Peacemaking and advocacy are different practices. In the advocate’s world, there are good guys and bad guys. The way to stop the horrors that are happening all around us is to convert the bad guys to our way of looking at the world or, failing that, by killing or incarcerating all the bad guys. Peacemakers see things differently. All of us have done bad things, things we wouldn’t do if we didn’t feel threatened. In our minds, we create bad guys and good guys, enemies and al

Another monk asked the ancient Chinese master, “What is zazen?” This time the master answered, “Zazen is everything.” This monk too was greatly enlightened, but I didn’t get it. “Didn’t you tell the other monk that zazen was nothing.” It was years before I began to understand. The Zen master gives each student the medicine he needs at the moment. I was confused by my idea of great meditators. The heroes in the Zendo were the ones during sesshin who returned to the zendo t

A monk asked the ancient Chinese master, “What is zazen?” The master answered, “Zazen is nothing.” The monk was greatly enlightened, but the master’s answer went right over my head. It was years before I began to understand. Zazen is not a thing. It’s not an object. It’s no thing. Why did it take me so long to see this? Looking back, I can see it now. I was confused by the zazen instructions which are everywhere in the Zen world, in the beginners’ instruction in person at m