The Harmless Way

Zen may begin on the meditation cushion; however, true practice should extend into every aspect of our lives, not just the seated position.

True Zen practice does not expect anything in return. It is not a means to an ends, but the ends itself.

The good news is that everything is impermanent, changing; every moment is brand new. This means that we are ultimately free. However, if we expect certainty and fixedness from life, then impermanence is also bad news. Buddhism teaches us how to stop clinging and accept things just as they are--free from both bad and good.

Do as little harm as possible; that is the way of the Buddhas.

Probably the most staggering teaching in Buddhism is that we are already Buddha. Our minds and the minds of all Buddhas are fundamentally identical.

Every being and blade of grass is sacred. All deserve our kindness and respect, even those we view as unpleasant.

The heart of Buddhist practice is learning to accept conditions as they are while simultaneously playing an active role in the world.

The hardest thing to accept in Buddhism is that even the aspects of the world and ourselves that we dislike the most are magnificent expressions of the great reality. It's simply our picking and choosing minds that distract us from this point.

Zen practice walks the middle path between trying to gain or lose anything. Just as we eat to eat and sleep to sleep, we practice to practice--not to gain patience or lose stress.

In Buddhism, everything is sacred. If we treat the smallest organisms with respect and compassion, imagine how we could treat our fellow humans.