Zen Yoga: Yogācāra
This article explores Zen Yoga, the practice of meditative inquiry grounded in the Yogācāra school of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Spirituality
Depth Without Dogma — Seeking Meaning in the Modern World
Explore secular and sacred forms of spiritual life—where awe, purpose, and personal growth intersect with rational inquiry and cultural wisdom.
From Forest Shrines to Global Zen: The Evolution of Japanese Monastic Life
This article traces the journey of Japanese monasticism—from its earliest roots to its global flowering—revealing a tradition that, though ancient, remains vibrantly alive.
The Royal Art: Alchemy and Science
The Royal Art, known technically as symbolic or speculative alchemy, is the art of eternal transformation. In illumined circles it is the art of doing nothing.
Russian Alchemy: A Hidden Tradition of Transformation
This article explores the operative and speculative dimensions of Russian alchemy, its historical development, key figures, and its connections to broader international traditions.
Medieval Alchemy: Between Monastery and Laboratory
The Great Work of the medieval alchemist, in emulation of the “Great Architect,” was to unite the divine opposites, macrocosm and microcosm, to produce a unified and balanced whole.
The Mysteries and Science: Origins of Western Alchemy Part I
This article traces alchemy’s evolution from the mystery schools of Egypt and Greece to the laboratories of medieval Europe, exploring how early thinkers sought to unite material and spiritual transformation, blending sacred rites, symbolic language, and empirical observation.
Chinese Alchemy
Daoist magicians used the elements and processes of the science of chemistry as symbols in their visualizations, which were preparations for meditation leading to the “embracing the One” of Laozi.
The Royal Art: An Introduction to Alchemy
The Royal Art, known technically as symbolic or speculative alchemy, is the art of eternal transformation. In illumined circles it is the art of doing nothing.
Chinese Chan Buddhist Monasticism: The Spring of Zen
This article follows the story of Chan from its earliest roots in India and Daoist China, through its flowering in Tang and Song dynasties, and outward into the temples, poetry, and practices of East Asia.
The Science of Morality: The Moral Compass and How We Know What Is Moral
This essay is an invitation to rediscover morality not as a command from above or a whim of culture, but as a living science: one that evolves, adapts, and integrates knowledge from across the human experience.
Zen’s Founding Scripture
explore the founding scriptures — the Lankavatara Sutra, the Outline of Practice, and Trust in Mind — through which the Chan spirit first found its voice.
Zen Literature: Essential Reading for the Student of Zen
In these pages, we will follow the unfolding of Zen from its Indian and Chinese foundations to its flowering in Japan and its transmission to the West.