Zen Buddhism

No Other

By Eric Platt / November 18, 2023 /

One can go either direction — “outward” so to speak, in perception, like a kind of artist, or Zen master, such as in listening to sounds and seeing sights; and (then) the small self, the illusory self, dissolves, disappears: one simply IS the sounds, IS the sights…  (the Zen way…) Or one can go inward,…

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No Escape

By Eric Platt / November 15, 2023 /

There is no escape from what you are. One thing stands out: how is it possible to have any experience at all? Such as an experience of robots, or brains, or computers, or birds, or animals, or plants, or rocks, or girlfriends, boyfriends, leaves, smoke, sunshine, dreams, reading, language, poets, mothers, cars, ferris wheels, art,…

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Non-Duality and Suffering

By meestereric / September 7, 2022 /

A Dialogue with an Unknown Source   Q: What’s your real value, at the end of the day, after years of seeking and suffering and finding, and all you’ve inquired into and seen and practiced over the decades? Is it worth anything, or just empty at the end of the day?   Seems to me…

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The Infinite Inquiry

By meestereric / July 7, 2022 /

Dear Friends – Just thought I’d write a short note, in lieu of a meeting announcement. In addressing those that have been on some kind of path for quite a while, and now have an acquaintance with the “direct” path: I apologize in advance for the long messy missive-I assure you it started out short…

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The Four Seals and Buddhism in a Nutshell

By meestereric / July 31, 2019 /

A while ago I wrote an article about the lyrics to a song I loved, Ott’s Jack’s Cheese and Bread Snack. I didn’t know it at the time, but the lyrics are called the “Four Seals of Buddhism”, or “The Four Dharma Seals”. I did know back when I wrote the original article that they…

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True Meditation: A Quiet Mind Versus A Silent Mind

By meestereric / April 2, 2019 /

“To ask the mind to kill itself is like making the thief the policeman. He will go with you and pretend to catch the thief, but nothing will be gained. So you must turn inward and see where the mind rises from, and then it will cease to exist.”   ~ Ramana Maharshi, ‘Who Am…

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The Four Seals of Buddhism and The Meaning of Ott’s Jack’s Cheese and Bread Snack Lyrics

By meestereric / July 22, 2018 /

I first heard this song about ten years ago, and loved it, and was intrigued by the lyrics. Ott – Jack’s Cheese and Bread Snack   One: All composite phenomena are impermanent. Two: All contaminated things and events are unsatisfactory. Three: All phenomena are empty and selfless. And four: Nirvana is true peace.   The…

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Western Philosophy of Mind and the Problem of Life

By meestereric / February 7, 2016 /

Turning Western Philosophy of Mind on It’s Head Is life a problem to be solved? The philosophers and scientists who are trying to figure out how the mind works are basing their models on an orientation towards problems solving. They look for example, at animals in the world surviving, and see them solving problems: how…

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