A young woman got pregnant in the small village where Zen master Hakuin was living. Her father forced her to confess the name of her lover, but she managed to protect him by pretending it was Hakuin. When the child was born, the infuriated father brought the baby to the monk, saying, “It appears this is your child!” along with…
Tag: self-awareness
The Need For Emotional & Spiritual Maturity
Humanity’s creative and intellectual capacity never ceases to amaze me. We’ve been able to produce remarkable works of art, music, film, literature, and philosophy, as well as impressive advances in science and technology. We’ve sent astronauts into space and now keep sophisticated satellites floating out there allowing us to communicate with one another, from all corners of the planet, as…
Why You Need To Balance Activity With Relaxation
If you are like most people, you’re always active, busy with work and relationships. You’re ‘on’ from the moment you wake up till you fall asleep, tackling many chores and errands on a regular basis. You go from one thing to another each and every day. This is the nature of your mind—always running, thinking, pushing… As a young child,…
The Path To Spiritual Freedom Is Not a Highway
I love this Zen story. A famous Japanese swordsman disowned his son Matajuro because he considered him too mediocre and undisciplined to ever reach the level of proficiency required to inherit his school. Bent on redeeming himself, the young man headed to Mount Futara to find renowned master Banzo, in the hopes to study with him. When he arrived and…
You Can’t Be Happy Without Understanding Your Mind
Two young Zen monks were traveling on a muddy road under a heavy rain when they saw a pretty girl in a silk kimono and sash looking at the road. She was clearly hesitant to cross the intersection and get her clothes dirty. One of the young men offered to carry her over the mud, lifting her in his arms…
The Liberating Practice of Moving Into Stillness
If I asked you to count how many thoughts you think within a minute, would you include the thoughts produced by counting or would you consider those part of your task? The answer may not be obvious, because there are different mental layers at play in any cognitive process. This is what allows you to tackle three different things at…
The Urgent Need For Spiritual Responsibility
I grew up in a dysfunctional family, like most people, experiencing the same emotional neglect my parents had likely endured growing up, and their parents before them—the lack of awareness and love passed on from one generation to the next. Although I was the youngest of my siblings, my natural disposition to lead and be of service placed me from…