Category: Duality
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Unfiltered Vision: Perception Merges Back Into the Perceived
Slowly but surely, we have been pecking away at the nature and causes of awakening. Today we shall consider the concept of unfiltered vision. We should always remember that our inherent tendency to view the world through the lens of duality is the greatest culprit in preventing us from experiencing our already enlightened state. In high…
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Wu Wei: Self-reliance As Radical Liberation
Wu wei is a prevalent and important Taoist concept. Wu wei can be defined as non-action, effortless action, or action through inaction. It is possible that you have come across this concept before. So, with that in mind, let’s explore a bit of a different take on this idea and consider it within the context of…
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Koan Practice: Self-discovery And The Virtue of The Unknown
We have been discussing the role that paradox plays in our journey toward obtaining a more permanent and complete Zen mindset. We dipped our toes in the water by exploring some of the various paradoxes that arise during practice. As such, let’s take a small step back, and reexamine the concept of paradox itself. For…
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Impermanence and the Paradox of Being/Becoming
Today we move our discussion regarding the nature and relevance of paradoxes one step forward. In our last lesson, we looked at the paradox of everything and nothing, or absence and presence. Now we are going to discuss presence, not in the context of the presence or absence of a thing or experience, but rather,…
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Everything and Nothing: The Paradox of Empty, Pure Potentiality
Over the course of the next few weeks we will be dissecting the concept of paradox by considering it in its many forms. Today we discuss the paradox of everything and nothing. Nothingness contains within it the potential for everything. Yet if we focus on this aspect of nothingness then we continue to be lost…
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Paradox: Embracing Simplicity To Make Room For Complexity
Looking back on the lessons shared so far, I am once again reminded of the power and effectiveness of simplicity. There is a complexity to the teachings that some find appealing. Yet others might find it all a bit time consuming and overwhelming. Luckily there is something inherent within simplicity that satisfies the needs of…
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Triumph And Disaster Or Uncompromising Truth: One Or The Other
Right now there are some folks out there that feel like the world is ending. There are also just about as many people out there that believe they are on top of that world. Occasionally I find the need to have what I playfully call a come to Buddha conversation. This lesson is for those who are…
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Acceptance and the Underlying Tension of Mind/Body Duality
In a moment we will be exploring the meaning and benefits of genuine acceptance. Before digging into that, let’s take a quick second to regroup a bit. In the teachings presented thus far, my goal has been to ease you into some of Zen’s distinct and particular ways of expressing itself. At the same time,…
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The Ineffectiveness of Willpower: Fighting Against Ourselves
In our last lesson we discussed the idea of self-control. We discovered that efforts of self-control only result in the creation of a particular type in inner duality. Attempts to transform by way of self-control can be difficult and lead to feelings of failure. We then find ourselves saying such things as, “My appetite was…
