Dharma Library

A large collection of articles, from past issues of New Chan Forum and more besides.

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Haiku, by Anna Jedynak

Calligraphy for the character Chan

Silence…
What is there?
What IS there?

Chestnut bud in a vase
Feels pain in her green petals forcibly opened
By a greedy glance

Achoo!!!
The whole universe
Broke into pieces 

This mouthful of tea
Never drunk before
Nor ever again

An old monk
Slowly walking step by step
Through a violent storm

Frost
Winter may come any day now
Where has the last one gone? 

The stream
Flowing all the time
Never tired

Sprin…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2023 , Poetry , Anna Jedynak

Meditation, Spirituality, Religion

Face of Buddha statue

Meditation, spirituality and religion can work together; however, they can also work apart.

We can meditate as if doing a technical exercise, engaging neither spirituality nor religion. Meditation works then on the psychological level, similarly to psychotherapy or personal development training. It is usually undertaken to improve our personal situation from within. We don’t feel comfortable…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2018 , Anna Jedynak

Meditation and its Background

Sitting Buddha statue

Meditation itself cannot be replaced by any words that can be said about it. But before setting off on a journey, it is worth having a look at a map.

Meditation means investigating the mind: observing it and its phenomena directly and non-verbally. Meditation means listening to the silence of the mind. It is the exploration of a realm beyond everyday din. However, it is not easy to keep our…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2017 , Anna Jedynak

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