Latest writings

The Buddha once said: Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your…

Master Dao Qian was the attendant of the abbot, Master Shi Shuang. After Master Shi Shuang's passing, the community asked the head monk to accept abbotship. Master Dao Qian reminded the assembly, "He must have a grasp of the abbot's teaching before we can accept him." The head monk asked, "What is the teaching of the Abbot?" Dao Qian said, "The abbot used to say, Cease, begone! Rest, begone! Chill,…

From East to West, Zen has been a sizzling topic. Depends on individual background, different people have different understanding of what Zen is. With a right understanding to begin with is very critical to avoid wasting time and effort. What is Zen actually?…

"We are sole cultivators of our own lives, so only by withdrawing from the proliferation of all the homeless, wandering thoughts can we master our own lives. It has been said: 'Life's trials and tribulations are many, created by oneself and experienced…

You do something because a thought came to you. It came to you because you saw others do something. Since your thought is a product of another's thought and your action is a product of another's action, where is the real you in this picture? This is how we go to sleep to our true Self. We think and act unconsciously, like tennis balls bouncing off somebody else's racket and wall. The question is this: if you drop all thoughts,…