In this section, you’ll find articles written by teachers and practitioners from the Zen Kannon Center in Barcelona. Reflections on Zen practice, commentaries on Buddhist texts, personal experiences, and contemporary perspectives on spiritual life. A fresh and current look at the Dharma from the heart of the city.
Satipatthana: Sati – Attention, Patthana – The Four Foundations of Mindfulness The Four Foundations of Attention is the Buddha’s teaching recorded in the Satipatthana, a set of instructions aimed at activating the mind’s mode of full awareness, or mindfulness, as it is known today. This means living in the present moment, without being distracted by…
Once upon a time, there was an old Zen master who lived with his community in a small temple deep in the mountains. The emperor, aware of his wisdom, invited him to a grand Buddhist festival where participants recited sutras for several days and enjoyed abundant and exquisite meals prepared by the palace chefs. The…
What does it mean to say that difference is essence? One day, Sekito read the phrase: “The true sage is one who becomes all the existences of the Universe.” Sekito wondered: how can one existence become all the existences of the Universe? From that day on, this question illuminated his path. The practice of zazen…
To explain the differences in capacity among his disciples, the Buddha used the simile of the four types of horses. Other masters have also spoken about this. Master Sekito says: “In the ordinary world there are people of different capacities, but in the Way there is no distinction between people from the north and people…
Buddha-nature is, in itself, impermanence and interdependence. An interdependence with all beings in the Universe. Like Indra’s net, in which each being is a many-faceted diamond, and on each facet it reflects the facet of another diamond. In this way, a net is formed in which all the diamonds are connected to one another by…
The Buddha said: “If you want to see Buddha-nature, observe cause and effect intimately. When the moment arrives, Buddha-nature manifests.” To see Buddha-nature is to see our original nature; it is the awakening of consciousness. Awakening from delusion and fixation. Awakening to the fleeting reality of life. To observe cause and effect intimately is seated…
How could a drop of water feel loneliness in the middle of the ocean? Kodo Sawaki used to say that our existence is like a bubble of foam, trembling and ephemeral. Ultimately, we are nothing more than a drop of water in the middle of the ocean, and yet we feel alone. In the midst…
After the Buddha asked Mahakashyapa about the Bodhicitta, he said: “The awakened mind and the mind that aspires to awaken others first are indistinguishable. But the mind that aspires to awaken others is more difficult to find. I bow before the mind that aspires to awaken others first.” The Bodhicitta, the mind that aspires to…
