Student writings

From one perspective, we’re all different. From a wider perspective, we’re all the same. Neither perspective is fully true, it just depends on how you look at it.

The story of good and evil sells because it is simple and easy to understand, yet from a Buddhist viewpoint it can be dangerously deceptive. It keeps us from looking deeper, from trying to discover causes.

Nature exists freely giving for the benefit of the whole, without expecting anything in return. It’s what cells do naturally without thinking, and to me it describes the spirit of generosity, one of the paramitas in our practice

Recently I stumbled across the phrase ‘toxic positivity’, which graphically conjured up unhelpful ways of dealing with the challenges of everyday life

Reflections on wandering through the six worlds, and what this looks like in daily life

Our Melbourne Sesshin was held in a small group over four days. Geoff generously again shared his time and teachings.

A monk asked, “It is so hot. How is it possible to escape from the heat?” The master said, “Why don’t you go to a place where it is neither cold nor hot?” The monk said, “Is there a place where it is neither cold nor hot?” The master said, “When it is cold, you should be cold buddha. When it is hot, you should be hot buddha.”

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth

The phrase 'connecting with nature' suggests it is ‘over there’, outside of us and the homes and cities most of us live in. The ecological crisis that threatens all life on our fragile planet is encouraging a rethinking of this perspective. Our separation from nature is an illusion.

This is the time to be slow, Lie low to the wall Until the bitter weather passes.

Of all the Paramitas, Patience is probably the most relevant to our lives in the shadow of the Covid virus.

We know that anything which is well-cared for, well-tended, needs continual attention, gentle redirection, regular nourishment, and ongoing protection. Any care-taking activity works best when we work with nature rather than against it.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s smile gives us choices about how we engage with each moment. Sometimes, the simple act of lifting up our head, relaxing the shoulders back and smiling can help us to feel better, to be more hopeful.

Sally Tisdale is a palliative care nurse and a Zen Buddhist practitioner. Sally’s book is about preparing for one’s own death and the deaths of people close to you. This book is full of deep insight not only into preparing for our own deaths but also into how we can support those we love at the end of their lives.

Our last intensive Sesshin retreat brought the Sangha together online over four days, in between mindful walking and work practice at home. An unexpected outcome of this, was the emphasis on holding intensive practice within a household setting amongst the noise of family, rather than the usual simplified and quiet structure of Sesshin.

We held the Ordinary Mind Zen Melbourne 2020 Sesshin. This year, the retreat was entirely “online”.

This is a reflection inspired by a book I have read called: The Wisdom of Tea: Life Lessons from the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It was written by Noriko Morishita who studied Tea Ceremony for 25 years and she describes her gradual discovery of deep insights into life within the very rules that once seemed so constricting. It becomes a celebration of perseverance with spiritual practices even though we feel as though we are making no progress…..practice is all there is

With the worldwide events of this year I’ve been reflecting on R. Buckminster Fuller, an American inventor and environmentalist of the 20th century, who had insights into interconnectedness, sustainability and nature.

I wanted to share a story that I read to my son quite often. It was written by a group of people in France whose focus is on educating and building a more sustainable society – the hummingbird movement.

The Japanese expression wakei-seijyaku is made up of four characters – wa means harmony, kei is respect, sei stands for purity, and jyaku for serenity and appreciation. It means taking the time to deliberately ‘craft’ an experience of inner tranquility, to rest in the present noticing a moment of beauty.

After hiding dormant through seasons of hot dry weather, from harsh and rocky ground this fragile plant emerged, flowering for two weeks before disappearing.

People need to not react with blame and the usual assumptions, but be open to new ways of addressing climate change and healing the earth

Zen teacher and writer Joan Halifax talks about ‘wise hope’, by which she means finding value in our efforts to make the world a better place, even as we understand there is no guarantee what we’re working towards will succeed.

Our mind is often the same - storing old information and memories ‘just in case’.

Images and Poems from the Four Day Sesshin with Geoff Dawson, held in November 2019

Just sitting is the essential Zen way to realising our connection with all things, but like many I find spending time in nature is also important to help me remain balanced when faced with personal challenges or depressing news about the state of our world

The Three A's: Attachment, Aversion and Apathy

This is a photo of the galactic core. It is the centre of our Milky Way galaxy in which we live. The Milky Way is of a scale that cannot be comprehended by the ordinary human mind.

I attended my first Sesshin last year and that was a very important experience. The first word that comes to my mind is “intense”.

A cornerstone of Buddhist practice, including Zen, is the vow to ‘take refuge' in the Three Treasures (or Three Jewels), which are the Buddha, the Dharma and the sangha.

There is no such thing as ‘practice’ in the sense of standing apart from the rest of ‘life as it is’. Practice, after all, is just a concept and is thus is empty. So, just sit. No hurdles to jump. ‘Nothing to attain’