Branch Hermitage of DWZS/OHY. Headed by Rev. Mark Gilenson (ShenYun)

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“Superb!”

by Mark ShenYun Gilenson

“Superb!” (on Resting Resolutions) – Gilles Therrien

About Mark ShenYun Gilenson

Mark has been practicing Buddhadharma since about 2008. Starting out in a Theravada context and learning from outstandingly inspiring teachers, he then practiced Zen in both the Korean and Vietnamese traditions, and now studies and practices Vajrayana (Kagyu) Buddhism and is a novice priest of Chan Buddhism (Linji Lineage of HsuYun). His highest aspiration and greatest inspiration is the actual pursuit of happiness – that means his own happiness, coupled – inextricably – with that of all others.

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As great change takes place, I find myself dealing with a central question that my teacher left me with for this period: . "What isn't Buddha? Where isn't Dharma?" . Not everyone has the good fortune to have much free time to spend meditating and practicing in an ideal, quiet, formal environment. Lately that's been very true for me. . But just as it is difficult, it's equally honest and rewarding to work on integrating one's practice into all activities. Working, Husbanding, Musicing, and Buddhisting are all Practice. . And then, when there's finally a moment to stretch one's legs, then it's time to Release, Relax, Re-smile and Return right back to this very moment, this very mind. . What isn't Buddha? Me. But when "me" settles down for a bit, then sometimes I see: Where isn't Dharma! Where indeed. . . . . #chanbuddhism #EveryDayIsAGoodDay #mindfulness #meditation #EveryDayImHusbanding #6rs #everydayzen #ShanaTova #buddha #dharma #zen #love #buddhism #whereisntit #amituofo

☀️Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra☀️ . The noble Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, while practicing the deep practice of Prajnaparamita, looked upon the five skandhas and seeing they were empty of self-existence, said, . “Here, Shariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form; emptiness is not separate from form, form is not separate from emptiness; whatever is form is emptiness, whatever is emptiness is form. The same holds for sensation and perception, memory and consciousness. Here, Shariputra, all dharmas are defined by emptiness - not birth or destruction, purity or defilement, completeness or deficiency. . Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no memory and no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body and no mind; no shape, no sound, no smell, no taste, no feeling and no thought; no element of perception, from eye to conceptual consciousness; no causal link, from ignorance to old age and death, and no end of causal link, from ignorance to old age and death; no suffering, no source, no relief, no path; no knowledge, no attainment and no non-attainment. . Therefore, Shariputra, without attainment, bodhisattvas take refuge in Prajnaparamita and live without walls of the mind. Without walls of the mind and thus without fears, they see through delusions and finally nirvana. All buddhas past, present and future also take refuge in Prajnaparamita and realize unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. . You should therefore know the great mantra of Prajnaparamita, the mantra of great magic, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, which heals all suffering and is true, not false, the mantra in Prajnaparamita spoken thus: “Gate, gate, paragate, parasangate, bodhi svaha.” . . -Translated by Red Pine . . . . #buddhism #chanbuddhism #mahayana #redpine #heartsutra #formisemptiness #emptinessisform #meditation #newshrine #buddha #guanyin #avalokiteshvara #kannon #amituofo #🙏🍊

Resting freely, pervasive and wide open - these are the three essential points of rigpa. Resting freely means that you do not focus on something as being there. . Pervasiveness means to not tie something down as being here within you. Openness means to not dwell on something in between. . You could also say: do not project outwardly, do not concentrate inwardly and do not place your attention in some state in between. When not doing any of these, that is the view. That is sufficient. . Do not project outwardly. Do not concentrate inwardly. Do not place your mind in between. Then there is nothing to do. You have arrived at nondoing. . -Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche . . . . . #buddhism #vajrayana #chanbuddhism #space #resting #openness #openheart #openmind #tulkuurgyenrinpoche #meditation #ekayana #nonmeditation #catitation #amituofo #🙏

Sharing a morning #Forgiveness and #Metta Meditation with the kids of the #YoungIsraelPhilharmonic Orchestra. . These amazing youngsters, aged 14-18 are the best of the best in their field. Being the best musicians in the country is a stressful, competitive and difficult task. . After this mornings session, one of the kids excitedly told me, "I never knew that such mental quiet is even possible! Who knew that keeping your mind fixed to one thought could provide so much space in the mind!" . Indeed, learning to see the mind for what it is, and experiencing the joy of calm and space that is available right here, right now, is an extremely valuable tool for a wholesome education. . Those of you in Haifa (17.7), Jerusalem (18.7) or in Tel Aviv (19.7), don't miss the concerts. These are some really incredible kids. Teaching them bass and now also meditation is a real pleasure. Listening to them play is an even greater one. . Google "Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra" and get yourself some tickets. . . . . . . #music #yipo #zen #meditation #mindfulness #chanbuddhism #classicalmusic #kidsmeditating #meditateisrael #musicisrael #jerusalemmusiccenter

I was asked a very important question: If I accept craving is the cause of suffering, how do I choose to do anything with my life? How can I know what to work towards? . This question comes up with anyone who gets serious about the path towards freedom from suffering. So here's what I think. . When we first learn about the Buddhist Truth of Suffering (or unsatisfactoriness) and its cause, craving (Tanha), it's easy to think that the solution is to stop wanting anything at all. But this isn't it. . Craving is that basic feeling of wanting to be anywhere else but right here, or doing anything but exactly what we're doing. It's that subtle line of tension and discomfort that underlies most of our waking moment. Everything is never enough. . We always find ourselves wanting more of what is pleasing to the senses, and none of that which is displeasing to the senses. Pulling and Pushing, these are the actions of Craving. The Buddha called these craving for becoming, and craving for non-becoming. . On the other hand, there is Right Resolve (or Intention), which is a part of the path to freedom. So setting a good intention is in fact not only recommended, but is absolutely necessary. . Wanting to be non-violent, contented, measured and free from ill-will, these are all good and even necessary wants. Wanting to be free from suffering, and to help everyone to be free from suffering: this is the very best thing to want. . . . . . #buddhism #chanbuddhism #Zen #freedomfromsuffering #bodhi #craving #hungryghost #preta #wanttobefree #wanttohelp #amituofo

Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty went to Jinshan Temple to practice meditation and contemplate Chan with Chan Master Foyin. Su Dongpo felt his body and mind flowing freely, so he asked the Chan Master, “Chan Master! When you look at my manner of sitting, what do you l think?” “Very dignified, like a Buddha!” . Hearing this, Su Dongpo was very pleased. Chan Master Foyin then asked Su Dongpo, “Scholar! When you look at my sitting posture, what do you think?” Su Dongpo, never passing up an opportunity to mock the Chan Master, immediately replied, “Like a pile of cow dung!” Hearing this, Chan Master Foyin was also very delighted! . When the Chan Master was compared to cow dung and surprisingly could not respond, Su Dongpo thought to himself that he had triumphed over Chan Master Foyin. Therefore, he told whomever he came across, “I won today!” . When the news reached the ears of his little sister, Su Xiaomei, she asked, “Older brother! How, exactly, did you defeat the Chan Master?” Su Dongpo was beside himself with joy. In high spirits, he related the facts one more time. . Su Xiaomei’s natural gifts surpassed that of others and she was of uncommon brilliance. After listening to Su Dongpo’s self-satisfied narration, she sternly said, “Older brother, you lost! The Chan Master’s mind is like the Buddha’s. Therefore, he saw you as a Buddha. But your mind is like cow dung. Therefore, you saw the Chan Master as cow dung!” . Su Dongpo was dumbstruck. Just then, he realized his own Chan attainment was not as good as that of Chan Master Foyin. . . ©Chan Heart Chan Art, Hsing Yun . . . . #chanbuddhism #zen #zenmaster #hsingyun #xingyun #foyin #💩 #cowdungzen #whatisnotchan? #meditation #mindfulness #buddhism #truemind #openheart

⛩️Case 14 of the Gateless Barrier⛩️ . One day in the monastery of Nanquan, the monks of the east and west wing had a dispute over the possession of a cat. They all came to Nanquan for arbitration. . Nanquan, holding a knife in one hand and the cat in the other: "If any one of you can say a turning word, this cat will be saved; otherwise it will be cut in two." . The monks were silent. Nanquan killed the cat. . In the evening when Zhaozhou returned to the monastery, Nanquan asked him what he would have said had he been there at the time. Zhaozhou took off his straw sandals, put them up on his head and walked out. . Nanquan said: "Oh, if only you had been here, the cat would have been saved." . ☀️Seung Sahn’s Comment☀️ . The first question is, when Zen Master Nánquán holds up the cat and says, “Give me one word; then I will save the cat. If not, I will kill it”—what can you do? This is a love kōan. If you have Great Love and Great Compassion, then this kōan is no problem. . Here is a hint: a long time ago during the time of King Solomon, there was an argument about a baby. Two women each said, “This is my baby!” Therefore, Solomon said, “Bring this baby, and I will divide it in two. Then each of you can take half.” Then one woman said, “Oh, you take the baby it is yours.” . Then who is the true mother? This is a love story. If you have Great Love inside, then you have a Zen mind. Unconditional means Great Love, Great Compassion, Great Bodhisattva Way. So unconditionally sit; unconditionally DO IT! . Unconditionally practice. Do not check your condition. This is Great Love. If your mind is unconditional, then this unconditional mind has no I, my, me. I do everything for all beings —for husband, for wife, that is Great Love. Then it is possible to save the cat. . The last question is; Zhàozhōu walked away with his shoes on his head. Then Nánquán Zen Master said, “If you had been here, I could have saved the cat.” What does this mean? Why did Zhàozhōu put his shoes on his head and walk away? What does this mean? So keep your correct situation, correct function and correct relationship. . . #chanbuddhism #Zen #saveacat #love #🐈

For my Birthday, I want to wish everyone to be prosperous, content and at peace🙏🍊 . One kind of prosperity is when you have a place to sleep and proper nutrition (as opposed to, let's say, #vegancat). . Another kind of prosperity is put beautifully in the tale of the following encounter between the Zen Master Sengai and a rich man who came to ask for a birthday gift of his own: . A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation. . Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies." . The rich man became angry. "I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke as this?" . "No joke is intended," explained Sengai. "If before you yourself die you son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity." . . Special thanks to @danielgilenson for the amazing #jre t-shirt. One of the best brothers ever. #brotherfromthesamemother . . . . . . #mayallbeingsbehappy #birthdaywishes #Zen #buddhism #chanbuddhism #sengai #feedyourcat #happiness #peace #meditation #mindfulness #unconditionallove #wakeup #amituofo

"Just before Ninakawa passed away the Zen master Ikkyu visited him. 'Shall I lead you on?' Ikkyu asked. Ninakawa replied: 'I came here alone and I go alone. What help could you be to me?' . Ikkyu answered: 'If you think you really come and go, that is your delusion. Let me show you the path on which there is no coming and no going.' . With his words, Ikkyu had revealed the path so clearly that Ninakawa smilled and passed away." . No coming, no going, and yet I've arrived at my new office. Not a bad location at all. . . . . . #Ikkyu #Zen #everydayzen #a_day_without_work_is_a_day_wothout_food #buddhism #music #classicalmusic #chanbuddhism #jerusalemmusiccenter #mishkenotshaananim #jerusalem #amituofo

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