Not sure where to begin?

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There are a few different layers of content here — practice, learning, and personal writing. None of them need to be read in any particular order, so here are three possible entry points, depending on what's pulling you right now.

I want to start practicing

Before you start, it's worth reading What's Worth Knowing Before You Start Meditating — it goes through a few of the common myths worth meeting before you begin. From there, the simplest place to start iszazen shikantaza — the central practice this whole site is built around, sitting with no external goal to achieve. If static sitting doesn't speak to you as much, Inner Walk andWandering are two other routes toward the same thing, through walking instead.

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I want to understand Buddhism better

A good place to start is Who Was the Buddha? — the story of Siddhartha Gautama's life, from the palace to his awakening under the Bodhi tree. From there, Dogenis a good next step if you're interested in the later source — he's the one who brought Soto Zen to Japan, along with a core conceptual shift in how practice is understood. Alan Wattsgoes the opposite direction — he's the one who brought Zen to a wide Western audience, in accessible, non-religious language. And in my first retreat at Tushitayou can read what a first encounter with Buddhism actually looked like, not just in theory.

← All inspirations

I want to read about the path

The lessons are the most personal writing on the site — real moments from my own practice, not always with an answer at the end. You can start withThe Question That Stayed With Me, or just browse the lesson list and see what draws you in. The retreats andthe poems are two other routes to the same place, from different angles.

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