ToddsZen Podcast
Welcome to the ToddsZen Podcast.. I’m Todd—a 40-year Zen and martial arts enthusiast and practitioner. My mission is simply to share my personal Zen journey with others, and help as many people as I can be their best Self. Join me on my continuing 40-year Zen journey. Discovering beautiful people, methods, cultures, and life changing beliefs. Let me help guide you on your quest—to help you discover your best Self.
How to meditate in one minute or less
How to meditate in one minute or less? Let’s try it out!
What does a sage mean to you?
A sage, in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained wisdom. The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person', and a 'virtuous person'. But it really means something different to each of us…
What is the DAO?
Tao or Dao is a Chinese word signifying the "way", "path", "route", "road" or sometimes more loosely "doctrine", "principle" or "holistic beliefs.”
What do Catholics believe?
The Catholic Church, often referred to as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2019. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization.
The church consists of 24 particular churches and almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies around the world. The pope, who is the Bishop of Rome (and whose titles also include Vicar of Jesus Christ and Successor of St. Peter), is the chief pastor of the church entrusted with the universal Petrine ministry of unity and correction. The church's administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, a tiny enclave of Rome, of which the pope is head of state.
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is an Indian religion based on a series of original teachings attributed to Siddharta Gautama (The Buddha). It originated in ancient India as a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia. It is the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on the Buddha's teachings (born Siddhārtha Gautama in the 5th or 4th century BCE) and resulting interpreted philosophies. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravāda (Pali: "The School of the Elders") and Mahāyāna (Sanskrit: "The Great Vehicle").
Nature Meditation
A very simple and effective 5-10 minute meditation tapping into nature’s beauty, power, and energy. Done a few times a week can be life-changing.
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The quicksand analogy
The quicksand analogy
A classic in Zen Buddhism, do you jump in the quicksand and help? Or stand firmly on the ground to help?
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Standing behind your beliefs
Standing behind your beliefs
Standing behind your beliefs is important. They are different for each of us, and it’s crucial to follow YOUR path— YOUR beliefs!
Following the path and the dangerous energies
Trying to stay on the path is both difficult and easy. And watching out for “dark energies” can help you see them before they detract you.
What spiritual path is right for you?
There are many spiritual paths to take and you don’t need a specific religion to live a decent life. But choosing “something” can help your enlightenment.
Why judgement is unwise
What I learned about judgement of others and self—and ideas to help you lead a more free way of life.
Thoughts on depression and anxiety
Anxiety and depression can be debilitating. But there are quite a few ways to sort through the pain and fog, leading you to a refreshing, more natural state to be freed up from both of those. Here are some ideas that may help.
What path should I take?
The noble 8 fold path is one of great legend from Buddhism, but the basics are all shared by many global religions and philosophies. Here are some more neat little facts about these 8 skills to help you with suffering and help you determine “What path should I take?”
The Spirit of Judo
A little history into the more spiritual side of Judo practice and what Master Kano Jigoro Shihan intended. The art like many martial arts are more about the spirit and the deeper “better self” BEFORE the physical skills. A very important characteristic of any master. As they say the real winner never enters the fight.
The 4 Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path
In life there can be suffering, and the cause of it is craving and desire. But it can be relieved by following what the Buddha named The Eight Fold Path. The Four Noble Truths, and the Eight Fold Path are very powerful suggestions to help lead a less suffered life style.
ToddsZen Podcast 9: Live life as an adventure. Act crazy in enjoyment.
Let’s not lose sight of living life as a happy child. Living it on purpose as an adventure. Instead of a dragging, pain in the neck. You are meant to enjoy your life. Each and every moment, from simply breathing to enjoying a meal or spending time with others, live your life as if it IS an adventure! Be crazy, fun, excited, and be like a child!
ToddsZen Podcast 8. How to love thy Self
We all know how to love others, things, and stuff “out there” but what about what’s in “here.”? Learning to really love your Self is first acknowledging that you are more than who you think you are. A spiritual being, an energy, a being, a part of life’s expression of itself… but you are sensing a feeling of “self” that makes you wonder “who am I?” and then, with all the layers of life, we often start to question and doubt who we are. We judge ourselves, and we’re never quite good enough sometimes… But learning to LOVE thy Self, is an easy intention. You simply allow the energy of love to reflect inward at your miraculous Self. Trust in God, and allow your true Self to shine, and live! Love your being-ness—love your Self. Start there, and then let it reflect outward on others
Gratitude practice. It’s easier than you think!
Living a life of gratitude is much easier than you’d think. It’s simply a choice. A decision to think differently, act differently, and to be different. Start right there where you are. Are you dwelling on the negative aspects of life most often, even perhaps right now?
Creating the energy you seek
Creating the energy you seek
When it comes to finding the energy to do anything, exercise, homework, projects, thinking, writing and anything else we often assume that the energy will just be there. And sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s just naturally there. You might wake up in an energetic mood, we wake from a nap with a lot of energy, or simply have a bolt of energy that makes you feel like doing something. But you’ll always notice they are seldom and short-lived.
So what I’ve discovered some thing that I mentioned to somebody when they asked “are you too tired?” And I replied, no worries I will create the energy I need. And it was at that moment that I realized just like I can purposefully come up with a thought or I can purposefully come up with a feeling I can literally pick myself up by my own bootstraps and make myself do just about anything that I realized that I can create the energy I seek.
No obviously there are ways to enhance your energy with proper diet, exercise, and sleeping properly as well as living a good honest decent and energetically of style. Take movement for example. When you start moving you are by definition generating energy. In fact the whole principle behind tai chi and qi gong is the basis of movement and relaxation energies and everything in between. Start moving around for example start a simple exercise like simple light jumping and after some time you’ll notice that you start to warm up. Your heart starts beating faster, your blood is pumping faster, and your muscles tendons and ligaments are all working harder therefore creating more energy.
Now add to that the possibility of an energetics attitude and mindset. I feel the energy, picture of the energy, and imagine the energy all inside and around you. And combined that along with your movement, as well as proper breathing, do you have now “created” energy. So that’s the basics behind that. We can DEFINITELY “Create” our own energy.
Please visit https://www.toddszen.com for more
ToddsZen Season 1, episode 5: The art of PEACE. The legend of Morihei Ueshiba.
Morihei Ueshiba was born around December in 1883 and lived to around 1969. He was a great, and honored Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art Aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" (Kaiso) or (Ōsensei), "Great Teacher.” He was also author of one of my favorite books— one that I keep handy at all times, “The Art of Peace.”