Saturday, February 4, 2012

You are here: Home >

zen story

Wisdom Bite #15: Learning to Be Silent

Thumbnail image for Wisdom Bite #15: Learning to Be Silent by Mark Ament 21 August 2010

Several years ago I attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat with my teacher in India.   I remember fondly how much I enjoyed the silence and the opportunity to simply watch my thoughts without giving them verbal form. I also remember how difficult it was for some of the group (we were about 200 people) [...]

Read the full article →

Wisdom Bite #14: The Art of Concentration

Thumbnail image for Wisdom Bite #14: The Art of Concentration by Mark Ament 23 July 2010

This story comes from the tradition of Zen Buddhist stories.  I’m sharing it here because of how clearly it demonstrates that the real goal of spiritual practice is not to dominate, control or master physical reality on Earth. Instead, the goal is simply to rest in the fearlessness that comes from the peace of knowing [...]

Read the full article →

Wisdom Bite #9: A Cup of Tea and An Empty Mind

Thumbnail image for Wisdom Bite #9: A Cup of Tea and An Empty Mind by Mark Ament 1 February 2010

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this [...]

Read the full article →
We may receive an affiliate commission for referrals from this website