ZenLife Blog
Mindfulness in an Age of Distraction
If you don’t take back your attention, others will do it for you. Mindfulness is an embodied awareness that can help you be intimate with yourself and others. It takes intention. It takes practice. It’s not a technique. It’s an act of courage in which you decide once and for all, to reclaim your life.
Spiritual Practice for Difficult Times
So here's the strange thing about this. I know that bag is still there though I can no longer see it and something about that breaks my heart. It's like the sickness of this planet. I know the planet is unwell, though I can not always see it. So when I open to that my heart breaks open. And what follows after that is tenderness. I don't have to try and be good or kind. That is already here in full measure. I just have to be willing to not look away. It may be the bag in the tree. It may be a homeless person on the street. It may be bleached and dead coral reefs. It may be a brutal war in Ukraine.
Dragon of Inscrutability – Part 4 of Four–Series
Inscrutability is an expression of confidence. You are settled within your experience so you have no hesitation or fear. You can be noncommittal, yet follow through. You don't have to spell everything out because you can be with uncertainty. Truth arises from the situation. You don't need any confirmation so you also don't have to be the center of attention. You are not in any great rush, so you can begin with the basics. You are not calculating according to some idea of gain or loss. You work with the situation, bearing witness to whatever arises, and doing so with sympathy and compassion for those around you. This unconditional confidence comes from giving and extending yourself and overcoming timidity.
Garuda of Outrageousness – Part 3 of Four-Part Series
The warrior of outrageous is free from negative emotions so she is able to face whatever arises skillfully and fearlessly. This kind of confidence operates on an even-keel. This kind of equanimity is free from picking and choosing and treats everyone with respect and care. The warrior trusts in the basic goodness of human beings which is unconditional and free of dualistic polarizations. As a result her actions are skillful and in proportion to whatever context she finds herself.
Snow Lion of Perkiness (Part 2 of Four–Part Series
This metaphor of the snow lion represents joyful discipline. You might have negative associations with discipline, remembering times you were forced to stay indoors and practice a musical instrument or do homework when all your neighborhood friends were playing outside. When discipline is imposed like this from the outside, it can seem suffocating. But here we are speaking of discipline that arises organically from within yourself.
Tiger of Meekness (Part I of Four–Part Series)
Meekness is not a word we often associate with strength, but in fact, the spiritual warrior's strength arises from gentleness, not arrogance. It's about being simple, grounded and embodied.
An Appropriate Response – The Four Dignities
In the Buddhist tradition, the path of the Bodhisattva is well laid out. In the Shambhala teachings Chogyam Trungpa spoke of this as the path of a spiritual warrior. Part of this practice uses four metaphors known as the Four Dignities. These are the Tiger of Meekness, the Snow Lion of Perkiness, the Garuda of Outrageousness and the Dragon of Inscrutability. These four metaphors can help guide us in discerning an appropriate response.
Carry Grief in One Hand, Gratitude in the Other
I’ve noticed how being embodied and dancing is not only about joy, but it’s an integral part of a healing process. It’s about opening your heart or starting the process to open. Like learning anything new, at first it’s difficult, but as you keep going, you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll learn about yourself and the world.
If Only We’re Brave Enough To Be It
When a storm comes and confusion or strong emotions arises we lose our way. With practice we have the presence of mind to pause and reflect. We dance asking Kaiona for help, for insight to point out the pathway. We practice patience through sitting or dancing and we find that we are the flower most fragrant right before a storm. We sense a deep stirring of courage and love within. We see that our sparkle, our light, has always been here, and we have always been it.
In Memory of Roshi Mel Sojun Weitsman
We join today with our Dharma friends at Berkeley Zen Center in mourning the passing of Roshi Mel Sojun Weitsman yesterday January 7th, 2021 at 91 years old.
Groundhog Day
We have never been more divided as a country, each seeing the other side as a threat to democracy itself. How have we come to this point? I think it can partly be explained by the bubbles we live in with our social media accounts, each of us living in his or her own Truman show.
Meditation And Creativity
Creativity is perpetually defined — it deals with problem solving but it also deals with romance and beauty. The design of locomotives is just as creative as Caravaggio’s depiction of Salome holding the head of John the Baptist. Whether we are photographing a flower with a smartphone or blowing on a soup to cool it off—we are performing creative rituals daily.
38 + People Comment on the Benefits Meditation Has Brought Them
This is a collection of stories and comments people have sent us on the wonderful benefits meditation has brought them, published with the hope of inspiring YOU to try meditation for the first time (or pick it up again if you’ve just been lazy with it 🙂 ).
ZLMC Statement About Racism
We at the Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago mourn the murder of George Floyd and stand with the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and many more people of color who have lost their lives at the hands of white violence.
Humanity’s Wake Up Call
The chrysalis stage is when consuming stops. This is a time when things change dramatically. The caterpillar dies and slowly changes into a soupy goo. Imaginal cells that were originally in the caterpillar continue to live and feed off of this goo.
ZLMC Statement on COVID-19 Virus
We are committed to protecting our members and visitors from flu, colds and other viruses. We hold all of you in our hearts as together we prepare to meet the current public health challenge facing our world, COVID-19. In times of increased stress, anxiety and fear, it’s important to calm the body and mind by practicing mindfulness in our daily lives.
Stop!
You have not been listening.
It is hard to listen when you are so busy all the time, hustling to uphold the comforts and conveniences that scaffold your lives.
But the foundation is giving way,
buckling under the weight of your needs and desires.
We will help you.
We will bring the firestorms to your body
We will bring the fever to your body
We will bring the burning, searing, and flooding to your lungs
that you might hear:
We are not well.
Interview with Roshi Eve Myonen Marko
I was born in Israel in an orthodox Jewish family, and came here when I was 7. Both of my parents were Holocaust survivors, and I know that affected me from a very young age. As a small child I was aware of terrible suffering that people could inflict on each other. It’s a dimension of life that has never left me, and even defined me for many years. It was why I was so attracted to Bernie’s vision of Zen and social change.
