by Abby Mushin Terris | Jan 23, 2021
First Thought What is your first thought of the day? Practicing awareness from the very first moment is a challenge and one step, first step, of walking the path of the Way, right from the start. Have you noticed what you’re aware of when you open your eyes in the...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Jan 15, 2021
So much light comes through the practice of holding steady and looking deeply. Light that can help us at a time like this. Since we have been all aswirl in the current events and violence in our nation and held by the pandemic in an odd sort of Zen retreat, we can...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Jan 9, 2021
Ordinarily when something exactly matches what we’ve wished for, we might say “Perfect!” — invoking the ordinary sense of “perfect.” And as such, when it’s perfect, it’s perfect, “Yes, thank you, that’s just what I wanted!” But when it’s not, it’s imperfect, “I’m...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Jan 1, 2021
The conditions in the world this last year have required us to live with great patience. Patience, kshanti, is regarded as one of the paramitas, the characteristics of enlightened beings, facing conditions with a clear eye, open mind and warm heart. Without patience,...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Dec 25, 2020
This Sunday we’ll be doing a short ceremony together on zoom after the sit, to share our practice vows for the coming year. Practice vows help us keep going deeper into our practice. To affirm publicly — to the sangha, to the teacher — your intention for...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Dec 18, 2020
When we take refuge in the Three Treasures, we are acknowledging the supreme value of being a human being, who is awake to all that she has received and continues receiving from the boundless web of life. And what she does with it. What comes along with our gifts?...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Dec 10, 2020
The more I look into the story of the Buddha’s life the more I appreciate the profound simplicity and depth of his primary teaching of the Middle Way. He grew up surrounded by all the luxuries that his time and exalted worldly position could offer. And yet as a human...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Dec 4, 2020
An out-of-season dandelion puff brought to mind how anywhere I am, and everything around me, expresses the dharma. The very form of the puff is an analog of impermanence, interdependence and no-self. This puff functions so beautifully to load the seeds for the next...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Nov 15, 2020
There are many of you who are instrumental in keeping our Zen center up and running, helping to sustain our practice opportunities. I want to express my gratitude to all of you. In this season that is so challenging (and always!), it’s a good time to acknowledge...
by Abby Mushin Terris | Nov 6, 2020
As we continue to work our way finally through the national election drama, I find the practice of metta is gaining new significance for me. Metta, loving kindness, or just plain kindness, is an immediate balm to anxiety and tension. The phrases, “May I be free from...
