Zen & Chan

Read a brief of The Blue-Cliff Record by David Hinton, and an exclusive excerpt courtesy of its publisher, Shambhala Publications.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

Zen teachings by Sekkei Harada Roshi

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

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