“Zen is not about adding anything to our lives; it’s about seeing the inherent perfection we already possess. Zen practice is a process of getting to that perfection—a means of removing the layers of conditioning from families, schools, and the media that prevent us from seeing who we really are.”

– John Daido Loori

This Week’s Discussion Topic
What types of “conditioning” have been most difficult for you to see through?

“With only a change in perspective, the most ordinary things take on inexpressible beauty. When we don’t know, we don’t judge. And when we don’t judge, we see things in a different light. That is the light of our awareness, unfiltered by intellectual understanding, rumination, or evaluation.”

-Katsuki Sekida

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Is the word “suffering” the most accurate definition for dukkha? Why or why not?

“Every day, monks minutely examine the law and endlessly chant complicated sutras. Before doing that, though, they should learn how to read the love letters sent by the wind and rain, the snow and moon.”

-Ikkyu

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Have you ever come close to or actually given up practicing? Why, and what led you back?

“Our problems start when we subordinate this moment to something else, especially our self-centered thoughts: what ‘I want.’ All day long, we bring to the moment our personal priorities. And so our troubles arise.”

-Charlotte Joko Beck

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Describe methods you’ve successfully used to avoid becoming engaged with/carried away by thoughts whether on the cushion or off.