Contents

Preliminaries

Introduction

Glossary, Usage and Terms

Traditional Zen Stories

   The Core Concept
   The Myth of a Self
   Confusions
  Clear Focus and Baggage
  You Are What You Cling To
  The Fullness of Emptiness
  It Is What it Is
  It is, and is not, the Sitting (zazen)
   Desire and Clinging
   The Other Side
   In the Moment

New Zen Stories-Playing the Game

  Half Asleep in the Buddha Hall
  No Credit. No Blame. Empower Others. Enjoy Life.
  It Is Not Out There
  Simplicity
  Indra's Net
  Now. Tao.
  On and On, Forever
   Zen Living
   In life, less is often more
   Freeing F**king F**kers
   The Meaning of the Universe

The Zen of Yogi Berra

  Life, and Zen Master Yogi Berra
   "It ain't over 'til it's over."
   "You can observe a lot just by watching."
   "Think? How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"
   "If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else."
   "You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."
   "It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much."
   "Slump? I ain't in no slump. I just ain't hitting."
   "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
   "I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat, and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"
   "If I didn't wake up, I'd still be sleeping."

Exercises in Consciousness

   Enacting Zen Being
   1. Do one thing at a time
   2. Speak for yourself
   3. Choose
   4. Be grateful
   5. No duality
   6. Practise Non-attachment
   7. Pay attention
   8. Make contact
   9. Don't do it, be it
   10. Celebrate

Ways to Relate with Compassion

   Exercise # 1 - Setting Aside Time
   Exercise # 2 - First Essay - Stages of Relating
   Exercise # 3 - Committing to Commitment
   Exercise # 4 - Open Revelation
   Exercise # 5 - Implement a 'caring behaviours' list
   Exercise # 6 - Establish a 'date night'
   Exercise # 7 - Have a discussion about emotions
   Exercise # 8 - Essay 2 - write about your greatest fears
   Exercise # 9 - Silent sitting and eye-gazing
   Exercise # 10 - Review the state of your relationship, and make a new commitment

In Closing

Bibliography

Works Cited

Index