Hardcore Zen

Getting Rid ofWhat Does Not Originally Belong to Us

Nishijima Roshi said that zazen is getting rid of what doesn't originally belong to us. It's kind of an interesting to say.

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Three

Here is the final part of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Bussho (Buddha Nature). In this episode, Dogen says, "Grasses, trees, and even land are mind itself. Because they are mind, they are living beings and they have Buddha Nature. The sun, the moon, and the stars are mind itself. Because they are mind, they are living beings and they have Buddha Nature." Pretty interesting stuff!

Hacking Enlightenment?

Years ago I made a joke commercial about a machine called The Enlightenizer that gets you enlightened in minutes. Now someone has created the Enlightenizer for real!

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Two

At last! Here is part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay "Bussho" or "Buddha Nature." The commentary is far more extensive this time so the episode is twice as long as part one! Dogen discusses the deep meaning of Buddha Nature and I get into some of what I think Dogen means. What is Buddha Nature, anyhow?

Dream (for Franz)

The second episode of my series about Buddha Nature isn't ready yet. So I'm putting up the audio from the video tribute I made for my friend Franz Kummer in Germany who passed away a few weeks ago. He was good guy.

Buddha Nature A Brief Synopsis

I'll be back soon with more of my in-depth analysis of Dogen's essay about Buddha Nature. But here's the audio of a brief video I did on the subject. It may serve as a good introduction to the subject.

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part One

This is part one of my podcast about Dogen's essay Bussho or "Buddha Nature" from Shobogenzo. I paraphrased the essay in the style of my Dogen paraphrases from my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Came From Beyond Zen, then I commented on it. Enjoy!

When Buddhism Goes Bad

Sometimes scary things happen during meditation. Sometimes it can be really, really scary. Let's talk about that.

An Experience of Enlightenment

My reaction to a story about an enlightenment experience.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

It's one of the most popular Buddhist books in the world, but up until a few months ago I had never read it. Now I have. Here are my thoughts about the Tibetan Book of the Dead.