MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from Living in Blue Sky Mind (Diedrichs) - Foreword Richard Gentei Diedrichs, or Gentei Sensei, as he is respectfully and affectionately called by the members of the Daifukuji Family Sangha, draws from the well of his childhood experiences and from wisdom gleaned as an elementary school teacher and practitioner of Zen to bring the sweet water of the Buddha’s teachings to people of all ages. He is honest and compassionate, a sincere human being and teacher of the Dharma whom we can trust. He tells us that it is possible for ordinary people, even as children, to awaken and realize their Buddha Nature through practice. Living in Blue Sky Mind is a refreshingly clear presentation of the Dharma , which can be understood by children and appreciated by adults. Gentei Sensei’s vivid childhood recollections strike a chord in our own memories, a painful chord at times but one that reassures us that our mistakes and painful experiences can be opportunities for spiritual growth. The q

  excerpt from  Living in Blue Sky Mind How We Talk I remember a time that I lied to my mother and how it made me feel. One night my brother and I had a plan. We were going to throw a water balloon out of our bedroom window against the wall of the house next door. After lights went out and we got into bed, I snuck into the bathroom and filled a balloon with water. I came back, and my brother lifted the screen to our window. I leaned out as far as I could and threw the balloon. It was lopsided and slippery so it flew off target. I heard a window break. My brother and I dove into our beds. I saw that the shade on our window was up so I stood to pull it down. When I was in the window, the porch light from the house next door came on. Our neighbor stepped out and saw me. I fell on my pillow. She already saw me so I got on my knees and looked out, acting groggy, as if I had just woken up. Someone broke our window,” our neighbor said. “Did you see anything?” I thought for a second. “I think

Richard Gentei Diedrichs grew up in Los Angeles. He edited travel and health magazines in Seattle, worked as an editor at the schools of engineering and public health at University of California. Berkeley, and then taught fourth and fifth grades, as well as kindergarten, in public elementary schools around the San Francisco Bay Area.  Richard was ordained a Zen priest in 1984. Currently, he is a Dharma teacher in Hawaii. He has published short stories in literary journals, a short story collection, Spirit of Tabasco , and two novels, Neither Coming Nor Going and Cherry Blossom . He lives with his wife and dog on the west coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.   His MSI book, Living in Blue Sky Mind: Basic Buddhist Teachings for a Happy Life , is available in paperback, hard cover, and e-book formats and has been recognized by the MidWest Book Watch and other reviewers for its quality.  Richard has been featured in many interviews and podcasts and has written a number of articles

How We Meditate Right Concentration furnishes the eighth step on Buddha’s Eightfold Path. Technically, Right Concentration signifies passing through four stages in meditation called jhanas , and arriving at mindfulness. While the steps on the path are not consecutive and are practiced together, Buddha said that by following the previous steps, that is, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Understanding, Right Effort, Right Intention, Right Livelihood, and Right Mindfulness, we arrive at Right Concentration. When we concentrate, we focus our attention on something. Concentration, here called samadhi ,  means that we focus our mind on an object that helps us to become more wholesome and pure in our awareness. As we know, a distracted mind races between ideas, thoughts, and concepts, filled with anxiety, worry, concern, and delusion (thinking that things differ from the way they actually are). This mind has been compared to the antics of a drunken monkey. A drunken monkey cha

What We Mean to Do Right Intention (sometimes called Right Thought) relates to what and how we think. We are most concerned with the part of our thinking that always wants something (which, as humans, is most of our thinking). Buddha said that what we think (and say and do) is what we are. If we think, talk, and act in mean, selfish, and hurtful ways, we find difficulty coming into our lives. If we think, talk, and act in kind and loving ways, we find happiness coming into our lives. Buddha described it as “a shadow that never leaves us." Intention is our true nature trying to come out. It is our inner compass. If we are mindful or aware of our thoughts, we see the nature of our intent. We choose whether it is good or bad, helpful or hurtful. With Right Intention, we promise to be good, and mainly do three things: be aware that we always want things and can take them or leave them; renounce or give up those things that our thinking always wants; and becom

How We Act As with speech, we can make the people around us happy or sad by the way we act. We pay attention to what we do and the way we do it. According to Buddha’s second step on the Eightfold Path, we try not to kill things. We want all beings, people, animals, and insects to live and be happy. I know this, and I try. Still, I kill rodents and insects such as rats, mice, cockroaches, centipedes, ants, and mosquitoes. I find it hard to live with these creatures: they bite, and their lifestyles make them unhealthy. Nonetheless, I do not like taking their lives. A centipede or any other hearty insect exerts a lot of life force, especially when scared. While I have my reasons for killing these creatures, I understand Buddha’s point about living my life free from trouble and misery by not killing. I heard a story about a realtor showing a couple around a house that was for sale. In the kitchen, the realtor opened a drawer, and a big cockroach skittered out. The man pic

We live with minds as open and spacious as the deep blue sky. Living in Blue Sky Mind presents basic Buddhist teachings that keep us on the wholesome path of self-realization and oriented toward a happy life. Zen priest and teacher, Richard Gentei Diedrichs, offers simple lessons, anecdotes of personal transformation, and reflective questions to guide us along Buddha’s enlightened way. Listen to the Podtail podcast HERE .