Peter takes up two koans that revolve around the primary koan of “Who is Hearing”. Challenging the self to see where we begin and end, we eventually realise it’s not about beginnings or endings at all. There is only one timeless present, sometimes its valley streams, sometimes its rain drops… This teisho, given by apprentice teacher Peter Bursky, explores Xuansha’s
Subhana gives meditation instructions for Silent Illumination, also known as Just Sitting or Shikantaza. Zen master’s Hongzhi illuminated Silent Illumination as both method and realisation of mind. She gives a guided meditation of 15 mins, sitting in open expansive spacious awareness and letting go of identification with body and mind. This talk was given by Subhana Barzaghi at Autumn sesshin
We recently honoured Sally Hopkins, who gave herself unstintingly to our sangha, and, in a couple of weeks, will honour Tony Coote, who gave so much to create Kodoji, our wilderness retreat centre. So, Gilly explores the concept of Dana, the Sanskrit word for giving or relinquishment. Dana is the first of the Ten Perfections, or Paramitas, the others being
Zen master Dogen-ji’s Mountains and Waters Sutra is full of beautiful poetic metaphors portraying the depth of the Mountains and Waters of the immediate present as the ancient way of all Buddhas. The Sutra encapsulates, the teachings of emptiness and form. The short-hand formula for insight and practice is; “First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain and
