The Case One day the Buddha ascended to the platform. Manjushri struck the board and announced “Contemplate clearly the dharma of the Dharma King. The dharma of the Dharma King is just this.” Blue Cliff Record Case 92 & Book of Serenity Case 1 Something in the neighborhood of fifty years ago I attend a talk by a Buddhist monk. He was an American, a convert disciple of a Chinese meditation master. So, in those days something of a... Read more
Every once in a while I notice this little anniversary as it rolls around. It was on this day, the 25th of August, in 1835 that the New York newspaper, The Sun, began a series of six articles that reported the discovery of a civilization on the moon by the renowned astronomer Sir John Herschel. It was quickly revealed this was a hoax. While the true authorship has never been conclusively determined, and various names have been floated, as well... Read more
One of the many things I delight in in reading Zhuangzi is how one his stories pointing to wisdom features a butcher. Meat is, legitimately, a complex thing for those of us on a path that acknowledges our profound interconnectedness. Of course, the same thing can be said about life in general. And, about our spiritual lives in particular. I’ve been caught up in some conversation with friends about preparation of Zen teachers. And, in pursuing those conversations two things... Read more
I would hope that even school children know of the great mathematician and philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria, and sing her praises, and recall her terrible death at the hands of a Christian mob in 415. But, me, at least in this moment, I find myself thinking mostly of her disciple Synesius. Synesius was a student of philosophy, particularly Hypatia’s Neoplatonism. He had studied with her for several years and he would later continue to correspond with her for the rest of... Read more
The Lotus Sutra: A Biography Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton University Press, 2016, Princeton An Appreciation James Ishmael Ford One of my early encounters with the range of Buddhism, or maybe it is best said as Buddhisms, was being invited by a nice elderly Japanese woman that I met while working at Holmes Book Company in Oakland, to attend a “Buddhist meeting.” I’d just started sitting (meditating in the Zen style) with a Zen group and so that seemed a great... Read more
Over on Facebook one of my friends posted about an event that opened a wound between her and the residential Zen center with which she has been affiliated for much of her adult life. It has caused a bit of a stir. Some saying it shared too much, others that it pointed to a deep shadow at that Zen center, and others, well, it has become something of a rorschach allowing all of us with concerns for and about... Read more
Philip Kapleau was born today, the 20th of August, 1912. I wrote a biographical sketch of this pioneering Western Zen teacher for my book Zen Master Who? Last year the good folk at Lion’s Roar edited it and printed it as part of an acknowledging of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Rochester Zen Center. What follows is my rewrite of Lion’s Roar‘s edit of my original essay. Philip Kapleau is widely acknowledged as an important Zen master,... Read more
The Buddha and the Non Believer A Meditation on a Zen Koan James Ishmael Ford Blue Cliff Zen Sangha, Boundless Way Zen West The Case: A non-believer opened his heart to the Buddha, saying, “I am not asking about words, I am not asking about the wordless.” The world honored one sat quietly. The non-believer replied to this, “With your wisdom and heart you have parted the clouds of my confusions, and showed me the way through.” He made bows... Read more
I had originally put up a reflection on the differences between Zen priests and teachers here. But not long after publishing it, I felt dissatisfied with the product. Too jumbled, not explored enough, it just didn’t work. So, I took it down. Instead, here’s our attempt at describing that difference within the organization to which I belong. What’s the difference between a BoWZ transmitted Teacher and a BoWZ priest? The Boundless Way Zen Mission Statement says, “The great project of... Read more
My wonderful dharma sibling Daniel Terragno talking about Zen. He is not as well known here in the English speaking community as he should be. He is a lay Zen master, principally teaching using the Soto reformed Harada Yasutani koan curriculum. When I looked at Youtube I saw nearly all the clips available are in Spanish. If you have Spanish speaking friends who have an interest in Zen, you might point them toward those clips. He lives mostly... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In