by Abby Mushin Terris | Apr 30, 2021
Living according to the Bodhisattva Vow, to awaken for the benefit of all beings, is an endlessly demanding and mysterious undertaking. We may understand the meaning of this vow in such a way that it seems out of proportion with our small, immediate life. When there...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Apr 24, 2021
“The self is made of non-self elements.” This is how Thich Nhat Hanh expresses the interdependence teaching of Buddhism. “The self is made of non-self elements.” This applies not only to the “small self”, but to the larger all-inclusive self experienced in the flow of...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Apr 11, 2021
There’s something that can seem so elusive about Zen, a way of life which cannot be reached by words. What can be so confusing about this is that we use words to point to what cannot be reached by words. As soon as we hear them, the tendency is to try to think our way...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Apr 2, 2021
The thing about interdependence is that there’s no escaping it. Not the young, not the old, not the unborn. It marks all dharmas, all phenomena. All of us, in whatever condition we are, and no matter how awake and aware we are, we are all one ecological system,...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Mar 26, 2021
Writing this from the midst of sesshin I am freshly aware of the gift of relaxation that allows us to be whole, to know our wholeness. Sesshin (Zen retreat) means to touch the heartmind. We cannot touch and be touched when we are tight and stressed and moving at 60 or...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Mar 13, 2021
When instructing people in the art of zazen we suggest using the breath to help us stay present and alert. For some of us, though, some it’s more effective to use the practice of listening to sound. We can use it occasionally when we’re very stimulated by a lot going...
