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Prayer in Zen

Someone asked me, “What about prayer? Or perhaps, what do you think of prayer in the context of buddhism at large, the zen tradition and your own life?” Here’s my answer: Prayer is a funny thing to me. I wasn’t raised in a religious family, so I don’t have a whole lot of experience with […]

Same or Different

I got an email in which someone sent a link to this video. He explained that the video was about a concept called Turiya, which means the fourth consciousness. It’s also described as Atman, the God inside us, pure awareness, and so on. My correspondent said that Alan Watts refers to this vedantic concept many […]

Be a Loser

Someone sent me an email asking me how to deal with a problem with the boss at work. Here’s how I answered: Well…. It’s hard to guess exactly what the situation is. Even if you explained it to me fully, I wouldn’t know it exactly. In my days of working at Tsuburaya Productions I often […]

Breath Regulation and When to Do Zazen

Someone emailed to ask when the best times for sitting were and how to regulate the breath when doing zazen. Here’s my answer. 1. I sit first thing in the morning, then again around 11am-12pm (because I’m locked in anyway), the  again in the evening whenever I get to it. That’s the best routine for […]