The Practice of Zen

Zen can offer something very simple, very direct and readily accessible to anyone seeking inner peace, seeking healing in some form, or seeking answers to questions such as ‘Who am I?’ ‘How can I find meaning in my life?’ ‘How can I live in a most authentic way?’

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Foreword to The Gateless Gate Foreword to The Gateless Gate

by Ruben Habito
Koun Yamada Roshi (1906-1989), author of this volume of Zen talks (teisho) on a thirteenth-century collection of koans entitled Gateless Gate (Wumen-kuan), is most likely to be remembered in posterity as one of …

Foreword to Flowing Bridge: The Miscellaneous Koans Foreword to Flowing Bridge: The Miscellaneous Koans

by Ruben Habito
Invitation to an Inward Journey
The Zen experience of kensho, or “seeing one’s true nature,” is a pivotal point in a practitioner’s spiritual path. While for some it can be a spectacular event that …

You are My Beloved, Be Still and Know… You are My Beloved, Be Still and Know…

by Ruben Habito
(originally delivered at Perkins Chapel, Sept. 10, 2003)
When I was a theological student preparing for ordination in the Roman Catholic priesthood in the 1960’s and 70’s, one of my professors conveyed a point …

Maria-Kannon: A Focal Point for Buddhist Christian Interactions Maria-Kannon: A Focal Point for Buddhist Christian Interactions

by Jason Bartashius
Thomas Merton proclaimed in his essay, “The Woman Clothed with the Sun” that a certain power existed in the fact that we know so little of the Virgin Mary. Merton saw Mary’s non-divinity …

Zen and Hospice Zen and Hospice

By Joe Benenate, DO
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in the MKZC Zen Journal, Volume 12, Number 1 Winter 2007
Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Care
Board Certified in Family Practice
At the very beginning of my …

Buddhism in the West: Self Realization or Self Indulgence? Buddhism in the West: Self Realization or Self Indulgence?

by Maria Reis Habito
“I am not religious, but  I`m spiritual”. This is a commonly heard statement, especially among younger people, many of whom are disaffected with organized religion, but seek some form of secular spirituality.  …