A friend came to the temple this week to ask a question about how to meditate while scattered thoughts are arising. This sincere question prompted a number of useful reflections on our practice, which began as we explored the topic together on the temple’s front porch and continued to clarify into this week’s recorded Dharma for you.

Rev. Clairissa begins “The Scattered Mind” with a line from Dōgen’s Rules for Meditation (in Japanese, Fukanzazengi 普勧坐禅儀), which is recited daily in Sōtō Zen temples. It is a foundational guide for both our formal seated meditation and our practice in ordinary daily life. Rules for Meditation is available for download on the Wallowa Buddhist Temple website: https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/pdfviewer/rules-for-meditation/