Podcasts about silent illumination

Dr. Rebecca Li - ZMM - 6/8/25 - This talk from visiting Dharma teacher Rebecca Li explores Silent Illumination, a practice where stillness and clarity are cultivated simultaneously through the process of recognizing and releasing layers of ever more subtle habitual reactivities that cause suffering. This practice allows us to live more in accordance with wisdom and compassion, as we suffer less and become more present, kind and connected with everyone in our lives, enhancing our capacity to bring benefits to the world. Professor Li is a Dharma heir in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen and the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community.

We can all appreciate the straightforwardness of Sheng Yen, and since he is closer to our own place in time, we know he had an understanding of our world. Even though the human situation is the same no matter the time we find ourselves, sometimes the translation can interfere with understanding.Read the Journal while listening

January 2025 Sesshin, Day 5 The fifth and final commentary in a series on Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Zen Master Guo Gu Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript The post “Silent Illumination” #5 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

January 2025 Sesshin, Day 4 Continuing the commentary from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 on Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Zen Master Guo Gu Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript The post “Silent Illumination” #4 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

January 2025 Sesshin, Day 3 Continuing the commentary from Day 1 and Day 2 on Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Zen Master Guo Gu Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript The post “Silent Illumination” #3 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

January 2025 Sesshin, Day 2 Continuing the commentary from Day 1 on Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Zen Master Guo Gu Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript The post “Silent Illumination” #2 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

January 2025 Sesshin, Day 1 Commentary on Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Zen Master Guo Gu Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript The post “Silent Illumination” #1 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

This dharma talk was given by Hogen Roshi at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple on September 29th, 2024 during Sunday Night Program. In this talk Hogen discusses and interprets the chant Hongzhi's "Guidepost of Silent Illumination". ★ Support this podcast ★

ADZG 1184 ADZG Sunday Morning Dharma Talk by Taigen Dan Leighton The post Guidepost for Silent Illumination first appeared on Ancient Dragon Zen Gate.

ADZG 1179 ADZG Monday Night Dharma Talk by Douglas Floyd The post Guidepost to Silent Illumination first appeared on Ancient Dragon Zen Gate.

In this episode, I welcome back Rebecca Li to talk about her new book, Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No Method. Rebecca and I had a conversation in May of 2021, about her previous book, Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times. Rebecca is a meditation and Dharma teacher in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen and founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community, a Chan Buddhist practice and study community made up of individuals committed to cultivating wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all beings. Rebecca has two decades of Dharma and meditation teaching experience, leading retreats or teaching at Buddhist centers in North America, Europe, and Asia. She has been featured in several Buddhist publications, including Tricycle, Lion's Roar, and Buddhadharma.  She is also one of the founding board members of The GenX Buddhist Teachers Sangha where she continues to serve as a board member. Rebecca is a sociology professor and lives with her husband in New Jersey. In Allow Joy into Our Hearts, Rebecca wrote about Chan Practice and she continues to teach the path of Chan Buddhism in the book we will discuss today, Illumination. In Illumination, she dives deeper into the Chan meditation of Silent Illumination and deeper still into what causes our suffering and how Silent Illumination can help us identify and help decrease the causes of our suffering. In her book, Rebecca takes us on a fascinating, deep-dive into the method of no method in silent illumination and guides us in the mechanics of this type of practice. In our conversation we talked about, among other things: How, in our meditation, we turn thoughts into enemies, rather than allowing thoughts and feelings to be fully experienced and felt … About how tend to try to "achieve" as meditators, as if a sport … And about the modes of operation: craving, aversion, trance, problem-solving, intellectualizing, quietism, and forgetting-emptiness …   Buy the book (Amazon affiliate link): Illumination: A Guide to the Method of No-Method   Learn more about Rebecca Li and her Dharma talks, guided meditation offerings, and retreats: https://rebeccali.org/       *Special Everyday Buddhism Substack / Words From My Teachers podcast subscription promo code: Redeem by 3/31/2024 for 20% subscription for 1 year!   Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   Register for the Introduction to Buddhism Course (by February 22, 2024): Register for the Introduction to Buddhism course   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism

02/11/2024, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Abbot Jiryu reflects on Suzuki Roshi's core teaching that Zen practice is fundamentally about "becoming yourself," and explores the strong resonance there with the Silent Illumination teaching that awakening is right there when we sit still, exactly as we are.

