Book: Chan Master Miao Tian’s Book of Wisdom

[Note: This post refers to an older version of the book. The new version can be seen here.]
I have been working intensively on bringing out this book. After about a month of translating, editing and proofreading, finally it’s here! The joy of accomplishment fills me now…
I got it printed through Lulu.com. Currently its status is [...]

Zen Crossword Puzzle (4)

Across
1 Calmness of mind in difficult situations
5 To focus one’s mind on
7 One of the three energy paths in Heart Chan meditation
9 The feminine aspect of the driving force of all changes
10 The Bodhisattva of Compassion
11 Spiritual credit earned by charitable acts
12 Zen Teacher is not an ____ to worship
Down
1 Something according to Heart Sutra [...]

Word Puzzle: Zen Sees Similarities Rather Than Differences

Puzzle: What unusual quality is shared by the following four words?
——————
ego: A Zen practitioner must not be attached to the notion of ego.
beg: Monks and nuns gain their sustenance by begging for food from householders.
empty: The Five Principles of Sitting Zen are — sit still, sit tall, relax the body and mind, focus, and empty [...]

After a Year with Goodsearch.com

It has been a year since the inception of American Zen Association on Goodsearch.com. I found this great site, and spread this good news around. With a year of planting seeds from many people, today we received the fruits. Today American Zen Association received a check of $191.89 from GoodSearch for donation earned between Oct [...]

Kid’s Keen Observation

Only two-and-a-half year old, my observant nephew knows the arduousness of bringing home the bacon. One day, his father, when returning home from work, late as usual, was greeted by his “thoughtful” son,
“Daddy working hard, Mommy shopping shopping!”

Word Puzzle: Zen Encompasses All Changes

Puzzle: Can you change two letters (while keeping all the rest letters in their original place) of the following Zen practice related word to make it become another Zen practice related word?
(For example, attachment -> detachment.)
1. lotus
2. meditation
3. mudra
————–
Answer

Revisit, Renew and Refresh — A Vacation in Portland, OR (3)

Today was mainly a city tour, plus a lab tour for Yi-ping. The National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portland has some ongoing projects that are aligned with Yi-ping interest and field of specialty. She was in contact with a researcher there through email, and now has got an opportunity to talk and visit [...]

Revisit, Renew and Refresh — A Vacation in Portland, OR (2)

We visited a friend and her family today. They live only 2 miles away from my cousin’s place. Her husband came to pick us up, to their apartment. We came in while she is cooking. It smells good! A delicious lunch to come, we were sure. They have a two-and-a-half year old, a boy. At [...]

Revisit, Renew and Refresh — A Vacation in Portland, OR (1)

Yi-ping and I flew to Portland, OR on the Thanksgiving Day for a vacation. My cousin, David, recently bought a house so we stayed there. It’s a nice little three-bedroom house. The bedrooms are not very big, but the living room is quite spacious. But it may appear more spacious than it actually is, as [...]