Category: zen
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a flower falls
‘A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.’ –Dogen
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the trail is not a trail
One of my favourite poets is American poet Gary Snyder. He is described as the ‘poet laureate of deep ecology’ by some and I would agree with that. I guess he is a natural fit for me – he studied Zen Buddhism in Japan for years and writes a lot about the human spirit and nature.…
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forgetting and remembering
I’ve had a week of battling my ‘monkey mind’ – that part of the mind that is unsettled and dissatisfied, busy and graceless. This week my monkey mind has been a place of impatience and regret – both fairly useless emotions. It’s the school holidays, I’ve got far too much work on my plate (which…
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my journals keep me
Do you keep a journal? Sometimes I feel like my journals keep me. They keep me sane, keep me engaged, keep me feeling creative even when I don’t have time for larger creative endeavours. I’ve been teaching journal-writing for years. Teaching is a good reminder to me in how important it is to keep on with…
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teaching your mother to suck oranges
I was sitting across from Magnus watching him eat his dessert which was, that night, two cut-up oranges. Magnus was really eating those oranges. He was so present in his enjoyment – he was sucking every drop of juice and had the fixed stare of someone experiencing great sensory pleasure. I love that about children.…
Helen Lehndorf 