A talk given at Berkeley Zen Center on Thursday, December 7th 2023 by Mary Duryee.

GUEST:Dr. Rebecca Li, a Dharma heir in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen, is the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community. Her books include Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times and the upcoming book Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method. She lives in New Jersey with her husband.Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method, clarifies the practice of  "Silent Illumination," (shikantaza in the Japanese tradition) and outlines the potential "traps and snares" that are encountered on the path to Awakening, as well as the potential remedies. Each chapter illuminates mind habits that cause difficulty to earnest meditation students, including: craving mode (striving for enlightenment), aversion mode (trying to eliminate thoughts completely), trance mode (cultivating a peaceful but foggy mind state), Intellectualization mode (substituting concepts for direct experience), quietism mode (dwelling in a cave of no thoughts), and forgetting emptiness (belief in someplace to arrive at and dwell in).CONNECT with her writings, talks, guided meditation, teaching, buy her book, & see the book tour schedule at www.rebeccali.org

An open, spacious conversation with Dr. Rebecca Li on her practice & teachings on Chan Buddhism and her newly released book, Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method GUEST: Dr. Rebecca Li, a Dharma heir in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen, is the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community. Her books include Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times and the upcoming book Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method. She lives in New Jersey with her husband. Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method, clarifies the practice of  "Silent Illumination," (shikantaza in the Japanese tradition) and outlines the potential "traps and snares" that are encountered on the path to Awakening, as well as the potential remedies. Each chapter illuminates mind habits that cause difficulty to earnest meditation students, including: craving mode (striving for enlightenment), aversion mode (trying to eliminate thoughts completely), trance mode (cultivating a peaceful but foggy mind state), Intellectualization mode (substituting concepts for direct experience), quietism mode (dwelling in a cave of no thoughts), and forgetting emptiness (belief in someplace to arrive at and dwell in). CONNECT with her writings, talks, guided meditation, teaching, buy her book, & see the book tour schedule at www.rebeccali.orgHOSTRev. Liên Shutt (she/they) is a recognized leader in the movement that breaks through the wall of American white-centered convert Buddhism to welcome people of all backgrounds into a contemporary, engaged Buddhism. As an ordained Zen priest, licensed social worker, and longtime educator/teacher of Buddhism, Shutt represents new leadership at the nexus of spirituality and social justice, offering a special warm welcome to Asian Americans, all BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, and those seeking a “home” in the midst of North American society's reckoning around racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Shutt is a co-founder of Buddhists of Color (1998) and founder of Access to Zen (2014). As the creator, producer, and host, she launched a podcast series, “Opening Dharma Access: Listening to BIPOC Teachers,” in 2022 with Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön, Sister Peace and Dalila Bothwell. You can learn more about her work at AccessToZen.orgHer new book, Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path was released on Tuesday, Aug. 22! To see when it's in your part of the U.S. or is virtual, go to BOOK TOUR INFO.  See all her offerings at EVENTS

07/30/2023, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Jiryu encourages the practice of “Silent Illumination” from the Song Dynasty Chinese Chan teachings that the SFZC Soto Zen style of practice emerges from.

Meho Isabelle André will be giving a dharma talk on Hongzhi's Guidepost of Silent Illumination.

Jaune Evans gives the ninth and last talk on "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" series on "The Field of Vast Brightness" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. Suggested donation: $7 https://bit.ly/donate-edz-online-teachings We cannot continue offering teachings online without it. Thank you!   https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/22115247/The-Field-of-Vast-Brightness-Talk-9-The.-Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Jaune-Evans.mp3

James Flaherty gives the eighth talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/08213615/Entryways-to-Hongzhi-Talk-8-James-Flaherty.mp3

Norman  gives the seventh talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. Suggested donation: $7 https://bit.ly/donate-edz-online-teachings https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/19083404/The-Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Talk-7.mp3

Kathie Fischer gives the sixth talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. View or download the transcript → https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/10114522/The-Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Talk-6-Kathy-Fischer.mp3  

https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/03133847/The-Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Talk-5.mp3 Norman gives the fifth talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours.

