Believing that peace can be brought about through war is not only a common view, but also a counterproductive one. It’s not through hatred that we can bring about harmony and peace. It is not by entering the world with angers, indignations, and ideologies that we bring peace to the world. Buddha, the patriarchs, and […]
Appreciate the present moment. There is nothing other than the present moment. The universe exists in its totality in the present moment and only in the present moment. The past always ends in the present moment. The future always begins in the present moment. Don’t defile this present moment with your expectations, your regrets, your […]
In Buddhism, we always define the self as that which possesses and directs the body and mind. Of course, such a self does not exist; it is only a mental fabrication, an illusion. In fact, we cannot separate one existence from the myriad existences of the universe. Whether we know it or not, life, my […]
Having discovered the existential sufferings of human beings – illness, old age, death, etc. – Shakyamuni Buddha left his father’s palace. He followed the many teachings that existed in India in his time, but none satisfied him. So he sat in zazen, determined not to get up until he had the answer to the suffering […]
The Way of the Buddha does not, under any circumstances, require you to sacrifice yourself for others. One day, during the time of the Buddha, the king of Kosala asked his wife: ‘Of you or of me, who do you love the most?’ The queen replies: ‘Your Majesty, it is I that I love the […]
Zazen 11 a.m. The monk Joshu asked Master Nansen : ‘What is the Way?’ Master Nansen’s answer has become famous: ‘The spirit of daily life is the Way.’ There is no need to stand on your head, to do strange things or flagellate yourself. The spirit of daily life is the spirit we need to have […]
The past no longer exists, the future does not yet exist. What exists is the present moment, even if this present moment has no temporal duration; for this reason it is said to be elusive. Ultimate reality, even if we can’t grasp it, manifests itself at every moment. The best way to live is not […]
Master Dôgen presents zazen as a universal practice. He explains that this practice of awakening requires us to ‘take a step back and turn the light inwards’. This attitude concerns all human beings, without exception. Step back from our convictions, which are often illusions, self-interested points of view, personal points of view that suit us… […]
Bodhisattvas pray before the suffering of human beings. They pray before those who have no other way out of suffering than to burn their lives. Some even commit suicide. The artist Serge Gainsbourg, who smoked three packets of cigarettes a day, said with a bitter smile: ‘Each cigarette is a nail in my coffin.’ The […]
No Buddha conceived by human thought is a Buddha, only an illusion. Seeking truth through thought only leads to confusion. Buddha is beyond any fixed form, impossible to enclose in concepts. Unfortunately, this is what we do most of the time. We look for truth in words. We are constantly in a conflict between what […]
Sotoshu :
Ecole zen Sôtô
UBF :
Union Bouddhiste de France