Zen Mountain Monastery Podcast
I was introduced to Zen when I first came to the Bay Area and discovered the practice of Zazen at the San Francisco Zen Center. Like many practitioners it was a homecoming to perfect harmony and peace within myself. I see a lot of debate on this sub regarding the nature of certain teachings in the Buddhist canon as well as lot of misunderstandings. For one, meditation is not an option, it is an integral part of all traditions. Try it out for yourself and see what emerges. Zen is not about oneupmanship or that knowledge alone leads to enlightenment. Understanding the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths is a way of life that has the potential to transform nations. Yet it is not a passive practice that can “solely” be understood through thought and discussion, it needs to be applied in real time. If you look at modern psychology or read the biographies of spiritual leaders, many of them can trace their capacity for compassion back to their practice. Buddhism has etched itself into the fabric of nonviolent communication procedures which is used to diffuse volatile situations in war torn countries.
For new beginners who do not have access to a sangha locally I highly suggest the podcasts that are put out by The San Francisco Zen Center: http://www.sfzc.org Angel City Zen Center (for a more Punk Rock version of Zen) https://www.aczc.org Zen Mountain Monastery (my personal fav) https://zmm.org/media/
Submitted December 24, 2018 at 02:36PM by east-bay-rob http://bit.ly/2CxYgIR
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