Norman Fischer gives the fourth talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" to the October 2022 All Day Sitting referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/01122014/The-Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Talk-4-merged_1.mp3

Norman gives the second talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/24103233/Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Talk-2.mp3

Norman gives the first talk of "The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" referencing the book "Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi" by Taigen Dan Leighton and Yi Wu. Hongzhi is credited with first articulating the practice of "just sitting" which is Dogen's practice, and ours. https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/edz.assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/14075920/Silent-Illumination-of-Zen-Master-Hongzhi-Talk-1.mp3

“The practice of true reality is simply to sit.” Matthew Kozan Palevsky continues Upaya's exploration of silent illumination, or just sitting, discussing Taigen Dan Leighton's collection of Zen Master Hongzhi's writings, “Cultivating the Empty Field.” He invites us to consider what it could mean for us to cultivate the empty field, especially given that Hongzhi […]

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript The post March 2022 Sesshin, Day 4: Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript The post March 2022 Sesshin, Day 3: Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript The post March 2022 Sesshin, Day 2: Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript The post March 2022 Sesshin, Day 1: Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Dharma Talk by Guo Gu, founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in Florida. Join the Cloud Zendo Dharma Talk here.Our natural awakening—or buddha-nature—is inherent within all of us and waiting to be realized. Buddha-nature has the qualities of both silence and illumination, and by working with silent illumination meditation you can find your own awakening. Guo Gu introduces you to the significance and methods of this practice through in-depth explanations and guided instructions. To help establish a foundation for realizing silent illumination, he has translated twenty-five teachings from the influential master Hongzhi Zhengjue into English, accompanied by his personal commentary. Silent Illumination will be an indispensable resource for meditators interested in beginning or deepening their silent illumination practice.Guo Gu is a Chan teacher, author, and Buddhist scholar. He is the founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in Florida and founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief (DharmaRelief.org). As one of the few teachers carrying on the living wisdom of Chan Buddhism in the West and as the trainer of all Western Dharma teachers in the Dharma Drum Lineage of Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009), Guo Gu has a unique ability to bring profound Buddhist doctrines to life through concrete methods of practice. His teachings have touched the hearts of many students across the globe where he leads multi-day, intensive Chan retreats in different countries. His personal website is www.guogulaoshi.com.Shop for a copy of Silent Illumination from Shambhala Publications, here.

In this talk we explore illumination as an aspect of our awakened nature, sometimes experienced as clarity, brightness, lucidity, alertness. We also look at what happens when illumination is overly emphasized in our spiritual practice and our culture. We are following the teachings of Zen Master Hongzhi from his poem on Silent Illumination, in this stanza he reminds us:If illumination neglects serenity, then aggressiveness appears.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

2022-01-16 | Day 4 | Silent Illumination | Peg Syverson and Flint Sparks - A Conversation Book Recommendation - Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu

2022-01-13 | Silent Illumination | Day 1 | Flint Sparks and Peg Syverson Book Recommendation - Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu

2022-01-14 | Silent Illumination | Day 2 | Flint Sparks Book Recommendation - Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu

2022-01-15 | Day 3 | Silent Illumination | Peg Syverson Book Recommendation - Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu

We all have had experiences of being in the flow of life. What is this flow? How do we find it? What do learn from the times that we feel obstructed, and what do we learn from being in the flow?Inspired by Zen Master Hongzhi's poem Silent Illumination, this talk explores the flow of the natural world as well as the research on flow & the flow-state by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

The field of boundless emptiness is what exists from the very beginning. You must purify, cure, grind down, or brush away all the tendencies you have fabricated into apparent habits. Then you can reside in the clear circle of brightness. Utter emptiness has no image, upright independence does not rely on anything. Just expand and illuminate the original truth unconcerned by external conditions. Accordingly we are told to realize that not a single thing exists. In this field birth and death do not appear. The deep source, transparent down to the bottom, can radiantly shine and can respond unencumbered to each speck of dust without becoming its partner. The subtlety of seeing and hearing transcends mere colors and sounds. The whole affair functions without leaving traces, and mirrors without obscurations. Very naturally mind and dharmas emerge and harmonize. An Ancient said that non-mind enacts and fulfills the way of non-mind. Enacting and fulfilling the way of non-mind, finally you can rest. Proceeding you are able to guide the assembly. With thoughts clear, sitting silently, wander into the center of the circle of wonder. This is how you must penetrate and study.-Hongzhi Zhengjue, Cultivating the Empty FieldSupport the show (https://www.paypal.me/apalmr)

