Daniel Scharpenburg
Daniel Scharpenburg lives in Kansas City. He’s a Zen Priest and Teacher in the Dharma Winds Zen Tradition. He regularly teaches at the Open Heart Project and he leads public meditations.
He believes the path is really about opening ourselves up and becoming more genuine and real. He has been called “a great everyman teacher” and “really down to earth.” He believes in meeting people where they are and sharing teachings as widely as he can.
His writing has appeared in Lion’s Roar, The Secular Buddhist, Patheos, and Elephant Journal.
He has given public teachings at the Rime Buddhist Center and at the Heartland Pagan Festival.
Why Don’t We Just Call It Meditation Buddhism?
By Daniel Scharpenburg The question I want to ask is “Why don’t we just call it Meditation Buddhism?” Or even, “Why don’t we just call it the way of meditation?” We could go that far. Although the title of this article is a question, I don’t really have an...
The 3 Main Reasons Why We Don’t Meditate (even though we know we should)
By Daniel Scharpenburg I have this friend who said, “I really want to come to your event, but I’m terrible at meditating, so I’m not going to come.” I want to talk about how hard it is to meditate, because it is very hard. I don’t do it...
My One Weird Experience with Police & Why Black Lives Matter is Necessary
By Daniel Scharpenburg Back when I was in college someone once called the police on me for no reason. I was going for a walk in my own neighborhood and someone thought I looked like trouble and they called the police. Presumably they...
Taking Refuge: The Buddha’s Teaching on How to Get Through a Plague
By Daniel Scharpenburg As I'm writing this a lot of the world is in a sort of lockdown because of Covid 19. It has claimed a lot of lives and there's a lot of uncertainty regarding when the world will open up again. And it's...
Becoming Buddhist Online: Training and the Internet
By Daniel Scharpenburg The internet is amazing. We can use it to meet people, to go to college, to make investments and many other things. I don’t even have to call my dentist office to make an appointment anymore. I can do it online....
On Restraint: Why is it Important?
By Daniel Scharpenburg “One can arouse wholesomeness by means of self control, by means of transforming one’s thoughts, by means of keeping busy doing good, and by means of wholesomeness.” -Providing the Meaning by Buddhaghosa I...
Introduction to Silent Illumination
By Daniel Scharpenburg Silent Illumination (mozhao) is a formless meditation practice. The Buddhism I really teach is Silent Illumination Chan. Its is a meditation practice founded entirely in the awakening of our true nature in the here and...
Spiritual Friendship is the Whole Way
By Daniel Scharpenburg Ananda went to his cousin, the one we call the Buddha. Ananda was the Buddha’s assistant, so he was around all the time. That’s important to the story, just to say that Ananda heard essentially everything...
The Theme of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Making a Difference {Review}
By Daniel Scharpenburg I do have to acknowledge that Tom Hanks is my favorite actor. I think he can’t really do anything wrong. When I’m not feeling well I like to watch, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. I do have to tell you...
The Ways We Take Away From Our Lives {Flash Dharma}
By Daniel Scharpenburg This life right now, in each moment, is all we really have. The past is gone and the future is only potential. We spend so much time not focused on the here and now, but we do have the power to change that. We have...
The 3 Kinds of Laziness & How They Hold Us Back
By Daniel Scharpenburg Laziness is often what stops us from being consistent in our meditation practice, but also from anything else we might do for personal development or self care. Laziness is very common, probably something we all...
We are All Bad at Meditating
By Daniel Scharpenburg I have this friend who said to me, “I want to come to meditation, but I’m just really bad at meditating!” And that really got me thinking. I think we’re all bad at meditating. I know I am. I’m starting a weekly...
What’s Zen? (A Short Description)
By Daniel Scharpenburg There's a famous four line description of the Zen tradition that has come down to us. This list is attributed to Bodhidharma, and it's really supposed to be what sets the Zen tradition apart. It's what makes...
Why are Buddhist Strings Different Colors & What Do the Colors Mean?
By Daniel Scharpenburg Someone asked, "Why do these Buddhist strings have different colors? What do the different colors mean?" Unfortunately I don't have a satisfying answer for that question. Actually a lot of people seem to have...
The Way Out of Suffering: Wonderment & Seeing the World As it Is {video}
By Daniel Scharpenburg Cultivating the Empty Field is a book I really like. There is a section in here with a quote by Zen Master Hongzhi: "All things are innately amazing beyond description. Perfect vision has no gap. In mountain...