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
Peter reflects on the interaction between Venerable Ananda and Venerable Kāśyapa, highlighting Keizan’s assertion that true transmission goes beyond lineage to awakening our shared Buddha Nature. Ananda’s journey underscores the importance of recognizing and shedding our illusions of separation. By embodying this truth, we can realize our potential for awakening
In this teisho Gilly explores death – three months had passed since my life partner, Tony, died. I was grieving deeply and Thich Nhat Hanh’s ocean metaphor helped ease the burden. He begins: ‘When we look at the ocean, we see that each wave has a beginning and an end. A wave can
The question, “What is Buddha?” or, “What is Buddha Nature?” is a constant theme within Buddhism. Dōgen, the founder of Sōtō Zen Buddhism in Japan, has something interesting to say on this topic. Dōgen tells us that: Buddha Nature and becoming a Buddha always occur simultaneously. Paul Maloney, roshi explores
Paul Maloney, roshi, explores what is meant by Buddha Nature. The Zen Buddhist view on the human condition can be summarised by the following proposition of Hakuin Zenji, in the conclusion of his Song of Zazen. “This very place is the Lotus Land, this very body the Buddha.” If this
A tribute to Peacemaker Bernie Glassman, roshi Perhaps more than ever before, we need to take wise action in our fractured world with its global problems of climate change, rise in natural disasters, refugee crisis, economic and political instability. Wise action requires both an inner and outer revolution, not just
‘The reason you do not clearly understand the time-being is that you think of time only as passing. In essence, all things in the entire world are linked with one another as moments. Because all moments are the time-being, they are your time-being.‘ Dogen Time can measured in seconds, minutes,
Now more than ever before we need a genuine greening of the mind. We are facing climate change and an environmental crisis that affects all beings. This requires an inner and outer transformation to meet the challenges of our time. In this Dharma talk Subhana Barzaghi roshi, helps us recognise that to hear
When Guishan thrusts his hoe into the ground it represents vast emptiness, but that’s not the end of the story. He then puts his hoe on his shoulder and heads off to work with his fellow monks—his sangha. This story from the Book of Serenity reminds us of the importance
As the Chinese Year of the Dog begins – Gillian Coote, roshi explores the koan ‘Chao Chou’s dog’ which is the first case of the Wu-Men Kuan (The Galetless Barrier) This talk was given at 2013 Spring Sesshin held at Kodoji
