Words on
the way of Zen
Reflections on practice, tradition, and the everyday path of Zen.
What Are the Threefold Pure Precepts?
The term "Three Categories" (Sanju) is a Buddhist concept referring to the categorization of sentient beings into the assembly of the rightly destined, the assembly of the wrongly destined, and the assembly of the undetermined, thereby r...
ReadThree Conditions for Being a True Buddha's Son
World Honored One! The wealthy elder is the Tathagata; we all resemble the Buddha's sons. The Tathagata often says, "You are all my sons."
ReadGuiding Sentient Beings Through Unfavorable Karmic Conditions
In guiding violent and evil beings, beyond considering their own good roots, you must also take into account one crucial factor: the karmic connection between you and them.
ReadWhy Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Is the Buddha's Eldest Son
The 21st day of the second lunar month marks the commemoration of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's birthday. Among the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism, Guanyin embodies great compassion, Manjushri embodies great wisdom, Ksitigarbh...
ReadOvercoming the Shravakas' Attachment to the Four Noble Truths
“No suffering, origin, cessation, or path; No wisdom, nor attainment.”
ReadEven if you cannot resolve suffering, you must at the very least recognize that it is suffering
We mentioned earlier that the poor son's wandering arises from his abandonment of the Three Jewels. After undergoing long cycles of birth and death, his Mahayana spiritual roots have regressed, but his mind of renunciation remains undimi...
ReadThe Merits of Keeping the Precept Against Taking Life and the Faults of Breaking It
The precept against killing: here, the term "killing" refers to severing the life faculty of sentient beings. The precept serves as the remedy, while killing is the object of remedy; this term is established by jointly referencing both t...
ReadSangha Property Is the Most Complex Among the Three Jewels' Properties: Understand the Differences to Avoid Breaking the Precept Against Stealing
▲ The Commentary on the Precepts (Jie Shu) states: "Within Sangha property, there are four distinct categories.
ReadOne of the Six Root Afflictions: The Affliction of Views
(1) View of the Body (Belief in a Self)
ReadMy Uncle's Pure Land Rebirth: Personal Insights
This was my first time confronting head-on a close family member’s passage from their final moments to death and rebirth in the Pure Land. I went through moments of retreat, panic, stress, and utter helplessness… but ultimately, I found ...
ReadThe Merits of the Water in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss Form the Path to Buddhahood for the Reborn
Let us refer to what Master Lianchi teaches in his Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra: the waters of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss possess three supreme, wondrous merits and functions that we ought to understand.
ReadThe Karmic Retribution for Harboring Malicious Intent and Making Impure Offerings to a Pratyekabuddha
The Karmic Retribution for Harboring Malicious Intent and Making Impure Offerings to a Pratyekabuddha
Read