Many people who start practicing Zen want all the bad thoughts and feelings to go away and only want to keep the good ones. There is nothing wrong with that, and that is what can lead us to practice. If we stick with it and practice correctly, we see the struggles we are experiencing as less about the thoughts and feelings themselves, but rather, how we relate to them. There is a very simple and important meditation instruction, which is to not push away thinking and feeling but don’t hold on either. The pushing away and clinging is why we are constantly feeling dissatisfaction. A true “Zen st ..read more

Retreat is a time to look inside and investigate our life. It is an opportunity to clear our mind of habitual thinking and access our wisdom and compassion. Please join us for a retreat Friday, May 19th - Sunday, May 21st. The retreat will be led by Jason Quinn JDPSN. We are allowing up to 15 people to come sit with us in person our Berkeley location (fully vaccinated, members only, masks optional and covid test required on DAY OF ENTRY). Everyone is welcome to join us online. Retreat will include sitting, walking, and 1:1 kong-an interviews. Food will be provided at the Zen center ..read more

During the Buddha’s time, there was a farmer who had many problems. He told the Buddha all about how difficult his life was. The weather never cooperated with what he wanted. It was too wet or too dry, so his crops often failed. His wife was very critical of him, and his children didn't show any gratitude for anything that he did for them. Also, his neighbors were always gossiping about him. The farmer was expecting the Buddha to have a solution for his problems. But the Buddha said he could not help him. The Buddha told the farmer, "All human beings have 83 problems, and that is just the trut ..read more

Retreat is a time to look inside and investigate our life. It is an opportunity to clear our mind of habitual thinking and access our wisdom and compassion. Please join us for a retreat Saturday, April. 8th The retreat will be led by Jason Quinn JDPSN. We are allowing up to 9 people to come sit with us in person at the Boise location and 15 at the Berkeley location (fully vaccinated, members only, masks and covid test required on DAY OF ENTRY). Everyone is welcome to join us online. Retreat will include sitting, walking, and 1:1 kong-an interviews. Food will be provided at the Zen c ..read more

Our preference is always for the good feeling. If we have the good feeling, we feel like things are right. But if we have the bad feeling, we think things are wrong and we need to somehow fix it so it will be right. The problem with that is we are attached to one particular result and in the process, we amplify our suffering. Because we want something, we suffer. Probably for all of us we hear that and think, well that’s a nice idea but that’s very difficult to live our lives without preferences. I think once we go there, we get stuck in an absolute “either/or” consciousness so we fall again b ..read more

When the bell was hit tonight during the Evening Bell Chant, some people thought, “Uhmm, wonderful… Oh, great!” Other people thought, “Not loud enough!” Other people said, “I wish he’d do it faster!” Somebody else said, “What’s he doing?” All of that is commentary. Don’t-Know means let go of the commentary and just hear the bell. Simple as that. You and the bell become one. Where is the separation? I believe I am here, and the bell is there. But that’s my idea. Where is the separation between you and the bell? Between you, (ZMBS picks up the stick and hits it on the floor) and that sound? Wher ..read more

Question: I find my attention drifting a lot during meditation. Recently, I’m getting lost in thoughts and dreams and losing my question, “what is this?” during practice. Are there any specific techniques to work on this other than just keep doing it? Answer: Right now, in THIS moment… how is it? That’s most important? What you are talking about is a dream. Then we start to dream about the dream and that is where we get lost. We disconnect from what’s happening right now in this moment. In fact, you’ve never meditated before. In fact, your attention has never drifted before. Why is t ..read more

Retreat is a time to look inside and investigate our life. It is an opportunity to clear our mind of habitual thinking and access our wisdom and compassion. Please join us for a retreat Friday, January 20th- Sunday January 22nd. The retreat will be led by Zen Master Soeng Hyang. We are allowing up to 9 people to come sit with us in person at the Boise location and 15 at the Berkeley location (fully vaccinated, members only, masks and covid test required on DAY OF ENTRY). Everyone is welcome to join us online. Retreat will include sitting, walking, and 1:1 kong-an interviews. Food wi ..read more

When we see the impermanence of this world and discover who we truly are, we can realize a truth that goes beyond impermanence. The truth is something every human being can perceive intrinsically and is already clear in every moment. It is acknowledging the difficulties and dissatisfaction in our own lives, which helps us to see the difficulties and dissatisfaction in the lives of others. We can see that many people are in a great need of help. When we perceive that need clearly, the meaning of life turns into a vow, a path to recognize our true self in every moment and respond to the world wi ..read more

That combination of the cause and the action leads to a result. That result becomes the next cause. I remember Zen Master Seung Sahn pretending to hold a match in his hand, and he said, “This match is the cause. Fire is the result.” But you need to strike the match in order to create fire. So it's in the action that determines what the result will be. It's only by being awake that we can have some new impact on what that result will be. The wheel of samsara goes around and around. We're trapped in this cycle that's never ending and it always leads to misery. It's only by this awakeness that w ..read more