<![CDATA[Zen Sangha]]>https://zensangha.substack.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N5rK!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb462e2f-629b-409f-8fa0-381ae0113dce_1280x1280.pngZen Sanghahttps://zensangha.substack.comSubstackSat, 05 Sep 2026 07:59:40 GMT<![CDATA[My Recipe for a Long and Happy Life ]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/my-recipe-for-a-long-and-happy-lifehttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/my-recipe-for-a-long-and-happy-lifeMon, 17 Aug 2026 23:35:54 GMT
Photo by Vitaly Gariev, Pexels

Three things bugger up most lives:

  1. Fear - we inhibit ourselves by thinking about what might happen, and that often stops us from doing stuff that might make a difference, with the result that we lose confidence. I’ll come on to the Zen way to manage this rubbish in a moment. Suffice to say that you don’t need to do this and can easily stop.

  2. Poor relationships - your spouse, friends and family are the bedrock of your happiness. I have been spoiled rotten by the most wonderful wife, who has steered my moods and behaviour with a subtle tiller into calm, happy waters.

  3. Trying to be someone other than who we really are - this leads to poor career and friend choices and a tendency to believe we can buy our way to happiness by accumulating stuff.

How fear fucks your life

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]]><![CDATA[The First Rule When You're Excited About Starting a Zen Meditation Practice]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/the-first-rule-of-the-exciting-businesshttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/the-first-rule-of-the-exciting-businessThu, 13 Aug 2026 23:10:08 GMT
Photo by Cottonbro Studio, Pexels

Rule 1:

Don’t get excited.

Everything Zen is the diametric opposite of excitement. In fact, as you practice more and more, you will find you become less and less excitable - in a very good way. You will start to feel more mature, as you move into what feels like a calmer, more neutral mind from which you become a keen observer of life, only entering into the hurly-burly of life when you judge it to be the right thing for you to do.

What you will find, as you practice diligently more and more, is that

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]]><![CDATA[How Breathing Leads to Liberation]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/how-breathing-leads-to-liberationhttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/how-breathing-leads-to-liberationWed, 08 Jul 2026 11:07:59 GMT
Photo by Minhca, Pixabay

“Breathing is a means of awakening and maintaining full attention in order to look carefully, long and deeply, see the nature of all things, and arrive at liberation.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Waking up in the morning is now a joyous time. Once it was a dark time filled with black feelings of guilt and anxiety. I created this change by us…

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]]><![CDATA[This is How the Buddha Instructed Us to Breathe]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/this-is-how-the-buddha-instructedhttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/this-is-how-the-buddha-instructedTue, 07 Jul 2026 12:05:25 GMT
Photo by Avena, Pixabay.

1. Breathing in a long breath, we know, “I am breathing in a long breath”. Breathing out a long breath, we know, “I am breathing out a long breath.”

2. Breathing in a short breath, we know, “I am breathing in a short breath. Breathing out a short breath, we know, “I am breathing out a short breath.”

3. “I am breathing in and am awa…

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]]><![CDATA[The Path to Being Continually Mindful]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/the-path-to-being-continually-mindfulhttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/the-path-to-being-continually-mindfulMon, 06 Jul 2026 11:37:20 GMT
Image of The Enduring Teachings of Suzuki Roshi | Lion's Roar
Shunryu Suzuki

“While you are continuing this practice (Zazen), week after week, year after year, your experience will become deeper and deeper, and your experience will cover everything you do in your everyday life. The most important thing is to forget all gaining ideas, all dualistic ideas. In other words, just practice Zazen in a certain posture. Do …

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]]><![CDATA[How Zazen Will Help You Express Your True Nature.]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/zen-practice-is-the-direct-expressionhttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/zen-practice-is-the-direct-expressionMon, 06 Jul 2026 11:12:20 GMT

“Of course, whatever we do is the expression of our true nature, but without this practice (Zazen) it is difficult to realise. It is our human nature to be active. As long as we are alive, we are always doing something. But as long as you think, ‘I am doing this,’ or ‘I have to do this,’ or ‘I must attain something special,’ you are actually not doing a…

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]]><![CDATA[The Lost and Found Department for Human Beings]]>https://zensangha.substack.com/p/the-lost-and-found-department-forhttps://zensangha.substack.com/p/the-lost-and-found-department-forWed, 01 Jul 2026 11:43:31 GMT

One of the biggest of my many mistakes in life was trying to master the art of living on my own.

I would spend hours asking myself questions like, “Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life? How can I enjoy life more?” Good questions. The problem was that they always went to the same database of my limited knowledge, so I kept getting the same answer…

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