Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

November 25, 2014 By Domyo Burk

Humans have been struggling with this dilemma for ages: God is good - even synonymous with love - and all-powerful, so why does he continue to allow such suffering in the world? For a Zen Buddhist, this question is phrased like this: All being is Buddha-nature and this empty world is inherently precious and without defilement, but still the world is full of suffering. It feels as if there are two separate realities - and much of the time it seems they have nothing to do with each other. How do we integrate them? Is it possible? Here's the good news: the need to integrate what can seem like two separate realities may just be a stage on the spiritual path. Which means there's more to come, and it's worth forging ahead... Read more

Our First Meeting – the Ideal Becomes Actual and… Ordinary

November 20, 2014 By Domyo Burk

Last night was the first meeting of my Zen Center's "Downtown Portland Group." Over the course of one short evening, an ideal manifested as something actual. The strange thing was it didn't feel dramatic or particularly significant to me. Instead, it felt somewhat uncomfortable, somewhat normal, and just as constrained by my humanness as everything I have ever done. In other words, ordinary - in the sense of "neither very good nor very bad, not particularly impressive or special." At one point Rev. Paul Davis, the outreach minister at the church, had us gather a little closer together so he could get a snapshot of our little group for his weekly email newsletter... Read more

Making Money or Giving Myself to a Labor of Love

November 18, 2014 By Domyo Burk

One half of me wants to live on the edge and try to make this blog into a book. The other half of me knows it's about time I make enough money to support myself and stop mooching off the hard work of others. After all, I'm 43 years old and the peak of my earning career was in 1996 when I earned around $16,000 working for the US Forest Service. Since then it's been graduate school, training as a Zen monastic living in community on a shoe string, and then being generously supported by my (working) husband. It's been an interesting life but definitely not a lucrative one. As most of you normal people know, working full time (for money) leaves little time and energy for rest and family, let alone projects like blogs, book writing, social service, or political action. Part of what I am exploring on this blog is "a better understanding of what keeps nice people like me from getting more involved when so many beings are suffering," and of course one of the answers to that is this: We need to make money... Read more

Hello, My Fear and Ignorance

November 13, 2014 By Domyo Burk

My Zen meditation group for "the homeless" hasn't even met yet (we meet for the first time next Wednesday), but already I've gotten to meet my own fear and ignorance about what I'm trying to do. I wanted to write something on this topic now, before I start getting over my trepidation and learn more about reaching out to people living outside or with little or no income. I hope the ignorance and concerns I reveal here don't offend the friends I make through this work in the future, but I want to share my struggles because I think they are similar to the challenges facing anyone who actually tries to "help." As I state in my description of this blog, one of the things I'm interested in is "a better understanding of what keeps nice people like me from getting more involved when so many beings are suffering." Read more

"Not Knowing" and What It Doesn’t Mean

November 11, 2014 By Domyo Burk

The post I made last week about wearing my heart and doubt on my sleeve has gotten over 600 views so far. Considering that the next-most-popular post in this site has gotten about 50, I find this pretty remarkable. I've also gotten phone calls, emails, and heartfelt personal comments in response to my Great Doubt post. What does it mean that my posts about what I know are mildly appreciated, but a post about not knowing what the heck is going on resonates deeply with a large audience? As far as I can tell, people - at least the people reading my blog - are deeply caring, thoughtful pilgrims treading more or less the same path that I am. They like answers (preferably in the form of suggestions) they can consider and try out for themselves. But even more than that they appreciate a fellow pilgrim's description of the journey itself... Read more

Timidly Reaching Out to the Homeless

November 8, 2014 By Domyo Burk

Last week I went downtown, flyers in hand, to get the lay of the land for our Zen group for the homeless and the housed. I wanted to be in the space we will be using at the actual time of the week we will be holding the group: Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm, in the St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish Church. What was the lighting like, what was the program taking place in the other part of the building like, how many chairs were there, after all? The scene at the church on Wednesday evenings is quite lively... Read more

Wearing My Heart (and Doubt) On My Sleeve

November 7, 2014 By Domyo Burk

Last night I attended a memorial service for one of my Zen teachers, Kyogen Carlson. It was a deeply moving service with several hundred people in attendance, and they all got to witness me lose it. Sure, many others, while speaking or presenting, teared up for a moment or two. From time to time voices quivered with emotion. But I think I was the only to stand up in front of everyone with tears streaming down my face. Just so you know, I get pretty sick of being this way - wearing my heart and mind and process on my sleeve for all to see. I would really rather not impose it all on everyone. For one thing, it can make people feel sorry for you and think they need to help you. Sigh. It happened during the Shosan ceremony... Read more

The Intoxicating Poison of Despair

November 5, 2014 By Domyo Burk

Before I started Zen practice I was very familiar with despair. It's a state of mind similar to depression, but without the numbness. Despair is intoxicating in that once you start to indulge in it, it affects your whole being and you find yourself inexorably pulled to indulge in even more of it. Despair is poisonous in that it kills off life, slowly sucking away your enthusiasm, creativity, energy, joy... I've made a lot of progress in terms of living without despair, but it's still where my mind goes when things get tough... Read more

Zen Meditation for the Homeless and the Housed*

November 4, 2014 By Domyo Burk

Despite the general busyness of life recently, I have managed to keep moving forward on my vision for a Zen group for those who are homeless, no-or-low income, and those who are transitionally housed. The hardest part right now is deciding how to describe or name the population I want to serve. I definitely want those who are currently or formerly homeless to feel especially welcome. However, the state of homelessness can also be one associated with a certain amount of shame or embarrassment, so it may be best to simply extend an invitation to those who are no-or-low-income. This also includes many people living in subsidized housing, particularly in downtown areas, many of whom would be homeless if there wasn't a place for them in some program or other... Read more

The World Needs the Concept "Bodhisattva"

October 18, 2014 By Domyo Burk

A bodhisattva is a being who is devoted to the welfare of all living things. Someone who sets her sights impossibly high but then does not make her subsequent effort contingent on measurable success. I've tried long and hard to come up with some way to translate the Buddhist term "bodhisattva" into something familiar, secular, and English, but I haven't had any luck. It takes whole sentences to describe what a bodhisattva is... Read more