Sitting quietly,one minute, one hour, no matter,
finding the quiet within
I find myself again and again.
Finding myself, I offer the quiet light
to those on the street, in the office,
all around me.
To the lost and suffering beings, to the
bewildered
and questioning,
even to the bare tree with its leafless
branches filled with chirping sparrows.
~ Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara
the all new Lion’s Roar is out! formerly Shambhala Sun, so looking forward to diving into these articles and interviews. this first issue has some of today’s leading Buddhist teachers on the fold out cover including some favorites of mine, Sharon Salzberg (who’s 28 day meditation challenge “Real Happiness” I begin Monday with over 5,000 others – you should join us!), Ethan Nichtern, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Norman Fischer, angel Kyodo Williams and Silvia Boorstein.
check it out online or at you local bookstore.
~j
Awake in the world
What is this meditation?
Dirt beneath these nails
~j
“A long time ago in China, a Zen student asked if any of the sages had ever fallen into hell. His teacher answered that they are the first to go there! The shocked student asked, ‘But if they are enlightened, why would they fall into hell?’ The teacher looked at the student and with a smile said, ‘If I didn’t fall into hell, how could I help you?’ Do you see what he is doing here? He completely reverses the student’s problem, saying this is not about the student’s idea of purity, but about helping and caring. That is what’s important. He’s saying that you have to get your hands dirty; you have to dig right in. Just as you are, without some special robe or degree or twenty years of meditation practice. Just as you are, you can help.”
~ Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara
from the chapter “Living In The Suffering World”
from her book, “MOST INTIMATE: A Zen Approach To Life’s Challenges”
The Metta Garden 