The right way to think
Not follow thoughts, not avoid thoughts, just don't worry about it: this is what we do in Zazen. To say that Zen is against thinking is to be a bit hasty. Buddhism is concerned that we use our mind, in all of its forms, in the right way: consciousness,…
The Way of the Heart
or how to become a true human being
Our social life is governed by codes: codes of good behaviour, codes of decency, codes of politeness… The important thing is to live out these codes with a sincere, open, pure heart. The form must be in…
Careful!
When the disciple asks the master:
- How could you describe Zen practice in a few words?
The master replies:
- Careful!
- Please, explain a little better!
- Careful!
- Couldn’t you say a little more?
- Careful!
Here…
Before the words arise
Nature is continuously teaching but we don’t always hear its teaching. The song of the cuckoo reminds us to return urgently to our true nature, to our true home.
We are the children of ultimate reality, the children of the universe.…
Faith: non-two
Some people tell me: “I have faith in the future.” Others tell me: “I don’t have faith in the future.” What do we know about the future?
During the FIFA World Cup, some people said to me:
– I have faith in the French team,…
To Forgive
Rather than letting your thoughts wander, rather than giving free rein to your madness, please bring your mind back to the body. Come back to the normal condition where thoughts glide without clinging to the mirror. Some people tell me: “Is…
Truth takes its course, no matter what you may think
You may think what you want. You may believe what you want. You have the impression that things are like this, or like that… You may believe that truth can be caught with words, that truth can be locked up in words; but truth takes its course,…
Entering The Mountains
In the Shōdōka, we find this poem:
I enter the deep mountains where I live in a hermitage.
Under a tall pine tree on top of a steep slope
above a profound valley,
I sit in my humble abode, at peace and carefree.
Silent retreat, serene…
A wonderful year on planet Earth
On the occasion of the New Year greetings ceremony, the abbot of Eiheiji wrote:
Buddha’s blessings are like clouds.
They rain down on all living beings.
Our individual lives are supported, nourished by the life of the universe. We receive…
Becoming the human being as it is
We have roots in two worlds, it can’t be avoided. The world of appearances and the world of things as they are deep down, of how things work deep down: ultimate reality. There is a very famous saying that goes: don't be fooled by appearances,…
