Jane Andino delves into the inner layers of a story where a monk encounters a nun Shih-chi or True World. Jane unpacks the exchange between these two people and looks at what the word ‘true’ might mean for us. She also comments on the paramita of aspiration. This story is told in Case 3 of the Wu-men Kuan. This teisho
Jane Andino examines the question of how we, as Zen lay practitioners, can be in the world and also in our True Home. How do we find freedom of action and ease in our home, the world? ‘At Home in the World’ is the title of a chapter in a book by Steve Hagen of the Minnesota Zen Centre. This
There are three primary practices in Zen training – Mindfulness of breathing, Koan practice which is working with an existential question and silent illumination practice.Silent illumination is both a practice method and realisation of mind. We need to make a distinction between silent illumination which is the direct realisation of mind and silent illumination that entails a practical practice. What
This is one of the primary Koans in Zen training used to open and awaken the mind. Zen Master Bassui, who was passionate about this koan urged his students throughout his life to take up this question. Our practice of Who’s hearing has strong resonances with the indigenous practice of Dadirri. Dadirri is a word that comes from the language of
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
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 –
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
No doubt many of you are feeling a range of emotions in the face of the long summer drought and devastating fires that have scorched and ravaged our beautiful vast and wide sunburnt home. Our house is indeed on fire, these are the biggest out of control fires any country in the world has ever known.Our large semi-arid country is
Gillian Coote, roshi explores Yunmen’s koan in light of the pressures and stresses of our lives, especially the climate emergency, and ways we may awaken to these dharma gates. This talk was given at the SZC Spring sesshin in 2019
