In the tradition of the Benedictine monastery, the daily activities of the monks could be these three categories. People join the monastic community primarily to devote themselves to these three. Liturgical prayerManual laborLectio Divina The liturgical prayer is the foundation of their spiritual life. With this practice, they ensure to keep and inherit the traditions … Continue reading Pray, Work, and Read
Tag: #Contemplation
The Doors of Liberation
Starting the new year, we are supposed to come up with our new year resolutions. Pondering them, we are hoping to make our lives happier, healthier, and more meaningful, even prosperous. Living in this world and of this world, there is nothing wrong with these annual practices. Without planning, setting goals and objectives, drawing roadmaps, … Continue reading The Doors of Liberation
One Thing At A Time
Lao Tzu said: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is from chapter 64 of Tao Te Ching, and one of the three similar statements. All three go this way: A tree that fills a man’s embrace grows from a seedling.A tower nine stories high starts with one brick.A journey … Continue reading One Thing At A Time
The Flower Sermon
In history, the Buddha delivered so many words for wisdom. His students recorded them as a volume of countless sutras. They spent their entire lives reading and studying these precious, voluminous sutras. Even in his days, the Buddha’s words were invaluable. Whenever he delivered his sermons, his disciples were so eager to listen to them … Continue reading The Flower Sermon
Supernaturally Real
When we were a child, we were afraid of darkness. Waking up in the middle of the night, we had to be courageous enough to go to a restroom alone. Even during the daytime, walking through dark woods required our courage, too. We didn't know why, but we felt some awful monsters must be hiding … Continue reading Supernaturally Real
Breathing, the Third Eye
There are various kinds of meditation in Buddhism. Well-known is a sitting meditation called Zazen (座禅) in Japanese. Sitting straight, we focus on subtle movements of breathing in and out, noticing our diaphragm. Traditionally, we call this breathing technique Zuisokukan (随息観). Zui (随) means to follow. Soku (息) for breathing, and Kan (観) for observing … Continue reading Breathing, the Third Eye
The World Around Us, The Universe Beyond Us
Language is one of the essential tools for communication. And it is more for one of our critical tools to understand the world around us and the universe beyond us. Like the birth of consciousness, our language was the inception of human history. At the moment when we asked ourselves who we are, where we … Continue reading The World Around Us, The Universe Beyond Us
