1. The compass of Zen by Zen Master Seung Sahn - the teachings of Master Seung Sahn started me on the path of Zen, his teaching of 'don't know mind' continues to be my spiritual compass. The core of his teaching is always the essence of Mahayana Buddhism - "how do we wake up and help this world? The point of meditation practice is to help us realise our original nature so that we can help everyone be free from suffering". And he always extorts us "from moment to moment only go straight don't know, which is clear like space, try, try, try for ten thousand years, nonstop, get enlightenment and save all beings from suffering". I bow in appreciation of the deep teachings of this great Bodhisattva. I continue to practice under his Zen school in Singapore.
2. Being Zen by Ezra Bayda - teachings of him and other teachers from the Ordinary Mind Zen School, and noteworthy Gregg Howard, whom I studied with during one recent one year stay in Brisbane, have always focused on integrating Zen with the realities of everyday living. Their teaching have enabled me to close the gap between sitting on the cushion and dealing with the messiness of my everyday life. Working with emotional distress and everyday difficulties has become my core practice and is very meaningful and transformational. I am eternally grateful to Ezra and Gregg for helping me integrate Zen into my life, moment to moment.
3. The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche - While Zen came into my life since my late teens, Tibetan Buddhist and Pure Land teachings came into my life in a profound manner only recently in my mid-thirties. Reading this book profoundly influenced the direction of my spiritual practice because it revolutionise the whole way I look at death and afterlife. Previously I was not ready to contemplate meaningfully about death and afterlife, for the earlier part of my life, raised in a family grounded in modern science thinking and not believing in afterlife, made me not take this topic too seriously. After many years of Zen practice as well as old age catching up on me, while Zen does not touch on much on this topic, but interestingly I think, meditation practice has subtly open my mind space and made my mind more receptive to the kind of teachings in the Tibetan book of living and dying. Reflecting on these teachings, I have adopted the dual practice of Zen and Pure Land, meaning while I continue Zen practice, I also aspire to rebirth in the Blissful Pure Land after this life. Deep gratitude to Sogyal Rinpoche, Tulku Thondup (author of Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth) and Jing4 Kong1 Fa3 Shi1 for this aspect of spiritual practice. Essentially this practice means aspring to rebirth in a place which will be very conducive for continued spiritual practice (a pure land). To me, this seems a natural extension to my current spiritual practice.
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