Buddhism talks about 'emptiness' and for many this can be a difficult concept to accept. The idea that everything leads to suffering and that ultimately everything is empty can appear nihilistic and fairly depressing, but this 'emptiness' does not mean worthless, or devoid of meaning. It is a common human condition that we attach personal … Continue reading Shielding
Tag: emptiness
The Watcher
For a split second the grasp on an ice cold metal clasp can burn the naked skin exactly as if it were red-hot. There is self-consciousness and there is un-self-consciousness. This latter is a state of wholeness whereby the mind functions freely, easily, without the ego colouring it. It is the letting of the body … Continue reading The Watcher
Creeping normality
Show a primitive man a TV and he will watch in horror, amazement, awe, fascination, disbelief. Show a new born baby and they will look away. It holds no interest for them. There is such purity in new life. The baby is existing just to exist, at this stage, much like a tree who has … Continue reading Creeping normality
Walking the line
Life is full of opposites - great joy, deep grief, love and hate, right and wrong - and it's a fine line to walk between them. We are here, we are alive and part of that is experiencing life to the full, the full range - to do justice to our existence. But at the … Continue reading Walking the line
Emptiness
"Doors and windows are cut in the walls of a house. And because they are empty spaces we are able to use them. Therefore on the one hand we have the benefit of existence. And on the other we make use of non-existence." (Tao Te Ching) When we cut a window in our wall, we … Continue reading Emptiness
Breathing
Using Zen's paradoxical logic, great importance must be attached to the way of breathing, while at the same time one is merely the observer. Breathing is a process in which both control and spontaneity, voluntary and involuntary action, exist. We need to breath, to stay alive, and most of the time we forget we are … Continue reading Breathing
Experience
Buddhism can be studied, taught in schools, colleges, universities. One can have a 'masters' in Buddhism, yet that does not make one a 'master' of Buddhism. The intellect can only take us so far. One can read about the delicate scent of a flower, the feel upon the skin of a gentle breeze, the taste … Continue reading Experience
Timeless.
We talk in terms of opposites. We had a good meal, or a bad night's sleep. We felt cold as opposed to hot, happy in contrast to sad. Time is also viewed in such a way. We talk about the past or the future - but even when we talk about the present moment, we … Continue reading Timeless.
Zen musings 