Encountering the soundscape at Kodoji is one of the treasures of sitting in the magical valley. Bird songs, rain songs, wind songs, cricket songs, kitchen songs, to name a few—natural and naturally merging with the mind. With the sound of deep silence holding everything there. Only the occasional shrill ring of the telephone can be disturbing, setting up a scurry
What ailment does the Buddha Dharma address? What is it to be healed? Yunmen shares the good news. You might say that the cosmic, blue Medicine Buddha is constantly dispensing spiritual remedy! This talk was given by Maggie Gluek at a zazenkai in February, 2020, when Covid 19 was a vaguely alarming threat but before the virus became a global pandemic
As all things are buddha-dharma, there is delusion, realization, practice, birth and death, buddhas and sentient beings. As myriad things are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no buddha, no sentient beings, no birth and death. The buddha way, in essence, is leaping clear of abundance and lack; thus there are birth and death, delusion and
In these Covid times Jane Andino reflects on what is a virus and what is a cure. She delves into Yumen’s words about medicine and sickness mutually corresponding with one another…. ‘the whole universe is medicine, what is the self?’ This talk, based on Case 87 from the Blue Cliff Record, was given at Rohatsu sesshin in December 2020
Peter Bursky explores the Buddha’s experience of seeing the Morning Star when he was sitting under the Bodhi tree. Yamada Roshi once said, “the basis and central focus of Buddhism is the enlightenment experience of Shakyamuni Buddha.” Rohatsu (8 December) is normally the day on which we, together with Zen communities throughout the world,celebrate the Buddha’s realisation. This talk –
Words! The Way is beyond language, for in it there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today. Verses on the Faith Mind Now that we are talking more together as a Sangha with our online Zoom sessions, I’m struck by how the discussions on Dharma topics are unfailingly insightful, full of community wisdom, often humorous, and always generous. What a
Freedom comes in those moments when we are truly freed from our conceptual way of experiencing life, we directly experience the moment, no longer looking at everything through the lens of dualism. Those moments can be fleeting and, in a sense, as Zen practitioners it is our life’s work to, to free ourselves from the world of dualism and all
Paul Maloney, roshi discusses the image of self we cultivate and cling to and how it relates to the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence and interconnectedness. The Second Mark of Existence – Anattā The Buddha tells us, “When you develop the perception of impermanence, then the conceit of ‘I AM’ will be abandoned.” The conceit “I am” (asmi māna) is found
Jane Andino explores ‘Not-knowing’ and looks at how to embrace that mind of attentive openness and wonder. This talk was given on day 2 of Winter sesshin 2020 and refers to Case 20 in the Book of Serenity.
Paul Maloney, roshi explores our desire to have stability and security in the face of the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence, and the reality of a dynamic ever changing world. In the words of the poet, The times are a changing. But when were they not changing? The first of the three marks of existence that the Buddha taught was Anicca,
