ENLIGHTENMENt-buddha, dharma, sangha

Even before we practice it, enlightenment is there. But usually we understand the practice of zazen and enlightenment as two different things: here is practice, like a pair of glasses, and when we use the practice, like putting the glasses on, we see enlightenment. This is the wrong understanding. The glasses themselves are enlightenment, and to put them on is also enlightenment. So whatever you do, or even though you do not do anything, enlightenment is there, always. This is Bodhidharma's understanding of enlightenment. --Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Everything is buddha, dharma, sangha...

How to love as a refugee

The awakened heart and mind and the teachings are a refuge for us. To wear the rakasu is to see and know that each of us is a refugee; that our true face, our true situation is the awakened state. It is a reminder of our refugee status. The precepts are a way to love unconditionally; to take care of others unconditionally.