"Dharma in the Mud"

We've all probably heard the saying, "No Mud, no lotus." We like the lotus, the mud...we'll tolerate it, but just if there's a lotus in there too. But what makes a lotus better than mud? After all, if you're in the middle of a drought, a little mud may be a dream come true. Little kids don't splash in lotuses. Mind makes everything. Put down the concepts of "mud" and "lotus," and "better/worse" and just see. Haengdal Citta gives the Dharma talk January 25, 2023 at One Mind Zen.

"Samadhi"

Huineng speaks of Sila, Samadhi, and Prajna, the three legs of the same stool. One doesn't have wisdom (prajna) without morality (sila) or concentration/focus (samadhi). Without one, the other two legs won't hold up. Robert Koho Epstein discusses meditative concentration (samadhi) and how we apply the on and off the cushion. He gives us the Dharma talk on January 18, 2023.

Mirror - Mirror

Hold up the mirror to a white wall--white is reflected. Hold up the mirror to yourself on a bad hair day--bad hair is reflected. Hold up a mirror to a Porsche--Porsche is reflected. The Great Way is the mirror--not discriminating against what we think of as good, sacred, profane, wholesome, or bad. No discrimination, it's all reflected. We can be happy or sad, angry or loving. The mirror doesn't care. The mirror doesn't need my validation to be the Great Way. Ven Myeong Jin Eunsahn gives the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen on January 11, 2023.

"Point = No Point"

When you expect ice cream, and it turns out to be no ice cream, it's a crushing. Mind makes everything. We give meaning to what is meaningless, we miss the actual meaning when there is one. Sometimes we might get it right, but when we don't, it's devastating. Unless, that is, we realize that our expectation of ice cream and all that entails is a complete fabrication. Want ice cream? Go eat an ice cream! Jonson Sunmin Miller gives the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen January 4, 2023.