Dharma talk by David Dae An Rynick, Roshi on December21, 2021

Chozen Bays, Roshi - Rohatsu Sesshin - Great Vow Zen Monastery - 12/10/21

This teaching is by Guo Gu (Dr. Jimmy Yu). He is the founder and teacher at the Tallahassee Chan Center. He first learned meditation as a child in 1972 with Master Guangqin (1892-1986), one of the most respected Chinese meditation masters and ascetics who lived in Taiwan. In 1980, Guo Gu moved to the United States and began studying with Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009). In 1991, Guo Gu was ordained as a monk and became Master Sheng Yen's first personal attendant and assistant. In 1995, he was given permission by the master to teach Chan independently; his experiences were later recognized by other teachers as well. Wanting to bring Buddhism beyond monastic walls, Guo Gu left monkhood and re-entered the world in 2000. In 2008 he received his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Princeton University and is currently a professor of Buddhist studies at Florida State University. You can find more from him at https://tallahasseechan.org/ This podcast is run by the London Chan Meditation. You can find out more about us at https://londonchanmeditation.org

On a pilgrimage to India Lion's Roar's Andrea Miller explores the life and teachings of the historical Buddha and the new insights she gained by being there. Then, Zen teacher Enkyo O'Hara shares a quick tip about the subtle joy of Shikantaza, also known as Silent Illumination or “just sitting.”

Dharma Talk by Guo Gu, founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in Florida. Our natural awakening—or buddha-nature—is inherent within all of us and waiting to be realized. Buddha-nature has the qualities of both silence and illumination, and by working with silent illumination meditation you can find your own awakening. Guo Gu introduces you to the significance and methods of this practice through in-depth explanations and guided instructions. To help establish a foundation for realizing silent illumination, he has translated twenty-five teachings from the influential master Hongzhi Zhengjue into English, accompanied by his personal commentary. Silent Illumination will be an indispensable resource for meditators interested in beginning or deepening their silent illumination practice.Guo Gu is a Chan teacher, author, and Buddhist scholar. He is the founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in Florida and founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief (DharmaRelief.org). As one of the few teachers carrying on the living wisdom of Chan Buddhism in the West and as the trainer of all Western Dharma teachers in the Dharma Drum Lineage of Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009), Guo Gu has a unique ability to bring profound Buddhist doctrines to life through concrete methods of practice. His teachings have touched the hearts of many students across the globe where he leads multi-day, intensive Chan retreats in different countries. His personal website is www.guogulaoshi.com.Shop for a copy of Silent Illumination from Shambhala Publications, here.

Buddhadharma’s Koun Franz interviews Chan teacher and scholar Guo Gu about the essence of his latest book, Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening, in which he explains embodied practice and Chan methods of realizing your Buddha nature. 

Dharma talk by David Dae An Rynick, Roshi on January 5, 2021

This teaching is by Guo Gu (Dr. Jimmy Yu). He is the founder and teacher at the Tallahassee Chan Center. He first learned meditation as a child in 1972 with Master Guangqin (1892-1986), one of the most respected Chinese meditation masters and ascetics who lived in Taiwan. In 1980, Guo Gu moved to the United States and began studying with Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009). In 1991, Guo Gu was ordained as a monk and became Master Sheng Yen's first personal attendant and assistant. In 1995, he was given permission by the master to teach Chan independently; his experiences were later recognized by other teachers as well. Wanting to bring Buddhism beyond monastic walls, Guo Gu left the monkhood and re-entered the world in 2000. In 2008 he received his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Princeton University and is currently a professor of Buddhist studies at Florida State University. You can find more from him at https://tallahasseechan.org/ This podcast is run by the London Chan Meditation. You can find out more about us at https://londonchanmeditation.org

An introduction to an open awareness meditation practice. if you want to support this workby making a donation you can do so by clicking here: paypal.me/danielscharpenburg

The life of Master Hongzhi Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991

"With total trust, roam and play in samadhi". Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991

"You must be broadminded, whole, without relying on others." Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991

The bright, boundless field -- what is it? "Degrading situations" and how to avoid pursuing them. Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991

Comments on Master Hongzhi's Cultivating the Empty Field, 3: The Practice of True Reality Main Source(s): Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu.

Comments on Master Hongzhi's Cultivating the Empty Field, 4: With Total Trust Roam and Play in Samadhi Main Source(s): Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu.

Comments on Master Hongzhi's Cultivating the Empty Field, 1: Biography of Master Hongzhi Main Source(s): Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu.

