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Kwan Um School of Zen

Dharma Talk with Rusty Eidmann-Hicks at New Haven Zen Center

audio, medium, Teachings, UncategorizedZen Master Soeng HyangMay 22, 1985Belief in yourself, fear, Learning from a patient, Non-attachment, suffering
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Providence Zen Center Yong Maeng Jong Jin

audio, medium, Teachings, UncategorizedZen Master Soeng HyangMay 29, 1985going beyond, hermit, prince, try mind
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Dharma Talk with Ed Hathaway at Providence Zen Center

audio, medium, Teachings, UncategorizedZen Master Soeng HyangApril 20, 1985anger, compassion, Jealousy, karma, Not checking, truck driver
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The most common explanation about karma is cause and effect. What that means is that whatever happens in our life, whatever we are facing, what we are dealing with, whatever upsets us and unhinges us, pain and suffering, whatever we have comes from some primary cause. But if you practice for some time then you see the meaning of karma in a broader way. That means that karma does not define our situation. What’s important is what kind of choices you make. This is an important point. You cannot make excuses that “that is my karma,” because it is open, it is an open situation. What do you do with karma? What kind of choices do you make? If you make the right choices, then your karma might become your dharma. And then you can get free of your karma. Or at least, you can control your karma. We always work in this way, either karma controls you, or you control your karma. Having a human body means that we have some karma. You cannot get rid of it, you just can use it.—Zen Master Bon Shim #zen #karma #dharma #choice #freedom #meditation #buddhism (Photo by Sven Mahr.)
"Don't be afraid of your sickness." Quote by Zen Master Seung Sahn. #zen #sickness #humanlife #whatamI
The beginning and the end (of practice) is the same: "What am I?" Quote by Zen Master Dae Bong. #zen #meditation #whatamI #dontknow #trueself #noseparation #buddhism
There is suffering everywhere we look in the world. All beings are in pain and distress. But where does suffering come from? People are struck with a hopeless love for somebody, or they pursue the desire to obtain some material things. People have ambition to become things that they feel will complete their life, or to be recognized and approved by others. But no matter how hard we struggle for these things, even when we get them, we cannot keep them. And this causes all our suffering. But originally this suffering does not exist. It all comes from our mind, as a mirage rises up from a hot road and appears real. If I am suffering over some matter, and then I die, my suffering also disappears. When we realize this — that suffering is merely the product of our minds, and does not have some independent existence — then there is no longer any suffering and distress.—Zen Master Seung Sahn #zen #suffering #impermanence #delusion #mindmakeseverything #buddhism #zmseungsahn
Anytime you have "I," you have a problem. Quote by Zen Master Seung Sahn. #zen #correcthumanbeing #originaljob #dontmakeanything #goodaction #zmseungsahn
Zen Master Seung Sahn with Sae Deung Sunim, his Dharma sister who received inka from Ko Bong Sunim. At Sae Deung Soen Won temple, 1980's. #throwbackthursday #zmseungsahn
"Don't expect your practice to be always clear of obstacles." Quote by Zen Master Kyong Ho. #zen #meditation #enlightenment #obstacles
Every moment we have this: If you just do it, if you just follow your everyday life with an open mind, with an awakened mind, and just react to this moment, then there is no place for suffering. Even if this moment is pain, if you just go through this pain with this mind then this is not suffering. Suffering means we do not accept our life, and we don’t follow our everyday life, our life in this moment. But we follow our dream life. We want something else. We are not happy with what we have. Sometimes there is pain, sometimes there is relief, but you know this moment [hits the floor with Zen stick] no matter how big your pain is, it is not a problem. The problem is when you think “Oh, I must suffer another half an hour of this place.” This is suffering. Or “I already have this pain for three days, this is suffering.” But if you put it down this thinking and just experience your pain, there is no suffering in it. But that is not easy, because suffering is our habit, so we fairly easily follow this habit. This “I want what I don’t have, I don’t want what I have.” So I am not happy with what I have. If there is pain, that is what I have, that is my life. —Igor Piniński JDPSN #zen #suffering #awake #pain #habits #thismoment #meditation #buddhism
"We often say Zen is not really about self improvement." Quote by Zen Master Bon Soeng. #zen #selfimprovement #meditation #whoareyou #buddhism

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