Simple Mind Zen

With more than 50,000 pages accessed, simplemindzen at blogspot.com is read on all continents and in 40 different languages to date. Thanks to its loyal readers.

There is a small place near here of a family living the Simple Life. Taking the practice to heart, they have, since September 2009, provided a local C-U community food pantry with a weekly supply of their home produced, free range, organic eggs from their small flock of 40 birds to anyone in the community who goes to the food pantry-- to the tune of 700 dozen eggs so far and counting! That's over seven thousand eggs, wow.

This site does not engage in "New Age" or other Spiritualities that fall outside of what are often considered the great religions of the world: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism.

Yep, that's still a whole lot of territory to cover. I restrict comments to these because they encompass most of all belief systems, both theistic and non-theistic. So you aren't going to find a lot of sentient beings or other such terms here. Just everyday simple talk.

Affirming the Practice Principles of the Ordinary Mind Zen School:
Caught in a dream of self--only suffering.
Holding to self-centered thoughts--exactly the dream.
Each moment, life as it is--the only Teacher.
Being just this moment--compassion's way.

Some writers and persons bandy about terms such as sentient being or transformation, and while these words have specific connotations within different spiritual traditions, they can be as much of a hindrance as a help in coming to understand ourselves, the world and the path, or the way in which we find ourselves.

I emphasize that the Simple Mind is a mind that values experience and recognizes the utility of words; but words are limited. Not all experiences can be easily reflected in words. Do not lose sight of experiences as the simple way of a Simple Mind.