Resources/Dharma Links
Talks Online
Catch Terragno Roshi on the Radio and Online.
Where: KOWS-LP Pod Cast Page
“The Mystical Positivist” is a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP FM 107.3 Occidental, CA. “The Mystical Positivist,” is dedicated to the application of reason in the pursuit of spiritual practice and development.
I look to this format to be challenging and a bit controversial in that the New Age community tends to have an overly romantic picture of the gritty pursuit of spiritual transformation. My thesis is that rationality is in no way the antithesis of deep mystical experience, in fact, I assert that it is a necessary ally – hence the blog name “Mystical Positivist.”
Many Rivers Books and Tea supports spiritual practice by hosting spiritual talks, classes, and special events with speakers from every religious tradition. In addition to Special Events and Ongoing Events, check out the schedule for our popular Thursdays at Many Rivers series in our store in Sebastopol, California, or download and listen to past talks.
Daniel Terragno, Roshi,
Original date: Thursday, September 30, 2010
LINKS (How-To; Buddhism 101)
Buddhist Society: “Buddhist Society provides classes and courses in the teachings of the major Buddhist traditions, as well as a general introduction to Buddhism and its historical development.”
The Zen Site: “This is a site dedicated to a better understanding of Zen Buddhism. Here you will find access to a wide variety of materials about Zen Buddhism, its history, teachings, and philosophy as well as some critiques of Zen. There are also some links to non-Zen topics which you may find interesting. Please browse around.”
Featured Blogs
Monkey Mind – "Reflections on religion, politics & culture. And mostly in that order. Although I’m also easily distracted by shiny things." by – James Ford, Roshi
Turning the Wheel of Wonder – A blog exploring politics, culture, spirituality, and the pathless Way through a Buddhist-progressive-psychological lens.
“Do not seek for anything in written words. You will tire your heart and inhale icy air without profit.” — Zen Master Linji
“It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
— George Carlin
Relevant Efforts
Eight Talks on Baizhang’s Fox Koan (Audio)
Baizhang’s Fox is one of the great koans, collected as the second case in the Wumenguan, the Gateless Gate. Baizhang’s is an influential kōan story in the Zen tradition dating back as early as 1036, when it appeared in the Chinese biographical history T’ien-sheng kuang-teng lu. It was also in The Gateless Gate (Japanese: Mumonkan (無門関?), a 13th century collection of 48 kōans compiled by the Chinese monk Wumen.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: Self-help
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) combines cognitive and behavioral therapy, incorporating methodologies from various practices including Eastern mindfulness techniques. It is the first evidenced based protocol for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. DBT was designed to help those who suffered from chronic suicidal feelings. It has evolved into a treatment that helps those in difficult life situations and deep emotional suffering transform their lives and build a life they enjoy. The skills are powerful tools to increase happiness for all people. DBT is steeped in the Zen tradition. Its creator Dr. Linehan who is a long-time Zen practitioner and studied with a Diamond Sangha Teacher (Pat Hawk, Roshi).
Change your Mind Change your Brain The Inner Conditions For Happiness
If happiness is an inner state, influenced by external conditions but not dependent on them, how can we achieve it? Ricard will examine the inner and outer factors that increase or diminish our sense of well-being, dissect the underlying mechanisms of happiness, and lead us to a way of looking at the mind itself based on his book, Happiness: A Guide to Life’s Most Important Skill and from the research in neuroscience on the effect of mind-training on the brain.
Speaker Bio: Matthieu Ricard, a gifted scientist turned Buddhist monk, is a best selling author, translator, and photographer. He has lived and studied in the Himalayas for the last 35 years.
Engaged Practice Meeting the Moment Standing with Justice
– Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Buddhist Peace Fellowship is a community of primarily dharma practitioners established to support socially engaged efforts of visionaries of compassionate social justice and dharma-based organizations for social change.
Buddhist Peace Fellow Ship focus’s on mutual liberation. Buddhist Peace Fellowship is a leader in socially engaged Buddhism, cultivating peace through sharing with others decades of experience, providing donors who value peacemaking to other organizations, and educating the public with dharma-centered views of social justice.
Standing for a Free Tibet Free Tibetan Heroes
“This website is dedicated to all political prisoners in Tibet; the site is maintained by the International Tibet Network’s Political Prisoner Campaign Working Group, which has devised and is promoting a range of actions in support of Tibetan political prisoners. ”
When the world is sick we are sick too.
We are intimately tied to one another.
We sit on our meditation cousions to engage fully with life.
Leap further then the top of a 10,000 foot pole.
Right now we meet the whole universe in each action.
Zen Space
A nice site for basic Zen Instruction: Zen is a practice of direct, unmediated awareness. It is not an intellectual exercise to develop a philosophy or theology. It is not belief in the contents of written works. It is not following a code of conduct. It is not an emotional catharsis. It is not performing good works.
Some Recent Science Studies Also at Zen Space: Including monkeys who learn to enter meditation for Marshmallows … and how meditation posture improves clear thinking … very fun.
Zen Peace Makers
The mission of the Zen Peacemakers is to alleviate suffering by developing holistic social service projects that help individuals, families and communities; promoting and supporting Socially Engaged Buddhism throughout the West; and inspiring and training a new generation in this way of service as Zen practice.
The Three Tenets serve as the foundation for the Zen Peacemakers’ work and practice. Using the Three Tenets as an orientation transforms service into spiritual practice. Specifically, these practices suspend separation and hierarchy, and open direct encounter between equals as the spirit and style of the services offered.
The Three Tenets:Entering the stream of Socially Engaged Spirituality, I vow to live a life of:
Not-knowing, thereby giving up fixed ideas about ourselves and the universe
Bearing witness to the joy and suffering of the world
Loving actions towards ourselves and others
Talks on Zen Practice
Plum Village Videos by Thich Nhat Hanh – Born in central Vietnam in 1926 he joined the monkshood at the age of sixteen. The Vietnam War confronted the monasteries with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating in the monasteries, or to help the villagers suffering under bombings and other devastation of the war.
Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose to do both, helping to found the “engaged Buddhism” movement. His life has since been dedicated to the work of inner transformation for the benefit of individuals and society.