Zen & Chan

Not by Ourselves

Shikantaza demands our full self-expression, says Tenshin Reb Anderson, and this can only be realized when we meet intimately with others.

Are There Any Who Are Not Beginners?

Teachings by Master Dogen from Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Buddhist Meditation, a collection of translations edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi.

Remembering Hozan Kushiki Alan Senauke (1947-2024)

Senauke was a musician, writer, and a major contributor to the Buddhist world, as Berkeley Zen Center abbot and through his work with Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, and the Clear View Project, focused on affecting social change in Asia.

Calligraphy of a man cutting a cat.

Quick! Who Can Save This Cat?

Zoketsu Norman Fischer's commentary on Mumonkan Case 14: Nanchuan's Cat.

The Lamp of Zazen

The point of zazen, says Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, is to live each moment in complete combustion, like a clean-burning kerosene lamp.

Teachings Your Practice Zen Karen Maezen Miller Maezumi Roshi

Maezumi’s Three Teachings

Three teachings on meditation passed on from Maezumi Roshi to Karen Maezen Miller.

Venerating Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva by Engaging the World

According to An Tran, reciting the Twelve Aspiration Prayers of Avalokitesvara encourages us to engage with the world as part of our practice, so that we may become instruments of the buddhas of this world, helping ease the suffering of beings and our environment.

Man in Zen robes with hands in gassho

Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom 

Norman Fischer on how <em>sila</em>, <em>samadhi</em>, and <em>prajna</em> work together to give us stability on the Buddhist path to liberation.

A meditator sits in practice at Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Poland

How the Three Tenets Help Us Live Wisely

Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on the guiding principles of the Zen Peacemaker Order, and why we all might benefit from putting them to the test.

The Heart of Chan Buddhism

Chan Buddhism is a painstaking practice of learning nothing, says Gilbert Gutierrez. You can’t become enlightened — you can only embody it.

Zen in Vietnam: The Making of a Tradition

A century ago, Buddhists in Vietnam—and in much of Asia—started rewriting their traditions, and in some cases even their history. Alec Soucy explains how what we think we know of Vietnamese Buddhism points to a much more complex reality.

America has Zen all the time. Why, my Teacher, should I meddle?

Teachings and poems by the late Nyogen Senzaki. From Like A Dream, Like a Fantasy: The Zen Writings and Translations of Nyogen Senzaki.

There Is No Teacher of Zen

It’s a paradox, says Hokuto Daniel Diffin. No one can teach you Zen, but you need a teacher to understand that.

Buddhism’s “Five Remembrances” Are Wake-Up Calls for Us All

Perfectly clear, compassionate, and concise, the "Five Remembrances" are Buddhism at its very best. Koun Franz explains.

Women in Buddhism Buddhadharma Joan Sutherland

Our Path Is Limitless and Vast

While women may feel constrained by Buddhist institutions, the dharma itself poses no such limitations, says Joan Sutherland.

The Bodhisattva Attitude

We all have an attitude, says Zen teacher Norman Fischer, our own way of approaching life. You can start to take a bodhisattva’s attitude toward life by practicing generosity and appreciation.

Only Don’t Know

Whatever answers you think you have, says Judy Roitman, you don’t—and in that not knowing, we find the heart of Buddhist practice.

The Koan in the Refrigerator

All he wanted was an egg. Instead Sam Guthrie got a close-up look at his compulsive need for order.

No Teacher of Zen

In Zen, wisdom comes from personal experience. Everyone is a student – even the teachers.

Sekkei Harada Roshi Zazen Zen skandhas Buddhadharma

The Key to Zen

Zen teachings by Sekkei Harada Roshi

Illustration of Dogen.

Just Wholeheartedly Sit

A translation of Dogen’s Bendowa fascicle, from Kazuaki Tanahashi’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.

Being in Real Time

The late Dainin Katagiri Roshi explores Dogen’s concept of Being-Time and how to work with it our daily lives.