Zen Filter

Zen Buddhist websites, news, and discussion

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Lectures and Articles by Nishijima Roshi

Gudo Wafu Nishijima is a very senior and well respected Zen practitioner in Japan. This link will direct you to a web page where you will find a number of articles written by him on various aspects of Zen practice.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Into a Cloudless Sky

my chest is bare
in the path of an arrow
with eyes affixed
i embrace this last breath
savoring sweet intrigue
before being struck
will you also be blinded
by the brightest of mirrors?
will we wobble together
with poor eyesight
drunk on romance
near the cliffs at lovers cove?
if so, let us fall in unison
yet not towards the beach
covered in shells
but away from our bodies
into a cloudless sky

Naked and Free

as i lay on grains of sand

near tide pools by the shore
my looking glass is cracked
the sun has proved its patience
and left all yearning bleached
i hear a gentle call
not from saviors made of stone
for their touch is but skin deep
but from a gentle pulsing
past the center of my bones
telling me to rise and meet the sea
to let each step find its stone
with equal balance and grace
while creatures scurry
remembering my march
oceanic and wild
i reach the door
let me pause to salute her beauty
to greet her shimmer with my own
and praise her dynamic nature
the time has come to jump
and sink in these salty depths
naked and free

Anarchy and Order


zen fire, zen wind
carry this ash far away
past all vulnerable notions
of social right and wrong
so we may revel unclad
attuned with the cosmos
dancing in complete contrast
with confident vibration
to telegraph authentically
both cacophonous discord
and notes of harmony
to illuminate the relativity
of anarchy and order

Monday, November 08, 2010

Zen Breath Counting Meditation

On the subject of Zen Breath Counting Meditation:

"Following the breath while counting (breath-counting) is simply counting 1 to 10, which can be exhalations (most typically), inhalations, or even both (1 on inhalation, 2 on exhalation, 3 on inhalation, etc.). The idea is to keep returning to 1, and notice where you mind was. If you get to where you can't remember whether it was 5 or 6, return to 1. If you get to 35 or 47 (the mind having gone off on its own parallel track)—return to 1. Again, that noticing is the point of perfect awareness."

—Genko Rainwater

This quote is taken from an interview with Genko Rainwater at MeditationHow.info.

Zen Breath Counting and Meditation Practices
This six part meditation testimonial and interview features Genko Rainwater who speaks on Shikantaza Meditation, Breath Counting Practice in Meditation, Following the Breath, Kindness and Compassion, Meditation Teachers, and Zen Buddhist Meditation Experiences.

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