Jan & I have spent some time of late exploring Middle Eastern cuisines – that constellation of foods that range from the pillars of Hercules to somewhere within the Indian subcontinent. I even have to admit it is giving our long-time love, Mexican cuisine a serious run as our go-to comfort food. And among the many dishes that have captured our hearts and stomaches (a special shoutout to chicken koobideh here), the real treat is the spud gone naughty,... Read more
The other day I gave a talk on the Ten Oxherding Pictures. It was livecast on Facebook and there were a few viewers who joined in during the question and answer session at the end. One person asked where I would place the kensho experience among the pictures? Fair question. And one I hadn’t been thinking about. In the moment I suggested how perhaps it could be at the second picture where the kid notices the traces of... Read more
Kuoan Shiyuan’s Ten Oxherding Pictures In Zen’s history there have been a number of attempts at mapping the spiritual journey. The metaphor of taming an ox has been the most popular of these maps. During the Song dynasty (racing between the middle of the tenth century of our common era and the last decades of the thirteenth) as Zen as we understand it today began to take shape, there were several such attempts showing an oxherd and that... Read more
It was on this day in 1373 that Julian of Norwich recovered from a serious illness during which she experienced a series of sixteen visions. And it is on this day she began to write down what had happened to her. She kept working on that text for several years. This writings would eventually become the Revelations of Divine Love. Beyond her writings we know almost nothing about her, not even her name. About all we are sure of... Read more
Zen priest Claire Gesshin Greenwood asked on Facebook what exactly was the source of the oft cited bit of Zen counsel that life or training or Zen itself is “one continuous mistake”? It led to various thoughts and suggestions, some of them even informed. Facebook is like that. Some opine she was offering a koan. In all likelihood the source of that particular phrase is the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki, who wrote in Zen Mind, Begninner’s Mind: “When we... Read more
Here are some parallel sayings from the Dao De Jing and the Christian Gospels compiled by Holmes Welch in his wonderful Parting of the Way: Lao Tzu and the Taoist Movement (pages 5-6). He used translations for the Tao Te Ching by Lin Yutang, except for two, as marked, from Arthur Waley, and the Bible in the King James version, While such projects seeking parallels between differing religions are rife with problems, nonetheless I love the attempts. There is... Read more
An old and dear friend sent me a link to a reading of Wallace Stevens’ the Snow Man, suggesting here’s some winter Zen. I replied that I’d seen it used in the liturgy at at least one, and if I recall correctly two Western Zen communities. One must have a mind of winter To regard the frost and the boughs Of the pine-trees crusted with snow; And have been cold a long time To behold the junipers shagged with... Read more
The Day I Met Kali A Meditation on a Naturalistic Mysticism A sermon delivered at the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church Costa Mesa, California 6 May 2018 James Ishmael Ford In my mid-teenaged years, I discovered the 19th Century Hindu Saint Ramakrishna. Mainly through the writings of Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood. They were deeply tangled up with a Hindu mission, the Vedanta Society. Isherwood in particular wrote a lot on the subject. And in... Read more
Today is Cinco de Mayo. Out on the inter webs, if you’re moving in circles similar to mine you’re probably inundated with memes and video clips all making sure you know that today is not Mexican Independence Day. Good information. Unfortunately, the presentations are almost always without nuance. Lots of finger waging. Not a lot of love. However, Cinco de Mayo is a many splendored thing, and a subject worth knowing a bit about. I’ve fallen into the... Read more
The Reverend Gyokei Yokoyama a Soto Zen priest currently serving the North American offices of the Sotoshu as well as minister of the Long Beach Buddhist Church recently shared some thoughts with a few friends. He reflected on the Soto school as it take shape in the West. And, he suggested five videos produced by the Sotoshu laid out the history and the present situation pretty well. One of the videos addresses Soto Zen in Hawaii, two Soto Zen in... Read more
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