September 13, 2020

 Contemplating Emptiness

Sometimes when you are driving on a highway you may see water on the road ahead. 

You may even see the reflection of the light of other cars in the water.  

But when you get closer there is nothing but asphalt.  In the same way, the body and mind 

seem very real and the world seems very solid when we don’t analyze them.  

However, when we look closely at our experiences, 

we find only the arising, abiding, and ceasing of 

selfless, transitory states, whether these are states of happiness or states of suffering.

 This may be bad news if you have a happy mind, 

but it’s good news if you have a suffering mind.

Excerpted from “Contemplating Emptiness”, by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche 

in The Best Buddhist Writing 2006, edited by Melvin McLeod.

Photo of Pine Trees by Hasegawa Tohaku, 16^th C, submitted by Kathleen Dickey 

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Our ZHS on-line schedule

• Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
• Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
• M-F: 7-7:30am - zazen
• Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
• For more information:  www.zenheartsangha.org) 

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Special bows for today: 

• Please offer bows for all those at Ashland Zen Center whose families have lost their homes in the recent fires in Oregon
• Please offer bows for Takiko Kawakami, Fumiko Arao's mother who died 9/2/2020
• Please offer bows for Jacob Blake, shot and paralyzed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and for the protesters shot and killed in Portland, OR last weekend
• Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:   
• Phyllis Merrill, Misha's mother, who is dying
• Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

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Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

• Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
• From our dharma sister, Misha:  incredible graphics and information about COVID-19  https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/
• From our dharma brother, Bill:  Buddhism in women's prisons:   https://tricycle.org/magazine/buddhism-in-womens-prisons/

• From our dharma sister, Nancy:  Spirituality and interconnectedness through time   https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/04/19/lynn-margulis-talking-on-the-water/
• From our dharma sister, Camille: an important commentary on race, riots and society to help us understand from Trevor Noah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
• If you would like to leave a comment on this blog: Here is a quick video on how to--it's from 2017, but should work:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T4RflO5Wgg
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Many thanks to those of you who are sending me articles to share, links to helpful information, and for making comments…it is a gift beyond measure. Please know that you can either leave a comment on the blog itself, or send something directly to me and I will be happy to paste it in.