Keiji Nishitani died on this day, the 24th of November, in 1990. I noted this a few years ago. And thought it good to repeat. What follows is lightly edited from that earlier posting. If you’re unfamiliar with Professor Nishitani, and you are interested at all in Zen, I suggest you may want to learn more. He was one of the principal figures in the establishment of the Kyoto School, which the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,... Read more
An old friend just announced on his Facebook page the formation of the Soto Zen North America project. Now the posting on social media was quickly taken down. So, it might have been a bit premature. But the website remains. So… As it happens this past year following an extended period of discernment I resigned my membership in the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, which exists as an attempt to create an association for... Read more
In 1842 Margaret Fuller sent her mentor the Reverend William Ellery Channing a letter. It was “A Credo,” her attempt to formulate her faith. It was published posthumously together with other writings as Memoirs in 1852, by her friends and admirers Ralph Waldo Emerson, W. H. Channing, and J. F. Clark. Memoirs came out ten years after she composed her credo and two years after her tragic death along with... Read more
One who embarks on the path of awakening aspiring to master Wisdom is a Bodhisattva motivated by Great Compassion, taking the Great Vows to save all beings with the cultivation of Samadhi, and not seeking Liberation for one’s own sake alone. Zhanglu Zongze There are three critical meditation manuals within the Zen tradition. The first was composed sometime at the beginning of the twelfth century. The other two were composed in the first half of the thirteenth. We... Read more
Eight years ago, Jan & I retired from our respective positions, she as research librarian at the wondrous Perkins School for the Blind, and me as minister of the First Unitarian Church of Providence. We shrunk our worldly goods as best we could, sold our home, and moved back to our native California. Our intention was to be near Jan’s mom who lives in the once independent city and since 1932, a... Read more
Alfred Russel Wallace, died on this day, the 7th of November, in 1823. After Charles Darwin there are two figures I think are counted as critical to the development of modern evolutionary thought. Darwin resisted the public forum, disliked the rough and tumble of public disputation, and feared the challenge to his position in society publication could lead to. If it weren’t for the fact that Wallace had come up with pretty much the same... Read more
I first practiced Zen in the Soto style, with its emphasis on the deep discipline of Just sitting. Later I entered a Soto monastery where I encountered Japanese Zen’s monastic discipline of minute attention to the details of life. Later after I left the monastery and other spiritual disciplines I began a small sitting group on the Russian River in northern California. Among the snakes and dragons that wandered into my zendo was a former monk... Read more
I first practiced Zen in the Soto style, with its emphasis on the deep discipline of Just sitting. Later I entered a Soto monastery where I encountered Japanese Zen’s monastic discipline of minute attention to the details of life. Later after I left the monastery and other spiritual disciplines I began a small sitting group on the Russian River in northern California. Among the snakes and dragons that wandered into my zendo was a former... Read more
Occasionally I’m asked what is my holy scripture? That is, is there anything like the Bible for me as is generally understood by Christians. The short answer is no. But there’s a longer answer. Here I find myself thinking of the Gateless Barrier. Of the handful of books that have a permanent place in my heart, this thirteenth century Chinese anthology of Zen teachings, is one of the most important. The Gateless Barrier, sometimes... Read more
The Japanese Zen master and critical figure in introducing Zen to the west, Soyen Shaku (釈 宗演) died on this day, the 29th of October, in 1919. He was born Tsunejiro Ichinose, in 1859. His older brother wanted to ordain, but was unable to due to family obligations. At twelve young Tsunejiro ordained in honor of his brother. Similarly when he was given the opportunity to choose his own dharma name, he chose the name of... Read more
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