Comments on Master Hongzhi's Cultivating the Empty Field, 2: The Bright, Boundless Field Main Source(s): Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu. What Is This? Ancient Questions for modern minds by Martine and Stephen Batchelor Being Black, Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace by Angel Kyodo Williams

“With total trust, roam and play in samadhi”. Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 4, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

“You must be broadminded, whole, without relying on others.” Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 3, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The bright, boundless field — what is it? “Degrading situations” and how to avoid pursuing them. Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 2, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The life of Master Hongzhi Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 1, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Different forms of meditation described. Plus, my favorite: Silent Illumination.  if you want to support this podcast by making a donation you can do so by clicking here: Donate Go like my Facebook Page: facebook.com/dscharpy

I continue in a second episode with my reflections on Chan master Hongzhi's "Guidepost of Silent Illumination. I discuss the interdependence of absolute and relative and why that matters in real life; how skillful bodhisattva action arises out of zazen; how silence is the supreme mode of communication, and how serenity and illumination - calm and insight - are both contained in zazen.

In this episode and the next, I riff off of 12th-century Chan master Hongzhi’s short text, “Guidepost of Silent Illumination,” one of the most positive and encouraging Zen teachings a know. By “riff” I mean I’ll play off of, and spontaneously elaborate on, Hongzhi’s words, as opposed to explaining or analyzing them in an exhaustive or comprehensive way. I take this approach because it’s more fun, but also because “Guidepost of Silent Illumination,” like most Chan and Zen writings, is essentially poetry.

A description of a Formless meditation practice as well as a little guidance. 

Zazen as a way of dissolving the mirage of ego Text quoted: Silent Illumination by Master Sheng Yen and John Crook

In the final session of our Birdseye View series, we get down to the question of Enlightenment. We explore the different ideas that exist about it, and look at different aspects of enlightenment and awakening experiences. We practice a version of Silent Illumination, a technique through which we provide the space for an insight into the nature of Mind to take place. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting us at this link: bodhibass.com/support Don't forget to subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! Join our community on FB: www.facebook.com/BodhiBass Subscribe and review on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-mind-meditation-podcast/id1433677569?mt=2 Subscribe and review on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6qdtpBF52kwAYYKJ8Kugeq

This is a Dharma Talk given by the Reverend Jay Rinsen Weik Sensei at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo.  In this talk, Rinsen Sensei explores the teachings of the early 11th Century Chinese teacher Master Hongzhi. If you would like to learn more about the Buddhist Temple of Toledo or to make a donation in support of this podcast please visit buddhisttempleoftoledo.org.

Becoming an ox at the bottom of the mountain, or "Nothing distinguishes the enlightened person." (Yamada Koun-roshi) Main Text(s) quoted: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu and The Method of No-Method, The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination by Chan Master Shengyen

It is possible to get stuck in emptiness. More is needed for real living. Main Text(s) quoted: The Method of No-Method, The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination by Chan Master Shengyen

Biographical material and introduction to Master Hongzhi's teaching. Main Text(s) quoted: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu and The Method of No-Method, The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination by Chan Master Shengyen

"Murkiness remains": pros and cons and pitfalls of shikantaza and koan practice. What is the "field of boundless emptiness"? Some perspectives from quantum physics. Main Text(s) quoted: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu. The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos by Brian Swimme.

Review -- why do we come to sesshin and what do we do? Skillfully working with our mental obsessions, compulsions and delusions and entering the Hongzhi's "clear circle of brightness". Main Text(s) quoted: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu.

The post EP 28 – Silent Illumination – What is the function of serenity and stillness? appeared first on Meditation Freedom.

Silent- Illumination is an ancient Chan practice that can be difficult to understand and put into practice. This talk attempts to unpack this ancient practice and make it accessible to us here in the west so we can identify with it and take it not just to our meditation, but crucially also into our everyday ordinary life. Discover how to grow into this profound form that will not just awaken us to our habits and attachments that create the suffering of samsara, but open the door beyond this self-made creation into the uncreated, and return us to our true nature and liberation.

With this talk we begin the final series of talks on Silent Illumination. Here, we explore the nature or the Circle of Wonder and how we are to abide there.

This talk returns to the practice of Silent Illumination and specifically addresses the nature of mind.

