Below are links to articles that might be helpful to those beginning and developing a practice in the Serene Reflection Meditation tradition.
The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (OBC) Journal. OBC is the monastic order with which monks at Shasta Abbey are affiliated. OBC publishes a quarterly journal with several informative and insightful articles. The articles within the journal are offered for free as the organization relies on donations. You can download the articles in either .pdf or .epub format. The site has past issues of the journal going back to 2014.
Every-minute Meditation by Rev. Daizui MacPhillamy
This article describes how we can bring the mind of meditation into the activities of our daily life. Reverend Master Daizui says “Done properly, the exercise of every-minute meditation is refreshing, liberating, and energizing. Together with formal seated meditation, it can make a significant contribution to increasing one’s religious understanding.” RM Daizui was a disciple of RM Jiyu Kennett and served as Head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives from 1996 until his death in 2003.
Serene Reflection by Rev. Koten Benson
This article explores the levels of meaning of the two Chinese characters from which we get our translation of “Serene Reflection”. RM Koten was a disciple of RM Jiyu Kennett. He is Prior of Lions Gate Buddhist Priory at Dragon Flower Mountain in British Columbia.
Soto Zen by Rev. Keido Chisan
Chapter 2, The Basic Thought of Buddhism. “Buddhism describes the vertical, ie. time, aspect of reality with the oft-quoted phrase, ‘All things are impermanent’,’ which means that all phenomena are in a continuous state of flux.” In his discussion of this in Chapter 2, Keido Chisan brings in the likes of quantum physics, Buddhist sutras, philosophy, Socrates and Einstein. Keido Chisan Koho Zenji (1879 – 1967) was the Archbishop of the Kanto Plains in Japan, and was given the title of “Great Teacher” by the Emperor of Japan in 1948. RM Jiyu Kennett was his Dharma Heir. He is considered the Founder of Shasta Abbey.
Five Reasons to Mediate by Pema Chodron
Links to an article on Stanford University’s website by well-known teacher Pema Chodron about the value of meditative practice.