Buddhism

Hakuin Zenji

Hakuin Zenji is credited with revitalising the Rinzai (Linji) tradition in 18thcentury Japan. In this talk, Jane looks at aspects of Hakuin’s life which serve as a reflection on our modern-day Zen practice. She explores Hakuin’s art and calligraphy as teaching, and his efforts to transform Zen from a quietist practice to one of vigour, with emphasis on koan study.

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Stone Woman

Dogen’s metaphor of Stone Woman giving birth to a child by night encapsulates the wisdom of seeing into the empty nature of the ‘self’ and all hence all phenomenal things.  This realisation opens out to the way of true intimacy of interconnectedness with the 10,000 things of the world.  The awakening to the interpenetration of emptiness and form emerges through

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What is progress?

A monk says to Jingqing, “I am pecking from the inside, I beg you master, please peck from the outside”. Jingqing says, “But will you be alive?” This quote appears in the Blue Cliff Record, Case 16. The monk then says, “I am vigorously working this way, if I were not alive, I would be laughed at”. Jingqing responds, “You

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Who is Hearing?

Peter takes up two koans that revolve around the primary koan of “Who is Hearing”. Challenging the self to see where we begin and end, we eventually realise it’s not about beginnings or endings at all. There is only one timeless present, sometimes its valley streams, sometimes its rain drops… This teisho, given by apprentice teacher Peter Bursky, explores Xuansha’s

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Giving and Receiving

We recently honoured Sally Hopkins, who gave herself unstintingly to our sangha, and, in a couple of weeks, will honour Tony Coote, who gave so much to create Kodoji, our wilderness retreat centre. So, Gilly explores the concept of Dana, the Sanskrit word for giving or relinquishment. Dana is the first of the Ten Perfections, or Paramitas, the others being

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Gifts from the Ancestors

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

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The Way of Love

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

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