
The Joyful Leap – Embrace Change
Embrace Change: leading Buddhist teachers and writers offer stories, teachings, and meditations to help us embrace the change in our lives.