Author: Mark ShenYun Gilenson

I have been practicing Buddhadharma since around 2008. Starting out in a Theravada context and learning from inspiring teachers, I then practiced Zen in both Korean and Vietnamese traditions, Vajrayana (Kagyu) Buddhism and now study and practice and in the lineage of Chan Buddhism (Linji Lineage of HsuYun), in which I am a Novice Priest and Junior Dharma Teacher. My highest aspiration and greatest inspiration is the actual pursuit of happiness – that means my own happiness coupled – inextricably – with that of all others.

by Mark ShenYun Gilenson August 17, 2018 0

OMMC Train the Mind

Ordinary Mind Meditation Course / Session II

Thank you for all the feedback and suggestions! as you’ll hear, the sound quality is much better, as I’ve upgraded the equipment as per your (many) complaints about the quality in the previous file. If you’d like me to re-record the first session with better quality, or if you have any other useful suggestions, contact me by leaving a comment or by using any of the social media links on the site.

by Mark ShenYun Gilenson August 14, 2018 0

Ordinary Mind Meditation Course is finally here!

A project I’ve been working on for a while is finally under way: a free Buddhist meditation course! In every session some philosophical background is given in a rising degree of difficulty, after which a guided meditation provides techniques for embodying this new knowledge, testing it for oneself and by practicing, turning the knowledge into intuition.

by Mark ShenYun Gilenson July 30, 2018 2

Buddhism Chan Train the Mind

Non-self Esteem

The interesting thing about the attitudes of inferiority and superiority is that they are two sides of the very same coin. We call this coin “lack of self-confidence”. Mentioning anything that has the word ‘self’ in it as a positive can be seen as a big no-no in Buddhist circles, but for the sake of our personal and collective sanity, I think a clarification of this matter would be highly useful.