Meaning Of Life Turns Into A Vow jason quinn jdpsn teaching Nov 15, 2022

When we see the impermanence of this world and discover who we truly are, we can realize a truth that goes beyond impermanence. The truth is something every human being can perceive intrinsically and is already clear in every moment. It is acknowledging the difficulties and dissatisfaction in our...

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The Wheel Of Samsara teaching Nov 10, 2022

That combination of the cause and the action leads to a result. That result becomes the next cause. I remember Zen Master Seung Sahn pretending to hold a match in his hand, and he said, “This match is the cause. Fire is the result.” But you need to strike the match in order to...

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This Moment Is The Answer teaching Nov 03, 2022

We're actually more focused on the question than the answer because answers change. There's no one fixed answer. The point of questions is to open us up to the experience of our lives. So, this moment is the answer. Our practice is to open up to this moment. It's usually our ideas, our opinions,...

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Self Doubt vs Great Doubt teaching Oct 27, 2022

Self Doubt is quite different than Great Doubt. Self Doubt is more like, "I am no good, what am I doing? "I should be able to do this better." It’s centered on “I”. This "I" is a construct. The fundamental concept of suffering is that attachment to "I". With this self-image,...

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The Doorway Into Liberation teaching Oct 13, 2022

So what am I? We think we know, but we really don't. That not-knowing is the doorway into our liberation. When we walk through that doorway of not-knowing, we let go of the concept, we let go of the belief, we let go of the idea. We ask, “What is it?” If we can let go of what we think...

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Buddhism and Lust teaching Oct 06, 2022

Student: What’s wrong with lust?

Zen Master Bon Soeng: It takes you away from your true nature.

Student: Isn’t it a natural feeling?

ZMBS: Is it? How do we know what’s natural? We think we have an idea of naturalness, but we don’t know naturalness. Maybe we’ve been...

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When The Dream Disappears teaching Sep 29, 2022

So we all have these dreams. We have the dreams of our likes, our dislikes, this story that we weave about ourselves. We carry this story of ourselves, but the story is not true. It’s factually not correct. We embellish, we make it up as we go along and then we protect it. "I am this." "I...

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Donā€™t Know Mind teaching Sep 22, 2022

This basic teaching we have is Don’t-Know Mind. We want to know, we think we know, we think we’re supposed to know. There’s all of this bias toward knowing. But we don’t really know. We have this radical teaching – how about admitting the truth that we don’t...

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Precepts Ceremony Sunday, September 18th news Sep 16, 2022

We would like to invite you to our precepts ceremony on Sunday, September 18th at 12:30pm PT. Everyone is welcome to attend online, even if you do not sit the retreat. Please come and join us!

Here is the Zoom link to attend the ceremony.

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Your Experience Is The True Way teaching Sep 15, 2022

Our job is to really discover what our experience is. Don’t worry too much about what Buddhism says. Use the practice to discover your own experience and use that experience to attain your true self and help all beings. That’s authentic. That’s real. The teachings will help...

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Donā€™t Be Fooled By What You Want teaching Sep 08, 2022

Don’t be fooled by what you want. Just keep practicing. If you are only after what you want, ultimately you are going to be disappointed. It's not that your practice or discipline leads to what you want; practice leads to some clarity which leaves you more open to what’s there for...

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Right Speech teaching Sep 01, 2022
Question: As far as keeping that open mind, that Don’t-Know mind, how does that relate to our preconception that it is good for me to have right speech?
 
Zen Master Bon Soeng: It would raise the question, “What is right speech?” It’s a nice idea to have right speech,...
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