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
One of the joys of studying the Dharma, particularly in the context of Zen Buddhism, is to become acquainted with the words of the old teachers, individuals ever creative in their ability to express the inexpressible. One such was Hsüan-sha (835-908). He was a fisherman until at age thirty he took up the Buddha Way. As an ascetic he wore
Subhana explores what sprinkling Holy Water on the Dragon’s Tail might mean. The Christian legend of Martha and the Dragon reveals a beautiful teaching of cultivating compassion to those parts that we don’t like; pain, jealousy, judgemental reactivity and old unworthy beliefs the “dragon” parts of ourselves. Instead of slaying the dragon or hating ourselves, we offer it compassion and
Peter introduces us to the first paragraph of Master Hongzhi’s “Practice Instructions”. In these opening lines, Hongzhi’s gives us a sense of the infinite potential that we each possess, a wonderful field of boundlessness within our own experience. “With thoughts clear, sitting silently, wander into the centre of the circle of wonder…” This talk was given by Peter Bursky at the Zazenkai in March
Maggie explores and valorises the role of ceremony in Zen practice. Ritual objects and actions help us to forget the self and be fully present. They bring sangha into a harmonious one. Beyond formal practice in the dojo, any action in life can be taken with loving care and presence, in the interest of all beings, our mahasangha of One.
Maggie examines a koan which explores the nature of fear as well as the imperative to walk straight into the heart of fear. Finally, it lands on the matter of taking full responsibility, for everything…..with a bow to the Precepts, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and your own unique self. This teisho was given by Maggie Gluek, roshi on day 4
Who is the one working hard? Busy, busy, busy! Take out your broom and sweep the path clean. But beware being driven by a need to get things done or by the desire to get somewhere. In a playful exchange with his dharma buddy, Yunyan challenges us to remember that there is someone who does not work hard. That someone
Wu Wei is a Chinese Taoist expression that means ‘doing nothing’ or non-doing. Equanimity has strong associations with the spirit of Wu Wei. Wu Wei – non-doing has easily been misunderstood and falsely interpreted as a passive acceptance of life or resignation or literally sitting on the cushion and doing nothing. Wu Wei is an attitude and approach to meditation and life itself; it
“Let it go” is almost a mantra in the dojo, where we are encouraged to abandon discursive thinking and return to our single point of practice. It’s instructive to consider the mental and emotional baggage you bring to zazen and thus discover that it is unnecessary. But what if you see the emptiness of phenomena? What if you and I
Not a few of us come to practice to find peace of mind. Just so Huike, the protagonist of this story. Let’s see how determination, faith and surrender help him in his quest and how Bodhidharma turns him upside down. It’s a dramatic tale and one that is foundational to the Zen tradition. This teisho was given by Maggie Gluek,
