When Chao-chou was asked by a young monk, ‘Does the dog have Buddha nature?’ he responded, “Mu” . showing the monk – and us – how to practice, breath by breath – “muuuuuu”. On this first full day of sesshin, I encourage you to enjoy your zazen which Aitken roshi described “as the seated practice offocussed enquiry and attunement in
We can often fall into ideas about getting somewhere in our practice, finding our freedom, always with the idea it is some other place and some other time. This talk explores case 48 of the Gateless Barrier, Kan fangs ‘one straight road to nirvana’. That road is always here, right now, before our eyes. This teisho was given by Will
You are probably familiar with the quote: ‘There is no way to peace; peace is the way.’ I guess after seeing that on so many SZC T-shirts, I had assumed it was a Buddhist quote; but no. The author of that line is A.J. Muste, a Dutch-born U.S. clergyman of the 1920’s who eventually became a Quaker, a pacifist and
This life is a play and we are all the players. In an old story we meet Manjusri, Great Wisdom Bodhisattva as well as the Much Lesser Bodhisattva Delusive Wisdom and A Young Woman Meditating. And in them—as Aitken Roshi points out—we meet dimensions of ourselves. In all of this there’s deep encouragement at hand. This teisho was given by
The bodhisattva ideal, where one forgets the self and helps others, isemphasized in Mahayana Buddhism. But bodhisattvas are not just powerful symbolic figures,they are ordinary people who dedicate themselves to the wellbeing of others, to the environment, peace, to social justice. People like you and me. In this talk, Gilly honours three contemporary bodhisattvas and their journey to realisation: the
This talk centres on Dongshan’s departure from his teacher Yunyan and his awakening crossing a stream shortly after. Peter explores the meaning of “it”—the mysterious totality of transmission, Buddha nature, and the ten thousand things—shown through Dongshan’s famous poem: Just don’t seek from others, or you’ll be far estranged from self. I now go on alone; everywhere I meet it
Like branches of a single tree, Yunyan and Daowu exemplify classic dharma harmony as they meet in the temple courtyard, with Yunyan’s daily sweeping becoming the backdrop for a lively Zen encounter. In this talk, Peter explores Yunyan’s long journey to realization, the “who” behind the sweeping, and the many moons of the Way that emerge from their exchange. This
One quiet day, Yunyan was sweeping the temple grounds, his broom a silent dance. Daowu said, “You’re working hard sir!” Yunyan smiled softly, “There is one who does not work hard.” Daowu pressed, “And so there is a second moon?” Yunyan lifted his broom, “What number of moons is this?” he asked. Daowu remained silent. Later on, Xuansha said, “That
Dongshan’s question is ‘How will you take your activity of seeing into self-nature into the ups and downs of the grassy world?’ Jane looks at the Way of practice, setting off on the pilgrimage of each day to reach the place of no grass. This teisho by Jane Andino was given on day 4 of Winter sesshin 2025 and explores
Jane explores a disagreement between young monks on a windy day – what’s moving the flag or the wind? Then Hei-neng answers not the wind or the flag, it is the mind. She delves into this case and the background of Hui-neng’s life and recorded sayings. The talk includes the teaching of 9th century nun Miaoxin, and also Aitkin Roshi’s comments
