What is all of that heavy breathing?
8) What in the Zen are you talking about? 9) Can you tell me about the Buddha-name or nembutsu? 10) What do I do now? 1) Why bother with Buddhism? In the Buddha’s first sermon, he pointed out four things, now referred to as the Four Noble Truths. a) Suffering exists. This is not just pain. The bruises and scrapes from winning a volleyball game may not cause you suffering, while the exact same physical sensations after losing a game will. The difference is in your mind. I’m sure you can find plenty of examples in your own life. b) Grasping causes suffering. The reason the glass is half empty instead of half full is because you cherish the idea that it’s “supposed to” be full. c) Let go of grasping and suffering stops. I once got attached to an idea about which way the toilet paper roll “should” be put in the holder. Every time it was in “wrong”, I would get myself all irritable and surly. The roll of paper had never caused me trouble before I knew how it “ought” to be, so obviously I wa
