187: Zen Is Not A Religion

Beyond Religion

If not religion —

what is the real Zen practice?

This is your koan.

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonJune 3, 2026atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

186: Category Error

We Don't Die

"Sensei, when I die..."

he said to the Zen master —

"You don't die!" he said

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonMay 6, 2026atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

185: Metta Sutra / Loving Kindness Sutra

What is Accomplished?

“What is accomplished”
is not a question in Zen —
It is a statement.

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonApril 1, 2026atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

184: Surangama Sutra

Where is the Mind?
Inside the body?
Outside it, or in-between?
Or anywhere else?

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonMarch 4, 2026atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

183: Four Immeasurables part 4 -- Equanimity

Equilibrium —

Maybe even equipoise —

It’s in the balance

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonFebruary 4, 2026atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

182: Four Immeasurables part 3 -- Empathy

Not bringing us down,
like gravity,
empathy is lifting us up.

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonJanuary 7, 2026atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

181: Four Immeasurables part 2 -- Compassion

Compassion

What is compassion?

It’s not what you think it is —

our kind Universe

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonDecember 3, 2025atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

180: Four Immeasurables part 1 -- Loving Kindness

Loving Kindness

A loving kindness would be to fully embrace

“things just as it is”

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonNovember 5, 2025atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots, loving kindness, Four Immeasurables Quartet

179: Connecting the Dots Part 6

Zen's Singularity

Orbiting black holes —

passing event horizons —

falling into IT!

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonOctober 1, 2025atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots

178: Connecting the Dots Part 5

One Voice

Where Buddha differed

is in his direct approach

to reality

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonSeptember 3, 2025atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots

177: Connecting the Dots Part 4

BURNOUT

All life is burning

burning with desire in time

we will all burn out

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonAugust 6, 2025atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots

176: Connecting the Dots Part 3

Zen in Our Time

Time is running out

thus the sense of urgency —

all there is — is time.

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonJuly 2, 2025atlanta soto Zen Centerzen vs daily life, connecting the dots

175: Connecting the Dots

Zen in our own time

is the only time we have

to reinvent Zen

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonJune 4, 2025zen vs daily life, connecting the dots

174: Zen in Our Time

Zen in our own time

is the only time we have

to reinvent Zen

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonMay 7, 2025zen vs daily life, connecting the dots

173: Connecting the Dots

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonApril 2, 2025zen vs daily life, connecting the dots

172: Zen Ps & Qs

Mind your Ps and Qs

It's not semantic

though it may seem pedantic —

words mooning the moon

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonMarch 5, 2025zen vs daily life

171: Natural Meditation

Natural Zen

It is just sitting

but not limited to that

it is everything

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonFebruary 5, 2025zen vs daily life, connecting the dots

170: Happy New Moment

Happy New Year

It is just a thing

we made up when we were young

there is no "new year"

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonJanuary 1, 2025zen vs daily life

169: The Least Important Thing

The Least Important Thing

Not playing games here —

it’s not what you think it is —

"in truth, IT is you."

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonDecember 18, 2024zen vs daily life

168: Election Year Zen part 10

What I Gonna Do Now?

Don’t know what to do?

Take a break from politics —

double down on Zen.

Zenkai Taiun Michael EliistonDecember 4, 2024zen and politics

Zen Moments With Great Cloud

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