Written Teachings

Reclaim Your Chicken – Being Present In The Moment

In the daily routine of a Zen monastery, there is time set aside for Soji, or cleaning. Soji is a ceremony, and as such, it is a practice of mindfulness. During Soji, one is fully present in the moment, and free from the controlling mind in a way that can lighten one’s perspective and bring…

“Enlightened” teachers are perfect, right? You must be kidding! Do you believe that awakening to your true nature will somehow perfect your human nature? That awakening is like some kind of magic trick? Presto change-o and voila: parking is automatically available, even on Russian Hill in San Francisco; you are instantly floating in financial abundance;…

Being with what is, is understanding. From the perspective of understanding—of being—we don’t project our conclusions or judgments onto whatever is happening. When we project our conclusions onto reality, it may seem that we know something; but this kind of knowing is defensive. Its nature is endless unfulfillment. It offers a kind of illusory security,…

I’d like to look at the idea—the concept—of “being of service.” From the perspective of separateness, we often desire to help, to fix, to ameliorate; and of course there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s possible to be of service in that way, clearly. From a deeper perspective, however, we have to talk about it a…

What is the point of talking about the inexpressible? Since it can’t really be defined, explained or understood by the analytical mind, why bother? The thinking mind, as much trouble as it can be, is also a function of the inexpressible and clearly has an agenda of wanting to know and understand. The sooner we…

You’re at a restaurant, looking at the dessert menu. You read the ingredients: walnut carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, coconut ice cream and candied carrots. Your mouth is already watering—salivating with primal desire! So you order, more than likely with great anticipation. As I’ve been pointing out lately, wanting is really just about wanting—it’s…

To awaken is to dissolve in one place and simultaneously appear everywhere. Awakening can also be called being presence, being energy. Karmic arisings, whatever their nature, are fuel for dissolving. So rather than resisting, or fighting, or arguing with what is—instead of all that, simply accept what is. Receive what is, allow what is. Become…

Wanting other people to change is actually a very interesting realm of resistance. We think it’s about them, but it’s really a trip we lay on ourselves. When you eventually learn how not to lay a trip on yourself, then pretty soon you’re not laying a trip on anybody else either. That doesn’t mean you…