The Brooklyn Sutras

Proletarian Buddhist . . . Waking up in the city that never sleeps . . .

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Worrying is imagining the wrong future on purpose 🙏

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

It’s all fun and games until you have that first undeniable moment. 🙏

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

“He never stood a chance. He was dangerous, but the world was more dangerous. The world is undefeated . . . “
— Fredrik Backman - My Friends

[Alan Watts @AlanWattsDaily]

I wonder why it is that we can’t stop laughing at the notion that none of us really exist and that the walloping concreteness of all the hard facts to be faced is an energetic performance of nothingness.

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Genjokoan 🙏

https://t.co/98TcA6UubI

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

I have found it helpful to sit every day at the same time. I get up at 5am and sit for a stick of incense (approx 30 mins) then do some liturgy. It’s become what I do, a habit, though it sounds cooler to say “practice” 😂🙏

#BeKind #BeAwake #PayAttention

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Zen can’t be explained, you just have to do it. It’s a funny thing, it makes no sense when spoken about. We either sound nutty or like Yoda.😅

I read books on Zen for years before I started sitting. Years later I still have, “Oh, that’s what that dude was talking about” moments.

[Alan Watts @AlanWattsDaily]

This indeed is a central point of Zen and of Buddhist understanding in general: that reality is beyond words, and that one must not confuse the world of things—as we think about them and talk about them and name them—with the world as it actually is.

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

It’s not easy, but it is simple 🙏

#BeKind #BeAwake #TrustYourself

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Are you prepared?

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

The way 🙏

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Truth?

The only truth is found on your cushion. Buddhist writings are only pointing to the truth.

We practice with an aspiration to realize truth. No one has any answers for you.

It’s not easy, but it is simple. 🙏

#BeKind #BeAwake #PayAttention #Truth #Practice #GoSit

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Sit cross-legged, spine straight.
Breathe naturally.
When thoughts arise, return to the breath.
20-30 minutes daily, in quiet.
Be still, be present, trust yourself 🙏

#Zazen #Zen #practice

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

“I am not devaluing thoughts. Just do not mix up what we think with what actually is.”
— Taizan Maezumi Roshi (1931–1995)

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

There is no enlightenment outside of enlightenment, though it sounds like a fortune cookie. In reality we can’t step outside ourselves for an objective look-see.

All we can do is practice with the aspiration of liberation and see what unfolds. 🙏

#BeKind #BeAwake #PayAttention

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Spirituality is a catch-all term. Sometimes deep and introspective, sometimes performative and obnoxious. Both looking inside to get a handle on this whatachamacallit of all whatchamacallits.

Honestly, it’s often a bit of both. Either can be a step in the right direction. 🙏

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Stop acting so small.
You are the universe in ecstatic motion.
Set your life on fire.
Seek those who fan your flames.

— Rumi

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Why are religions so . . . ?

Humans suck. We mean well but we’re blinded by greed, anger and ignorance. Religions are similar since they are created and maintained by said humans. 🙏

#BeKind #BeAwake #PayAttention

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

Get back to the cushion. The path is sometimes uphill, sometimes muddy, sometimes cold, sometimes rocky and on and on. It’s not easy, but it is simple. 🙏

#Persistence #Practice #BeKind #BeAwake #PayAttention

[The Brooklyn Sutras @BrooklynSutras]

I started considering myself a Buddhist about 20 years ago, and I took formal vows, Jukai, about 11 years ago. I learned much by practicing within a sangha. I’m no longer affiliated with a proper sangha, but I continue to sit. You don’t have to prove your Buddhism to anyone. 🙏