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Sep 23, 2020
Martin Goodson

The Zen Gateway Blog

Dharma, Culture, Philosophy & Life-ways

Here you will find blogs, curated videos and podcasts, books, musings and resources for new ways of living and relating in and through the world.

Compound eye of Antarctic krill as imaged by an electron microscope

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Blog: The ‘Dharmafication’ of Science

Is science being infiltrated by estoeric ideas from Eastern religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism? What are the ramifications for Western cultural understanding and how we see ourselves in the world?

The Heart Sutra: The Swiss Army Knife of Mahayana Buddhism

One of the best known sutras, chanted throughout Asia and the Far East, has multiple uses and seems to evolve through time and place.

Blog: “Tell me then, where do you go after you have died?”

Blog
Do the Buddhist scriptures really give us a definitive answer to the question of life and death?

Blog: Can We Ever Truly Leave Omelas?

Blog
At a time when the price paid for western prosperity is being held under the microscope, it may be worth asking, can we ever truly separate ourselves from the society into which we were born?

Transfer of Merit: A Short History of its Practice

Blog
Why do we dedicate merit at the end of meditation or chanting? What is its significance and do we really need to do it? 

Weaponised Psychology

How Facebook turns your demons against you - and what you can do about it.
A whistleblower gives an insight into how big tech uses emotional triggers to increase clicks. Developing emotional intelligence can give us a bulwark against being manipulated in this way.

Dragon Slaying: A Policy For Disaster?

Blog
Martin Goodson examines how the myths that have shaped our culture are molding our perceptions of the crises we face today.

Dragon-Slaying: A Policy for Disaster (part II)

Blog
Is it is good to annihilate evil? The Buddha's teachings on dependent origination show us how 'slaying dragons' may have grave consequences for the future.

On What Does Our Dignity Stand?: A Policy for Disaster (part III)

Blog
Our sense of incompleteness is not an inherent part of human biology. Martin argues that the values of modernity may in fact be fueling this feeling of lack.

What Do Ancient Greek Theatre & Zazen Have in Common?

Blog
Zen practice and the ancient Greeks, have a lot more in common than you may think…

Psychopaths, altruists and the persuasive power of the podcast

Blog
Rachel Hilton takes a look at what Psychopaths can teach us about compassion.

Drama, the most important lesson on a School Timetable…

Blog
Nick Julius argues that the teaching of Drama in our secondary schools may be more important than the teaching of ‘hard’ subjects like Mathematics and Science

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone!  

Blog
After (begrudgingly) starting a gratitude journal, Rachel Hilton discovered things about herself which had remained hidden for years.

What Floats Your Vote?

Blog
What does Buddhism have to say about the world of political power and money?

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Further reading

The Zen Garden: A Path towards 'Right Mind'

Sophie Walker takes us on a guided tour around the Zen Garden, an experience which can bring the heart to a state of rest

Hanshan's Poem | with commentary by Michael Haggiag

Poet's Corner 
Can there ever be beauty in pain and loss? The master poet Hansen captures the bittersweet nature of impermanence in this poem.

A Year in View: 2024

A roundup of the best articles and talks from 2024.

A Christmas Mystery

The Alchemy of Transformation
The heart-stopping mystery of the numinous reveals itself in many of the most beloved Christmas-time stories.