Beginner’s mind is foundational to Zen. How do we approach the world without obscuring it with the stories we tell ourselves? So we may be free to enjoy the world as it really is. The trick is, there is no trick, but this is tricky. Sit back and listen to a story about the Story.

How did evolution build a prison for our minds, and how do we escape it? Zen Buddhism shows us we were never imprisoned in the first place, freeing us by helping us realize we are free.

This is your brain on hammers. We explore how our narrow conventional thinking (the hammer) leads us on a never-ending hunt for nails and non-nails. Zen meditation and practice in everyday life gives us a chance at freedom, a chance to put the hammer in the toolbox for when we need it again.

Who are your other ancestors, what will your descendants be like? We look at the idea of Buddha ancestors and find that our parents and children are a hair’s breadth away, yet will never meet us directly. Come share an offering of future noodles and enjoy the crackle of the finest wrapper you have ever known.

Noodles made with reverence. Proper respect paid to them. These are your lives and each is perfectly defined by a single noodle. Everyday Zen practice with a fair helping of nudges and winks.

Compassion for coffee machines runs deep at the Café One Bright Pearl. Zen’s message here is simple, enlightenment is everyday mind. There are a myriad beings with you, and you are one of them. And together … You, in the greater sense, the one bright pearl. Are you open for waffles?