The Eiryu-ji Zen Center community of Wyckoff, NJ was on an intensive retreat at the Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji monastery, deep in the Catskill Mountains of New York. They were kind enough to allow me to witness the morning ceremony and tea ceremony. I had previously only ever heard Buddhist monks chanting in other languages, so listening to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path proclaimed in English was an intense, unforgettable experience.
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes meditation practice, direct insight into one's own Buddha nature, and the personal expression of this insight in daily life for the benefit of others. (Wikipedia)
"In the end, only three things matter:
how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."
how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."
The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (6th or 5th century BCE)
“To study Buddhism is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.”
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.”
Dogen Zenji (1200-1253)
“We are all connected, like drops in the ocean, each one important to the whole.”
Daigu Ryokan (1758-1831)
"The mind is like a wild horse that needs to be tamed through meditation and mindfulness."
Gudo Nishijima (1919-2014)
"You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger."
The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (6th or 5th century BCE)