Spiritual Stories of the East: Hakuin’s Enlightenment & Final Thoughts at Death
Volume 1, Track 4 Overjoyed at his experience, which he later classified as a great Satori, or enlightenment experience, Hakuin turned and ran back up the hill to tell his master. But as he did so, Shōju, his teacher, came running out of the [...]
The Great Secret: Chi! Your Heritage
The Indian people speak of Shakti, Kundalini, and Prana. Japanese call it Ki as in aikido. And the Chinese speak of Chi, the Vital Force, or Intrinsic Energy, that makes us one with the universe. We are born with the Chi energy; indeed, we [...]
Chanting
There are innumerable types of chanting, and the practice is very strong and beneficial, whether we chant in Latin (Gregorian Chants), in Sanskrit, in Chinese, in Tibetan or in Japanese. Generally we chant in groups, gaining strength from others in the assemblage. The author, when [...]
Meditation & Concentration
Concentration and meditation are two, but they are often linked together under the heading meditation. Concentration is intense focus on an object, often until one becomes the object and the mind is one-pointed. Zazen in Zen is like this, as is the practice of the [...]
The Personal, Part 3
Each time I go to Kyoto, I visit Honen-in to pay my respects to old Honen, the teacher of Shinran. Honen-in is a small Buddhist temple with beautiful grounds, located on the "Tetsugakusha na Michi" ("Philosophers' Walk") in the eastern mountains (hills, really) of [...]
To Cling Or Not To Cling
"You’ve been on the spiritual path for 40 years. What have you learned?” “I’ve learned that there is nothing to be done.” “Ah, but if you hadn’t been on the path for 40 years, you wouldn’t know there’s nothing to be done!” It is hard [...]
Spiritual Stories of the East: Who & What You Are
Volume 1, Track 7 It seems to me that the great task in life is to find out who and what you are. Once that is discovered and your true nature uncovered, your troubles tend to disappear. Many serious seekers have asked the question: [...]
Around the Platter Variation (left)
As the hands move left and the weight begins to shift forward, the hands move to cradle a ball (Figure 2) and are held that way until they reach the halfway point in the circle. Then we let go of the ball and the hands [...]
Kashmir Shaivism
Now we're going to talk about Kashmir Shaivism, which may appeal to you more than any of the six insights or Darshanas. Kashmir is located in the northern tip of India. While the founder is said to be one person, it is said that he [...]