Tag: buddhism
-
Who am I?
In 1886, Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach sketched a self-portrait that appeared in his book, The Analysis of Sensations. It takes a minute to recognize what is going on in the sketch because it’s not what you think. It’s not the usual self-portrait. The question, “Who am I?” is a very important question. For…
-
I learned a lot on that job
I always liked the way he looked. He was the big boss on the job site. He only spoke to me once or twice. But I remember how he seemed so put together, and it surprised me because it was such heavy work and everyone was dusty and dirty. But his blue jeans fit him…
-
My friend Richard
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 Camden, Maine I’ve been meaning to record a video teisho on this subject. It has been on my mind to record a video for our Dharma Study group for some time. But time keeps slipping away, and I am not getting to the video. So I will write this instead. My…
-
Houston and the Authentic Voice
In the 70’s, Houston was a boomtown. That’s why my family moved there. We moved in the summer before my sixth grade. Maybe nobody cares about this. But I care about it. It’s a story that I remember. So, I’m just telling stories here. That’s what much of our thinking is, isn’t it? Our thoughts…
-
Chasing Illusion
Many years ago, when I first began Buddhist studies, I read a book by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, edited by Laura M. Roth and translated by Ngodup Burkhar and Chojor Radha called Dharma Paths. It was published in 1992 by Snow Lion. Khenpo Karthar’s book was formative for me. I read it sometime around 1993, when…
-
The Dragon
I was standing by the kitchen counter talking on the phone. It was one of those old phones, you know, the kind that was attached to the wall. It was our kitchen phone. It had a long cord so you could walk around with it. I was talking on the phone to a man in…
-
Writing as meditation
Words are only words. And each word is constructed from letters. Fingers type letters into a keyboard. What is this? How amazing that this happens! I suppose there are people who read these posts. I wonder why. Do they read these posts and “like” them because they are hoping that I will see the “like”…
-
Practice Notes
Limiting Your Activity In Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki writes: You may think that if there is no purpose or no goal in our practice, we will not know what to do. But there is a way. The way to practice without having any goal is to limit your activity, or to be…
-
Tilopa’s Song to Naropa, Part 4
This is Part Four in a series of commentaries on the text, Tilopa’s Song to Naropa, or as it is sometimes called, Song of the Mahamudra. I am using the English translation by Lex Hixon. Lex Hixon (1941-1995) In researching this piece, I looked him up to inquire about permission to use his translation, and…
-
Tilopa’s Song to Naropa, Part 3
Some years ago, while I was in seminary, I began sitting with a group led by Roshi Ruben Habito. There was a weekly practice, and several other more intensive practices. “Day of Zen” was an all day Saturday event. And “sesshin,” was a week long silent intensive training. These practices were offered in the Zen…
-
Letters from my Teacher
First Letter. First Letter. In 1993, I was living in Tucson, Arizona. I was a student at the University of Arizona, and I had just started sitting with a Buddhist meditation group. It was a group in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche: the Karma Kagyu. I became interested in Tibetan Buddhism because of an…
-
On What Matters
The poet, Ryokan, (1758-1831) was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk who lived most of his life as a hermit. In simple, hand written calligraphy, he produced many poems, among them, the following: I watch people in the worldThrow away their lives lusting after thingsNever able to satisfy their desires,Falling into deeper despairAnd torturing themselves.Even if…
-
We are each alone, and yet, not alone.
Essentially, we are each alone. Even if you are with a group of friends, laughing and talking, even if you are sitting at the dinner table with your entire family, even if you are lying in bed with your lover, you are, at the same time, alone. You are alone because no one else has your…
-
Commentary on Tilopa’s Song to Naropa, part 1.
This is part 1 in a series of commentaries I am writing on the text, “Tilopa’s Song to Naropa,” or, as it is sometimes called, “Tilopa’s Song of the Mahamudra.” 1. “Mahamudra, the royal way, is freefrom every word and sacred symbol.“ The word, “mahamudra:” The word “mahamudra” is a Sanskrit term. It combines two…
-
Milarepa’s Fortress
My teacher, Khenchen Konchok Gyaltsen, once gave a short talk on Milarepa that was very powerful. It went something like this: Khenchen said, “The only way to be free from the fear of death is to practice the Dharma. We all know we will die someday. But we don’t know when. We think we are…
Ed Gabrielsen 