As it happens, today, the 8th of October, 1582, never happened. At least this day never happened in Poland, Portugal, or Spain. It was part of the general corrections that were implemented with the new Gregorian calendar. While calendars and what they mean and do not is certainly worthy of some reflection, as a dutiful Zen person the thing that most captures my heart is the no-thing, the day that did not happen. Of late I’ve found myself... Read more
In his magisterial study, Dogen’s Manuals of Zen Meditation, Carl Bielefeldt begins by telling us “The Zen school is the Meditation school, and the character of Zen can be traced in the tradition of its meditation teaching.” As most people know, the word Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chan, which itself is the Chinese pronunciation of Dhyana, which literally means concentration but is understood to mean meditation. Zen is a school of Buddhism devoted to... Read more
According to Matthew Ciolek’s interesting Zen Calendar, today, the 5th of October, is celebrated as a festival in honor of Bodhidharma the semi-historical, semi-mythic founder of Chinese Zen (and some branches of martial arts, and the originator of tea in China…). In the Zen tradition Bodhidharma, twenty-eighth heir in direct transmission from the Buddha Shakyamuni, is the great missionary carrying the Zen way into China in either the fifth or maybe the sixth centuries of our common era.... Read more
Many years ago I ran across a book describing a visit to Japan sometime before the second world war. I don’t recall a lot about it. Except, that is, for one thing. The writer described encountering a small Buddhist society whose members were following an adaptation of the rule of St Francis. I’ve long since lost the book and have never been able to find anything else about this little band, almost certainly consumed in the fires of that second... Read more
There’s a bit of a hubbub in Western Zen communities about who is, or, maybe who should be a teacher. There are a lot of people sporting the title these days. Some, how shall we say, of uncertain origins. Me, I find it totally surprising that there are a lot of people who want to be Zen teachers. Must be the big bucks. Or, a good way to meet people. Whatever the reason there are a lot of people who’ve... Read more
Jan and I are just back from a three-day sesshin. Sesshin is a term of art within Zen. It’s a Japanese word, it translates roughly as “to touch the heart mind.” And it refers to a period of time, usually three, five, or seven days, although it can and sometimes is more, all dedicated to Zen style meditation. So, we returned physically exhausted. And finally in our own beds slept pretty hard. This morning we awoke to the news. As... Read more
Sesshin guidelines recommended by Zen teachers Dosho Port & Tetsugan Zummach of Vine of Obstacles Zen. I think they’re worth sharing here. Sesshin Guidelines 1. Diligence: Maintain your practice throughout the day and night, and follow the schedule. Be at your seat before the five-minute han is struck at the beginning of each block of zazen. You may use the bathroom during kinhin, but kinhin is not the time for making tea or taking a stretch break. During... Read more
The term of art for a Zen intensive meditation retreat. The word itself means to “touch the heart mind.” Here we wrestle with the mysteries of our human hearts, the divides we create and which create us, and the great singing empty at the heart of it all. May all beings be free. Read more
As the hour approached midnight on the evening of the 27th of September, 2017, I gave Denkai transmission to Tetsugan Zummach, Osho. In the Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist inheritance Denkai, or precepts transmission, does two things. First, for a priest, like Tetsugan, it completes the ordination process begun when one undergoes shukke tokudo, home leaving ordination, or, sometimes also called unsui tokudo, clouds and waters ordination. The second is that it is the first official step... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In