Consciousness is certainly one of the most challenging and interesting topics that I have encountered in my spiritual journey. Perhaps Ultimate Reality (God) is the mind of the Universe.

According to Buddha, the three marks of existence are impermanence, no self, and suffering. In my opinion, there is no better way to recognize these three attributes than to attend a sesshin.

The Buddhist precepts help us to determine right and wrong. Some of my Christian friends wonder how non-Christians can live moral lives without accepting the Christian commandments. 

Mindfulness and spiritual practice help us to realize our connectedness to everyone and everything.  

The benefits of exploring other traditions are numerous. So, it is helpful to understand both the similarities and the differences in religious beliefs and practices.

Zen is not concerned with prescription or speculation. Buddhism is mostly concerned with practice, not belief.

Dogen Zenji encourages us to remove the barrier between self and other.

Buddhism does not believe in a permanent, unchanging self. Of course, each of us has forms, feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and awareness. 

Buddhism embraces a different worldview than most Western religions. Zen is experiential, not intellectual. 

On April 7, the Pragmatic Buddhist Book Discussion Group will be discussing "The Way" on a Meetup zoom call.

Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) attained enlightenment through the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.