I am planning a Master's thesis on art in Zen Buddhism and how it is related to/ is used as meditative practice...

I was wondering how I could find out what arts are most closely related to what schools?/lineages?
If I can narrow it down to one or two lineages that would be helpful.

xposted

Current Location: Oregon

Found a great relaxation video.. This really  helped me to calm down during a hard working day!

Zen garden Video

Tags: nature, relax, relaxation, video, zen garden

Tags: comic
Current Mood: busy

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche made a video-clip, which has been placed on youtube, there named 'Mipham - What about me'. In order to get closer to the essence of the message, I wrote down what I thought I heard him say. I'd like someone or 'some more' to correct mistakes, fill in what I missed and/or explain some sentences. Would you?

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Tags: intention, learning, love, request, self-less
Current Music: Whose garden was this? - Vera Lynn

I caught the second half of American Public Media's radio program, Speaking of Faith, this morning and thought folks in this community would be interested.

The program is called Burma Buddhism and Power and is described as:
"A look inside the spiritual culture of Burma, exploring the meaning of monks taking to the streets there in September, the way in which religion and military rule are intertwined, and how Buddhism remains a force in and beyond the current crisis."

It features an interview with Ingrid Jordt, "an assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, former Buddhist nun, and author of Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement."

I found her words about the bravery of the Buddhist monks, as well as her take on the need for compassion in confronting oppression, incredibly powerful and moving.

Here's the website, which includes a link to hear the radio program as well as to hear the complete interview with Jordt (they couldn't fit the entire interview into the hour-long show):
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/burma/index.shtml

Cross-posted to:
buddhists
buddhists_fyad
buddhists_m
zen_buddhists
zen_recovery

Tags: buddhist monks, burma, myanmar

here is an odd post for this community, but thought you lot might be able to help! i am restringing my mala and i am having trouble getting the cord through the end bead where it has to make a 90 degree turn. i got one side in but now i can't get the other. i'm using stretchy cord, if that makes a difference. any tips and/or tricks are appreciated!

EDIT: i ended up tying thread to the stretchy cord and it worked like a charm! i pulled the cord through with no problem. thanks everyone for their advice!

"Recently a correspondent asked 'Why doesn't Zen speak to the apocalyptic upheavals our planet is undergoing, as Tibetan prophesies do?' I replied that in Zen we seek what underlies and infuses the world of karma and time, including even apocalyptic events, and view the phenomenon themselves, as in a dream. Grounded in the dojo of the Buddha, we live in this dream world. Buddha-nature in personal terms is fundamental rest, fundamental peace. In our dream of apocalyptic upheavals we not only find peace, we practice peace, present peace, right here in the midst of the most miserable karma - not separate from it."

- Robert Aitken Roshi

Tags: zen
Current Mood: creative
Current Music: "Shangrila" - Billy Idol

this morning during meditation, i was really trying extra hard to concentrate, hold my mantra, etc. don't know if this is why i experienced what i did, but here goes. thoughts started arising, as they do, but this time they weren't thoughts from my life. they were as if from a dream. they were complete thoughts as if they were part of my daily life, but then later on i realized, wait a minute, that didn't make any sense! there were only a few, they were all separate and only about 1 thought long (i.e. i didn't get sucked into a cycle of thinking/daydreaming).

in the school i practice with, there is the idea of 9 consciousnesses (sorry, i'm ignorant as to whether this is a common idea or not). the 8th one is for dreams. is it possible i tapped into that? has anyone experienced this or have thoughts on it? it's not bothering me in the slightest, i just find it fascinating.

Just breathe. <3 I love you all.

from:
zen_morsels

when do you stop just accepting the situation and change it? for instance, i don't like my work, but there's nothing really wrong with it, so do i just keep accepting the situation? the buddha left his palace life and family because he had a burning question. why couldn't he just accept his palace life and family situation?

i spoke to my teacher about this, but i'm wondering what you all think...

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your common sense."
-- Buddha

Tags: buudha, learning, reading
Current Location: home in fairbanks
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: jazz

This summer in Russia: