Zen Buddhism Guides

The Legacy of Master Sheng Yen

The Legacy of Master Sheng Yen

Chan Master Sheng Yen (1930–2009) was a widely respected Taiwanese Chan (Chinese Zen) master who taught extensively in the West during the last thirty-one years of his life. He had numerous teaching centers throughout North America, as well throughout the world. He co-led retreats with the Dalai Lama, and he is the author of numerous
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Buddha Nature: A Reader’s Guide

Buddha Nature: A Reader’s Guide

Buddha Nature Read More In the eleventh century, the great Tibetan scholar-practitioner Gampopa (1079–1153) began his composition known as The Jewel Ornament of Liberation with an exposition on the cause for awakening. What is the cause for awakening? In the Vajrayana and third turning traditions of Buddhism it is buddha nature. Buddha nature is our
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The Heart Sutra: A Reader’s Guide

The Heart Sutra: A Reader’s Guide

The Heart Sutra: A Reader's Guide     This is part of a series of articles on the arc of Zen thought, practice, and history, as presented in The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World.  You can start at the beginning of this series or
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We Won’t Last Forever | An Excerpt from Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home

We Won’t Last Forever | An Excerpt from Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home

Death A Long Distance Call On a Wednesday morning, sitting in my old blue Volvo in a parking lot after just getting a facial—my cheeks redolent with cream, all pores clean—I called the Cancer Center in Santa Fe, persuaded an oncologist to look up my chart. The oncologist I was assigned to was on vacation,
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Buddhist Poetry – A Reader Guide

Buddhist Poetry – A Reader Guide

Buddhist Poetry: A Reader Guide Read More Shambhala Publications publishes numerous books of Buddhist poetry, and we’ve gathered some of our favorites here. Jump to sections on this page: Recent Releases | Chan and Zen Poetry | Indian Poetry | Tibetan Poetry | Southeast Asian Poetry | Contemporary Buddhist Poetry Related Books and Articles Recent
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Being Human | An Excerpt from Zen in the Age of Anxiety

Being Human | An Excerpt from Zen in the Age of Anxiety

Wisdom for Navigating Our Modern Lives I can’t get no satisfaction ’Cause I try and I try and I try and I try I can’t get no, I can’t get no Satisfaction (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction The Rolling Stones’s first big hit in the United States was “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and is
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The Approach and Intent of Zen | An Excerpt from The Rinzai Zen Way

The Approach and Intent of Zen | An Excerpt from The Rinzai Zen Way

Understanding the Rinzai Zen Way Studying Zen, one rides all vehicles of Buddhism; practicing Zen, one attains awakening in a single lifetime. —Eisai   [From a teisho given in February 2012] In speaking with many beginning Zen students, it seems apparent that although they may be familiar with some of the methods of Zen practice,
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Book Club Discussion | Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Book Club Discussion | Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Each month, the Shambhala employees gather to discuss a new book as part of our Shambhala Publications Book Club. After each meeting, we will be sharing the notes from our discussion with you to spark your own thoughts and conversations. Our October pick was Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by
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Talking with Jan Chozen Bays About Mindful Eating

Talking with Jan Chozen Bays About Mindful Eating

Food: A Way to Contentedness and Connection An interview on the publication of the expanded edition of her book Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food By Dave O'Neal Shambhala:  What, in a nutshell, is “mindful eating”? Jan Chozen Bays: Mindful eating is deliberately paying full attention to what you are eating
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A Walk with Dogen into Our Time

A Walk with Dogen into Our Time

In 1954 poet Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem called “Song” that acknowledges the weight of our human circumstance and suf­fering in a particular and somewhat unusual way. I believe it may also provide a gateway to the following writings by Zen master Eihei Dogen, who addressed the nature of reality as he came to understand the world of people and things through his lifetime practice of Zen.

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