Words on
the way of Zen
Reflections on practice, tradition, and the everyday path of Zen.
In the Eyes of the Buddha, All Sentient Beings Are Buddhas; There Is No Mark of Sentient Beings to Be Grasped
We ordinary beings are entirely mired in delusion and confusion. Whatever we perceive and understand manifests through the lens of our unenlightened minds. When looking at Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all sentient beings, we see only ordin...
ReadThe 12th Patriarch of the Pure Land School, Master Che Wu
In the history of Buddhist transmission in Han Chinese regions, the Pure Land School is defined by its distinguishing features of "easy to begin practicing, yielding profound attainments, suited to all three spiritual capacities, and acc...
ReadVenerable Shengyuan, Awakened to the Impermanence of Life, Practiced Austere Cultivation in Seclusion, Cultivated Himself While Teaching Others, and Solely Relied on Buddha Recitation
Venerable Shengyuan. His secular surname was He, and he was from Penglai, Shandong. In his youth, he enrolled in the county school as a student receiving a stipend. Later, while arranging funeral rites for a deceased friend, he suddenly ...
ReadTreat Samsara as a Mundane Everyday Matter, Take Liberation as a Trivial Matter
“The people of this world are shallow and vulgar, all competing over trivial, non-urgent matters,” this saying sums up the ever-intensifying state of the Five Defilements in the Saha World.
ReadWhen Is the Best Time Window for End-of-Life Assisted Chanting?
Master, please give us guidance: what is the best time window for end-of-life assisted chanting? Some family members see that the patient’s organs are still functioning and are unwilling to cease life-saving treatment, which causes the p...
ReadRevealing the Buddha's Esoteric Causal Teachings, Casually Claiming Ignorance of the Dharma
Let us first examine the outward forms in which bodhisattvas manifest, in both auspicious and inauspicious conditions. We turn first to the passage that prohibits the disclosure of secret teachings. After I pass into parinirvana, I shall...
ReadDo Not Hate Evil People
There are many people in this world whom we consider to be evil, yet every one of them has a kind side. They only ever show their cruel side to you. What should we do about these people? We must not repay evil with evil, nor answer viole...
ReadMaster Shandao's Two Kinds of Deep Faith
Master Shandao inherited the Pure Land thought of Tanluan and Daochuo, fusing it with the enlightenment he himself had attained through Pure Land practice. He authored the Five Works in Nine Fascicles, elaborating a system of Lotus Schoo...
ReadWhy Is Reciting the Buddha's Name the Most Supreme Among All Repentance Practices?
Let us contemplate the immeasurable eons we have spent trapped in samsara: our body, speech, and mind have been driven by greed, hatred, and delusion, giving rise to boundless evil karma. If this karma had physical volume, it would be to...
ReadAmitabha's Name Embodies the Two Core Merits of Infinite Light and Infinite Life
The name of Amitabha Buddha encapsulates two core merits: Infinite Light and Infinite Life. These form the structural foundation of His name.
ReadDo you really need a pure mind to be reborn in the Western Pure Land?
After learning about the supremely efficacious practice of nianfo (the continual recitation of the Buddha’s name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land), I feel the threshold for rebirth in the Western Pure Land is very low, and that one can b...
ReadWhat Does the Bardo Body Look Like?
The bardo body looks much like the deceased did while alive—similar in appearance, and it also possesses the six sense faculties, just like this five-year-old child here. There's a saying that when it walks, it moves like a fashion model...
Read