It's Alive: Zen Meditation

06/30/2026

I sometimes wonder if we're moving through life just a little too quickly.

So quickly that our thoughts, our feelings, even our own lives don't quite have a chance to catch up with us.

One of the things I appreciate about meditation practice is that it creates a little space.

A little silence.

A little stillness.

And in that space, something begins to arrive.

Maybe clarity.

Maybe grief.

Maybe gratitude.

Maybe simply the quiet recognition that we're already here.

Perhaps there are blessings that can only find us when we stop long enough to be found.

I hope you enjoy this brief reflection.

— Jesse

06/20/2026

Many of us come to spiritual practice searching for answers.

And books matter. Teachers matter. Practices matter.

But sooner or later, we may discover that nobody can live our life for us.

Nobody can breathe for us.

Nobody can know our own heart for us.

The truth we're looking for may be closer than we think.

Maybe before moving on to the next thing, just take a moment.

Take a breath.

And look into your own heart.

I hope you enjoy this brief reflection.

— Jesse

06/15/2026

Most of us spend a lot of time living through our thoughts, opinions, memories, and stories.

One of the things I appreciate about Zen practice is that, every now and then, it puts us in touch with what the world is like before all of that.

Not a different world.

This one.

And it's a remarkable thing when you experience it.

I hope you enjoy this brief reflection.

If you're curious about Zen meditation or koan practice, feel free to reach out anytime at jessecardin.com.

See you soon.

— Jesse

06/15/2026

Do you ever feel like you're somehow looking at your life from the outside?

Or that your thoughts and feelings are somehow less real, less valid, than everyone else's?

Or that there's some understanding of life that everyone else seems to have, and you're the only one who's missed it?

I created this brief guided Zen koan meditation as an invitation back into your own direct connection with life.

You are here.

You are real.

And you matter.

If you'd like to learn more about Zen meditation and koan practice, feel free to reach out anytime:

jessecardin.com

See you soon.

— Jesse



https://insighttimer.com/AwakenInsight/guided-meditations/your-hand-the-buddha-s-hand

Washing dishes, driving a car, waving hello. These are the actions of a Buddha. This koan meditation is about the intimacy you share with the old masters. Q: How is my hand like the Buddha’s hand? A: Playing guitar in the moonlight. - From Huanglong Huinan’s Three Turning Words (Pacific Zen Inst...

06/11/2026

Where have you been? The whole universe has been waiting for you! Take a moment with me to drop into reality. Less than one minute--I promise!--to get reacquainted with what's happening right now.

You're so busy with taking care of the family, working, worrying about money, planning the next thing, ruminating about the last thing, checking your phone, getting upset about politics, getting upset at your mother-in-law, wondering if you're good enough, wondering what the rest of your life will look like, wondering what to have for dinner, remembering you said you'd call your brother but never did, trying to remember what the doctor said, waiting to hear about your application.

Don't worry, all your usual preoccupations will still be there when you get back. So what's one minute?

Questions:

1. What surprises you most about when you drop into reality for a moment?

2. Is there something that lives here that you would prefer not to notice?

3. What would it look like to make a practice of dropping into reality for one minute at a time, a few times throughout the day?

Leave me a note in the comments or reach out if you'd like to know more: www.jessecardin.com

06/07/2026

How often do you find yourself at a distance from your own life? Mind wandering, worrying, doomscrolling, falling down social media rabbit holes, emotionally numbed, disconnected from your body and heart. It becomes exhausting, anxiety-producing, frustrating.

It drains the vital life energy we could be putting toward something important, even if that's just enjoying the ordinary beauty of whatever's here.

Wherever you find yourself, the path home is a short one. You can be there faster than a hummingbird flaps its wings. I'll show you how in this brief, kind of fun, meditation.

The koan: How many steps does it take to get to this room?

Questions:

1. Where do you go when you're not here?

2. What's it like when you notice that you're not here?

3. What is it like to return home to your own living presence?

Let me know what you notice in the comments or reach out at www.jessecardin.com

Hope to hear from you soon!

-Jesse



https://insig.ht/mc4XGijQJ3b

How did you get here? And where are you now? This short, sweet, playful koan meditation puts you in touch with your life, moment by moment. "How many steps does it take to get to this room?" - Pacific Zen Institute Miscellaneous Koan Collection

06/05/2026

If you want a way to feel more deeply connected to the mystery of the world around you and inside you, I have a suggestion.

Koans are much more than simply meditation objects to keep your mind from wandering. They put us in touch with the great archetypal forces: life and death, right and wrong, being and non-being, blame and forgiveness. In this way we come closer to both our own lives and the lives of everyone who has ever lived.

When we take up the path of koan practice, we are committing ourselves to a more intimate relationship with the material of life, both the personal and the universal. This way lies stormy seas, bottomless pits, and the burning sun, but also the tinkling laughter of children and the silver light of the full moon at midnight.

As our relationship to the world deepens, so does our capacity for joy, sorrow, compassion, and wisdom. The barriers we once struggled with reveal themselves as gates and our gravest difficulties as teachers.

As an example, I offer you this classic koan from Yunmen:

"Sickness and medicine correspond to each other. The whole world is medicine. What am I?"

Questions for the adventurous:

1. So, what is medicine in your life? And what is sickness? How are you so sure?

2. Has something you thought was medicine ever turned out to be sickness? And vice versa?

3. What is meant by "the whole world is medicine?" And if the whole world is medicine, what are you?

Let me know what you think in the comments or reach out at: www.jessecardin.com

Hope to hear form you soon!

-Jesse

06/04/2026

Why should you bother paying attention to your dreams? Aren't they just the mental detritus of the day being swept into the dustbin of long-term memory?

Well, maybe. But in my experience they are a gold mine of surprisingly honest, unbiased information about the deepest matters in our lives. And sometimes they're entertaining as hell.

I encourage all of my therapy clients and Zen meditation students to keep a dream journal, especially if they're going through a time of upheaval, confusion, or crisis.

Even if you just write down some keys words before falling back asleep, that might be enough to jog your memory in the morning. Then take some time to write down everything you remember about the dream, down to the last detail.

Sit with it. Wonder about it.

You don't have to decide what it means, just feel what it's like to be in relationship to it. Share it with someone you trust. Or, better yet, share it with me!

Had any interesting dreams lately? Or maybe a recurring theme in your dreams?

Let me know in the comments or reach out to me at: www.awakentherapysa.com

I'd love to hear from you.

-Jesse

05/31/2026

We tend to think awakening is a very special thing, only available to certain people who do certain practices. But what if you are already awake? This meditation aims to put you in touch with that possibility.

We tend to think awakening is a very special thing, only available to certain people who do certain practices. But what if you are already awake? This meditation aims to put you in touch with that possibility. Damei asked Mazu, “What is Buddha?” Mazu said, “This very mind is Buddha.” - Gatel...

05/29/2026

Zen meditation is a practice of just being. It's not so easy to do at first, with our modern lives moving so fast, but if you make a practice of it you'll find a refuge in the silence. Then the whole universe will advance to greet you. Won't that be wonderful?