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
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
‘What is it?’ is a question that Zen masters have asked through the ages to students of the Way. This talk explores this question through the teachings of Case 49 of the Book of Serenity, ‘Dongshan Holds a Memorial Service’. In this case we investigate Transmission, what is transmitted, as well as Yunyan’s famous phrase ‘Just this, this!’. Jane Andino
In this guided meditation Peter takes us into the silence of mind and body and introduces us to the practice of Silent Illumination (shikintaza) – where we drop away obstructions to perceive reality clearly, transcending noise and separation. He quotes Zen Master Hongzhi, who describes Silent Illumination as the “field of bound less emptiness” where everything functions freely in suchness,
The priest Ruiyan called “Master!” to himself every day and answered himself“Yes!”Then he would say “Be aware!” and reply “Yes!”“Don’t be deceived by others!”“No, no!”Peter delves into the profound meaning behind this seemingly simple practice of Ruiyan Shiyan, moving beyond interpretations of self-affirmation or mere remembrance. Connecting it to Ruiyan’s earlier encounter with Master Yantou, Peter highlights the challenge of
Yun Men said, “See how vast and wide the world is! Why do you put on your seven-piece robe at the sound of the bell?”This talk explores why do we practice? Honouring your longing, the sacred splinter in your heart that brings you in search of the Tao, to alleviate suffering.And it includes four guidelines from the Complete Enlightenment Sutra