Plymouth Zen Group

02/03/2026

SHANTIDEVA'S PRAYER (Hozan adaptation)

Now and forever may I become
A protector for those without protection;
A guide for all who have no direction;
A ship for those on the great sea of loss;
A bridge for beings with rivers to cross.
A sanctuary for all in danger and flight;
A lamp for those who are seeking the light;
A refuge for those who find no safe place;
And a servant to all in sure need of grace.
As long as space forever unfurls.
Wherever beings reside in this world.
Til then may I abide and persist.
Wherever sorrows of our world exist.

-As shared by Roshi Joan Halifax of Upaya Zen Center

10/17/2024

My wish is To thank you all with a humble heart for your birthday wishes. May you all have Peace, Love and Happiness in the coming year.

03/27/2024

The Daughters Of The Buddha Are Fearless

Great faith means having faith in the way things are. It is easy to have faith when everything is going well, you are happy, you just passed your kong-an, or perhaps after a retreat when we all feel bonded to our fellow meditators and are showing our gratitude. But what about having faith in the way things are when you’re doing the dishes? What about having faith in the way things are when your best friend dies or when you have a flat tire? What about having faith in the way things are when you’ve turned sixty-five and your knees don’t work anymore?

The Buddha was right—everything has this quality of suffering, duhkha, this dissatisfaction with the way things are. How can we have faith in the midst of our suffering, the suffering of others, and the suffering of the planet?

There is a story about Dipa Ma and one of her attendants. They were on a plane that had hit some bad turbulence and the plane was jolting the passengers. During one particularly bad lurch, her attendant screamed. Dipa Ma reached across the aisle, took her hand, and very quietly said, “The daughters of the Buddha are fearless.” I love that. The Heart Sutra says “the Mind is no hindrance. Without any hindrance no fears exist.” The daughters of Buddha are fearless. This is having faith in the way things are. Zen Master Seung Sahn said the most important thing you can do is to find the one pure and clear thing—that even if the world were to explode tomorrow, it couldn’t touch the one pure and clear thing in the least bit. Dipa Ma knew in that moment that even if the plane were to crash, everything would be OK. Such equanimity, you know? Having faith in the way things are allows you to accept whatever comes before you without judgment and with tranquility.

By Rebecca Otte JDPSN
From Inka Speech
Primary Point: Summer 2021, Volume 38, Number 2

03/02/2024

I wanted to wait until I had a month under my belt before announcing that I had finally quit smoking! Gene Greccostoliessimile was a big believer in my ability to stick with it and has helped me keep on track, thank you for your support and encouragement.

10/29/2019

Facebook updates for the Plymouth Zen Group are currently suspended. Please follow posts directly at http://plymouthzen.com/blog/.

I am praying for the light today. When I say that I am praying for the light what I mean is that I am deciding to become the light. I also accept that there is darkness in the world. I understand that the darkness I see in the world is also the darkness I see in myself. There is no darkness in the w...

10/22/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/man-gongs-net/

One day, Zen Master Man Gong sat on the high rostrum and gave the speech to mark the end of the three month winter retreat. “All winter long you monks practiced very hard. That’s wonderful! As for me, I had nothing to do, so I made a net. This net is made out of a special cord. It is very strong...

10/15/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/on-the-buddhist-concept-of-emptiness/

If your eyes aren’t empty, how can you see forms? If your ears aren’t empty, how can you heard sounds? If your nose isn’t empty, how can you smell scents? If your tongue isn’t empty, how an you taste flavors? If your body isn’t empty, how can you feel contact? If your intellect isn’t emp...

10/08/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/compassion-as-a-basis-for-life/

John Le Carre’s character George Smiley: I only ever cared about the man. I never gave a fig for the ideologies, unless they were mad or evil. I never saw institutions as being worthy of their parts, or policies as much other than excuses for not feeling. I believe that almost any political system...

10/01/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/joy/

Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves. – The Buddha

09/24/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/love/

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I pos...

09/17/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/not-laying-blame/

When you see the faults of other people, how does that help? Mostly we should be concerned with our own faults. People are always making mistakes, moment to moment, and sometimes they’re pretty blatant. Sometimes these faults really hurt this world. So we do have to pay attention to that. But not ...

09/10/2019

http://plymouthzen.com/every-action-is-important/

The analogy that has helped me most is this: in Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of boat-owners rescued people – single moms, toddlers, grandfathers – stranded in attics, on roofs, in flooded housing projects, hospitals, and school buildings. None of them said, I can’t rescue everyone, therefore it...