The four Bodhisattva vows, recited at every Zen gathering or ceremony, set forth the fundamental aspiration of our Zen practice— that all beings may be liberated.

The many beings are numberless, I vow to save them. On the cushion, this first vow is a matter to be realised for oneself, as oneself. But it is also a matter to be taken up practically, in the world. Right now, with our earth household under threat and with extinctions occurring rapidly, how can I usefully manifest the wisdom and compassion of the Bodhisattva to protect humans and non-humans alike? The next three vows follow naturally. How to abandon the greed, hatred, and ignorance that are at the root of today’s crisis? How to be awake to the Dharma at any given time? How can this body act as the Buddha?
Sitting at Kodoji, immersed in the beauty of the natural world, the fact of “world as self” is clear. May we do our deep work here and carry it across, each of us in our own inimitably unique way!

Sesshin flyer here

Sesshin affords a unique opportunity to deepen and broaden practice. It’s an adventure too! Who ever knows what will manifest in the Dharma realms? Having said that, we can know that there’ll be lots of zazen (“the dharma gate of great ease and joy” as memorably described by Dogen), that feet will walk inside and outside the dojo, that meals will be savoured with focussed attention, that regular interviews and teisho will be on offer, that the beauty and power of Kodoji will hold and inspire us all.

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Please plan to arrive at Kodoji by 2pm, or earlier! There’s plenty to be done in the way of setting up, putting food away, preparing for supper and organising one’s own tent or sleeping situation.

Note too that Good Friday traffic can be challenging, with (sometimes) long waits for the ferry. So, please allow plenty of time for the journey.