Once one enters the Field of Silent Illumination, how does one dwell there? How does one live there? It means living one's Buddhist identity. This talk examines what that means.

The Third and concluding talk in the Silent Illumination sub-series on virtuous conduct as a way to extinguish the fires of craving.

The second part of the Virtue sub-series of Silent Illumination.

A continuation of the Silent Illumination series. This talk discusses the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) teaching on the development of virtue and how that teaching can be used to create "fire extinguishers" to quell the fires of craving and attachment.

This Dharma talk both reviews the theme of Silent Illumination and explores the ways in which each of us starts and keeps fueling the fires of our cravings. It uses the US Justice Department Manual for Arson Investigation as a guide to help understand the HOW of our arsonist tendencies.

Third talk in the "Silent Illumination Series*. This talk discusses the role of faith (saddha) in Buddhist practice and its implications for Silent Illumination.

Second talk in the *Silent Illumination Series*. This Dharma talk explores what we mean by entanglement and it's relationship to Silent Illumination.

This is the first in a year long series of Dharma talks based on Master Hongzhi's *Silent Illumination*. In this talk, we are introduced to the meaning of the two key words: silent and illumination.

Happy times, sad times, rainy days and sunny ... earthquake and nuclear disaster, good health and sickness ... the death of someone we love, our new daughter coming home ... getting older ... ups, downs, beginnings and endings ... Oh, what a year this has been! But in truth, a year like any year. The Buddha knew that such is the stuff of life, all of life filled with many things we long for and many we fear and resist ... I usually describe Shikantaza Zazen to newcomers by a "sky-and -clouds" metaphor (one of the 'classic' metaphors in the Zen world) .... with the Light, Clear, Open, Boundless Shining Sun and Sky as Buddha Nature ... and clouds of ignorance, thoughts and emotions that may becloud or obstruct our experiencing such. Yet our way of Shikantaza (unlike some flavors of meditation and Zazen) is not about attaining a mind always 100% totally free of clouds, though sometimes that may come too. Rather, sometimes we do and sometimes we don't ... clouds drift in, clouds drift out. Sometimes, the sky is so wide and blue and clear in all directions, without a cloud in the sky! That is good Zazen! Boundless, Cloud Free! And sometimes (maybe most times), there are clouds drifting through the sky ... but we do not latch onto them or stir them up ... just let them go and drift away. Shining Blue peaks through the wide open spaces between the clouds. Moreover, the light of the sky can be seen to shine right through-and-through the clouds themselves ... so that clouds and sky are not seen as apart or in any conflict whatsoever. The clouds are now illuminated and transformed from their darkness, the Sun and Blue Shining right through-and-through each and all, and the Sky Whole. It is not "cloud free", but rather, the clouds are encountered as having been Free, Light and Clear All Along!   That is good Zazen too ... maybe even more precious than an all clear sky! Now, sometimes (in human darkness and ignorance), the sky is so cloudy, fogged and stormy, filled with rampant thoughts and emotions, that the clear blue is completely hidden and bound in! That is not good Zazen ... that is just ignorance, confused and cloudy bad Zazen! And so, we should let the clouds clear and blow away, returning to the spacious, shining blue as described above. However, even when the sky and sun are totally hidden ... not a patch of blue to see in the gray and stormy sky ... the sky and sun are still there even though we are blocked from seeing by the covering clouds. In fact, there is no bad Zazen ... even the bad Zazen. More here: "Right" Zazen and "Wrong" Zazen Now, take those clouds as also representing too the events and times in our own life ... each cloud just happy times or sad times, rainy days and sunny ... earthquake and disaster, good health and sickness ... the death of someone we love, our new daughter coming home ... getting older ... beginnings and endings ... ... and just let them be too, the changing clouds of life moving along. Know the Light, Clear, Open, Boundless Shining Sun-and-Sky that illuminates each happening ... all the white clouds or black clouds or gray of daily life. Our way is not about always having a life free of problems, any more than there can be a sky always free of clouds! But each is instantly transformed in the Silent Illumination of the Bright Boundless Sky ... and the Sky and Clouds are seen as Whole ... ... even the darkest moment just Light, Clear, Open, Boundless, Shining when known as such! It is a lovely way to live. Happy New Year ... ... and a Peaceful Right This Moment to ALL! Today’s Sit-A-Long video follows at this link. Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 15 to 35 minutes is recommended Visit the forum thread here!