One Mind Zen Collective

04/19/2026

Eunsahn's Dharma talk

We all have days when things are a bit "off." A little past "Meh." Even the Buddha and the Ancestors had days like this. If he work up with a headache, he'd ...

04/05/2026

We hear things about having Buddha Nature, about already being a Buddha, that "ordinary mind is the way," and that all sounds pretty good. We're already there, don't look elsewhere. While none of these things are incorrect, taken out of context and stitched together to create a narrative that justifies your "practice" (or lack thereof), isn't quite the Great Way.

Chinul explains that while there may be "sudden awakening," we must continue to practice (our "gradual cultivation"), in order to fulfill our vow.

Gautama sat under a tree and stood up a Buddha. At that point, he'd found the solution to his problem, and was as awake as he set out to be. But for the next 45 years, he gradually cultivated that awakening so that all other beings may also awaken.

That's why we practice--a practice that is more than just sitting on a cushion, or chanting the Buddha's name, or studying a Sutra. Our practice is the essence of the Bodhisattva vows.

03/20/2026

Could anything else?

Can you start a journey with a second step? Can you skip ahead and start with the fourth? The Buddha is purported to have said "All I describe is suffering ...

03/15/2026

https://youtu.be/RLQPfVOg9Mg?si=Zho96bfohugSI5Nr

Bodhidharma is purported to have said, "If something unpleasant happens, don't be upset. It only makes sense." Robert Koho Epstein talks about embracing the ...

01/30/2026

We're often told in pop psychology, self-help books, and interpretations of the Dharma to "Let go" of desires and attachments. If they're things we're attached to in a clingy way that is a hindrance to awakening, by all means, drop it with both hands.
There are however, desires that don't cause a diversion from the Great Way--a desire for world peace, a desire for all beings to be happy and secure are fine desires so long as our desire is that of the Bodhisattva and not self-oriented and ego driven.
And there are things we hold onto--our hwadu for example--that we hold close to our heart/minds in order to bring about our awakening. The aspiration that we try, try, try for 10,000 years, become awakened, and save all beings is certainly worth holding onto.
Eunsahn gave the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen on January 19, 2026.

We're often told in pop psychology, self-help books, and interpretations of the Dharma to "Let go" of desires and attachments. If they're things we're attach...

12/11/2025

For the benefit of all beings

12/02/2025

Hwadu

INTENSE INQUIRY

When you first try to meditate, you may find that no matter how strong your resolve is to firmly hold the hwadu (koan or question for investigation), the mind is constantly besieged by wandering thoughts, and it seems impossible to progress in the practice. So what should be done to correct this problem?

At such times, you must completely forget about what has happened in the past. For what benefit is there in continuing to think about things that have already ceased? Likewise, you should desist from speculating about what might happen in the future. For since it will be determined by various conditions, what can your present thoughts do to influence the course of future events?

Your sole function during a meditation session is to sit on the meditation cushion, investigate your hwadu, and awaken to its meaning. Other than this, there is nothing to do. So why do you needlessly waste this precious time by entertaining thoughts about what has been or what might be? However, as soon as you manage to cut off all thoughts of the past and future, you will experience a state of emptiness. This occurs because at that moment, both before and after are severed. If you cannot reach this state because of an inability to control your thoughts about the past and future, then you cannot be considered a true practitioner. Remember: your sole responsibility is to awaken through inquiring into the hwadu.

- Zen Master Kusan Sunim, The Way of Korean Zen, p. 66

11/18/2025

Bodhidharma had a teacher--Prajnatara--the Mother of Zen.

Bodhidharma had a teacher--Prajnatara--who sent him to China to bring the special teaching of Chan (Zen). She's often overlooked, but nonetheless, she was fo...

11/04/2025

2nd Annual

Zen isn't all sitting facing a wall, or getting hit with a stick (30 times)--it doesn't have to be morbidly serious! The Second Annual Zen Jeopardy match pit...

10/14/2025

In honor of First Patriarch Bodhidharma's (purported) birthday, Min'Ui Maitri gives us the Dharma talk.