Everyday Zen

Charlotte Joko Beck offers a warm, engaging, uniquely American approach to using Zen to deal with the problems of daily living—love, relationships, work, fear, ambition, and suffering. Everyday Zen shows us how to live each moment to the fullest. This Plus edition includes an interview with the author.

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye (Shobo Genzo, in Japanese) is a monumental work, considered to be one of the profoundest expressions of Zen wisdom ever put on paper, and also the most outstanding literary and philosophical work of Japan. It is a collection of essays by Eihei Dogen (1200–1253), founder of Zen’s Soto school. Kazuaki Tanahashi and a team of translators that represent a Who’s Who of American Zen have produced a translation of the great work that combines accuracy with a deep understanding of Dogen’s voice and literary gifts. This eBook includes a wealth of materials to aid understanding, including maps, lineage charts, a bibliography, and an exhaustive glossary of names and terms—and, as a bonus, the most renowned of all Dogen’s essays, "Recommending Zazen to All People."

From beloved Zen teacher Norman Fischer, a collection of essays spanning a life of inquiry into Zen practice, relationship, social engagement, and spiritual creativity. "Looking backwards at a life lived, walking forward into more life to live built on all that, trying not to be too much influenced by what's already been said and done, not to be held to a point of view or an identity previously expressed, trying to be surprised and undone and maybe even dismayed by what lies ahead."--Norman Fischer Norman Fischer is a Zen priest, poet, and translator whose writings, teachings, and commitment to interfaith dialogue have supported and inspired Buddhist, Jewish, and other spiritual practitioners for decades. When You Greet Me I Bow spans the entirety of Norman Fischer's career and is the first collection of his writings on Buddhist philosophy and practice. Broken into four sections--the joy and catastrophe of relationship; thinking, writing, and emptiness; cultural encounters; and social engagement--this book allows us to see the fascinating development of the mind and interests of a gifted writer and profoundly committed practitioner.

For twenty-five hundred years Buddhism has taught that everyone is Buddha—already enlightened, lacking nothing. But still there is the question of how we can experience that truth in our lives. In this book, Dainin Katagiri points to the manifestation of enlightenment right here, right now, in our everyday routine. Genuineness of practice lies in "just living" our lives wholeheartedly. The Zen practice of sitting meditation (zazen) is this not a means to an end but is the activity of enlightenment itself. That is why Katagiri Roshi says, "Don't expect enlightenment—just sit down!" Based on the author's talks to his American students, Returning to Silence contains the basic teachings of the Buddha, with special emphasis on the meaning of faith and on meditation. It also offers a commentary on "The Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance" from Dogen Zenji's Shobogenzo, which speaks in depth about the appropriate actions of those who guide others in the practice of the Buddha Way. Throughout these pages, Katagiri Roshi energetically brings to life the message that "Buddha is your daily life."

WHEN NOTHING IS SPECIAL, EVERYTHING CAN BE The best-selling author of 'Everyday Zen' shows how to awaken to daily life and discover the ideal in the everyday, finding riches in our feelings, relationships, and work. 'Nothing Special' offers the rare and delightful experience of learning in the authentic Buddhist tradition with a wonderfully contemporary Western master.

In Everyday Zen, author Stephanie Russell states, "Zen mind sees daily life as the main vehicle for higher awareness." Everyday Zen teaches you how to incorporate the principles of Zen into your daily routine. You must be present in the moment and be willing to accept change and let go of tangible items in order to progress. Russell offers numerous methods of integrating Zen into everyday life:o Self-justification is like pouring a cup of sand into the ocean.o Halfhearted action makes mud of a mountain stream. Walk into your work with everything you have and leave with yet more clarity.o Everyday problems can seem unsolvable. They are not. Walk around the block and take in the world: the topiary, the trees, a paper cup crumpled in the grass. When you return home, your solution will be inside the door.o A triumph occurs alongside a calamity. A person is born and another one dies. You're elated and at the same time you're blue. Don't try to make sense of these things. Step back from the drama and observe life without entanglement.

I began sharing quotes on Daily Zen in 2008 to accompany my own growing meditation practice. Twitter had just started and it seemed like a clever outlet for the one-line wisdom I found in ancient Eastern texts. I didn't expect the audience to grow to such a profound degree, however. Today, Daily Zen reaches nearly 300,000 people each month. I regularly get emails from people who say that my writings have helped them in some way. I do not claim to be a Zen master or 'enlightened' by any means. I have plenty of difficulties with my own practice, though the community that developed through Daily Zen has helped me grow and recognize the universality of meditation practice. Since I started the site I have written thousands of pages of reflections, read countless spiritual texts, and maintained a daily meditation practice.This is a collection of my Daily Zen writings from 2015 and 2016. Some of them are more conversational in tone, some of them somewhat academic. The goal of these writings is to simply share my ever-changing spiritual purview with others. Some pieces you will connect with; others you might not enjoy so much. I just hope that these short essays stimulate your true self and help you commit further to your meditation practice. If you don't meditate yet, I hope they encourage you to start. Remember-- the good life is as simple as paying attention.