Library
This library provides a database of articles, some from past issues of New Chan Forum and some available only from the website.
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Women and Buddhism: A conference in Cologne 30th March till 2nd April 2000
This conference was run by women for women. and was visited by 1220 women of whom 700 took part in the whole conference. It originated from several previous meetings concerned with similar themes In...[more]
On Trying to Say "I'm Me"!
In the yard, after the rain, every step makes mud. Why do I hate the squelching? Mixed-up youth, far-out experiences. I first read about Zen, as a 15-year-old in 1966, in Alan Watts' "The Way...[more]
One Thought for a Thousand Years: A Chan Hall meditation
Out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbharaja seated upon the offering table in the Chan hall. As usual his serene countenance glows quietly there. I take a closer...[more]
Meeting Shi-Fu
On retreat with Shifu many people have had encounters with him that must have surprised them. Shifu, too, encounters people who surprise him! The outcome of such meetings is often valuable. Sometimes...[more]
Zen and the Art of Acting
As a philosophy which is in effect a way of life. Zen has offered insights into most aspects of human activity from the martial arts to motorcycle maintenance. Here. Adrian Cairns, formerly associate...[more]
The Path To Enlightenment: As Revealed by a Simple Mathematical Equation: A Merging of Science and Religions
Since the beginning of history mankind has been searching for the ultimate truth about our existence and the nature of the universe; theologians in the spiritual world and scientists in the physical...[more]
Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki
I am not normally a consumer of biographies but this is one I wanted to read. One of the first things I did when I began the Buddhist path was to buy a copy of Suzuki’s ‘Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind’. I...[more]
A Shining Silence
Not many of us have to endure for years the disappearance of a loved one. To discover that the loss was due to horrendous murder is even rarer. Yet, in places like Kosovo or Kurdistan this experience...[more]
Working with a Master
What is it like for a lay practitioner to work with a master over a period of time? A single retreat provides an introductory experience but what if one persists through a series of such events? This...[more]
Identity: Lost, Found and Lost Again
The day is clear and with the crispness of early winter in South Australia. Honeyeaters hawk for insects outside my window, supplementing the meagre supply of nectar at this time of year. Across the...[more]
So Much More Fun
Twenty-four of us talked about ourselves, why we had come and our hopes for the coming week. 'Coming home' was a theme for many. My struggles on three previous Shifu-led retreats made it feel more...[more]
Obituary: Barry Palmer
Among the many who have come to the Maenllwyd over the years we count a number of social work professionals of the highest distinction. What brings them to the heart of Wales often seems ...[more]
Why are you Here?
I felt an immense sense of fear and trepidation when I sent my cheque in for my first WZR. Previous to this my record at sitting was about 12 minutes, during which I would usually get terribly...[more]
On the Path of Dharma: Bill Pickard's letters to Eric Johns 1984-1987
In NCF 18 Eric Johns described how he set out to discover the Buddha Way by visiting Bill Pickard at Mousehole in Cornwall where there was a small group living under his instruction in Soto Zen....[more]
Language and Freedom: Meaning in Zen
What is the place of Zen in contemporary thought, the relation of Buddhist metaphysics to philosophy and the value of ancient texts to thinking people today? These and related questions form the...[more]
Visiting Tibet: From Dharamsala to Lhasa (1962-1998)
Being in my mid-sixties, I am no longer young. I often reflect on my past life, the people I have met, and the experiences I have had. So far, I feel I have had a lucky and happy life. A child in...[more]
From a Meditator's Practice
John Senior has sent us two short contributions arising from his practice. The first is "an attempt to extract the essence of the Diamond Sutra in a form which I can read back to myself before ...[more]
Pine Tree in the Sky
I arrived at Maenllwyd, in the deepest despair I have ever known - the 'dark night of my soul'. Having been to an Introductory Chan Retreat a few months previously, I had some dim awareness that this...[more]