Category Archives: Dharma

Buddhist Psychology Course

We are excited to invite you to the course Buddhist Psychology: from Trauma to Enlightenment, instructed by 43rd generation Rinzai Zen Teacher, Lotus Vu. The course will be held every Saturday, beginning March 15th for 7 weeks, 10:30 AM to … Continue reading

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Poem: Zen Contradictions

The floating clouds never contradict the sky. The reaching flowers never contradict the sun. The bird’s song is the perfect teaching. Only in our minds do we confuse the nature of things.

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Meditation Spaces

One of the challenges of practicing Zen is the having a good daily meditation routine. For myself there are two things that can really help the practice. First, dedicate a specific time to meditate everyday and stick with it. First … Continue reading

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Retreat Intensive 2024

At the end of May the sangha had a yearly retreat intensive with our teacher Lotus Vu. This was my very first retreat and found the experience, with 6 hours of the day in meditation and all most a week … Continue reading

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The Rupa (Form) Jhanas

Links to John’s references for his talk on November 25, 2023 about the Jhanas.

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Four Ways of Knowing 

Transformation of Eight Consciousnesses from the Yogacara (四智 catvāri jñānāni) Notes from Lotus’ Dharma Talk on October 28, 2023 The way of knowing of the great reflecting mirror –mind clears  The way of knowing equality – mind without afflictions  The way of knowing of clear observation – absent of efforts  The way of knowing perfected action – all is ok  Five, six, seven, eight: the resulting fruits of planted seeds movements  It only uses labels, not the true nature of reality  If knowing moves without attachments  Amidst bustling activities, stillness liberates.  Alaya-vijnana storehouse consciousness converts to knowing of the perfected mirror.  Manas-vijnana consciousness (discriminating ego) converts to knowing of equanimity  Thinking/ discriminating mind converts to knowing of clear observation  Five other consciousness transforms to knowing of perfected action (or the perfected mirror knowing in the sense-consciousness)  The nature of knowing (Citta) (thức) is wisdom (trí). When it doesn’t know itself, it is deluded by phenomena of consciousness deluded with its factors, it is knowing in  a dualistic manner. When knowing knows itself and is liberated from attachments to all phenomena of itself, it is transformed into wisdom.  The essence of knowing nature (thể) is the absolute reality of unmoving stillness amidst all the … Continue reading

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