A friend just pointed me to this article I wrote for Huffington Post in 2013. I thought it might be worth sharing again… I’ve had a brief exchange of notes with someone concerned about the large number of scandals related to Zen teachers. He suggested the ratio is almost one to one. A bit of an exaggeration, but a real question. He also puffed me up a bit suggesting that Barry Magid and I were among the few sane teachers... Read more
(At our Empty Moon Zen half day intensive meditation retreat, Roshi Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer gave the talk. He’s the resident priest and guiding teacher at the Joseph Priestley Zen Sangha in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, as well as guiding teacher at Empty Moon Zen. He reflected on the fourth of Dongshan’s Five Ranks. Frankly, it took my breath away. I asked if I could reprint it here at my blog and he graciously consented…) Our old friend, Dongshan, will not be repressed.... Read more
One of my favorite not exactly religious holidays is upon us! Today, Tuesday, is the day before my liturgically minded Christian friends observe Ash Wednesday, and launch into their long “fast.” (Scare quotes because, hey, its not really a fast, is it? Not for most folk, anyway…) Fat Tuesday, I gather, in French is Mardi Gras. In the liturgical calendar it is called Shrove Tuesday. It’s meant to be a moment of self-reflection. But, for humans, it can go in... Read more
An old friend just told me about one of the interesting wrinkles in the flood of artificial intelligence offerings. Google’s Notebook LM offers a program where one can turn a manuscript into a conversation between two robots. One has a male voice, the other a female. So, I did it… Read more
(At our Empty Moon Zen Rohatsu retreat at the end of the year there were several outstanding talks on our intimate way. I’ve asked the speakers if I could reprint them at my blog, and each graciously agreed. Here I offer the last of these, this from Thomas Wardle, a Dharma Holder within our Zen lineage.) The Case: The priest Xiangyan (Kyogen) said, “It is as though you were up in a tree, hanging from a branch with your teeth.... Read more
“Make of yourself a light” said the Buddha, before he died. I think of this every morning as the east begins to tear off its many clouds of darkness, to send up the first signal-a white fan streaked with pink and violet, even green. An old man, he lay down between two sala trees, and he might have said anything, knowing it was his final hour. The light burns upward, it thickens and settles over the fields. Around him, the... Read more
A friend recently posted on social media ten pointers for engaging with the world and our difficult political and ecological crises. It was from my book, The Intimate Way Of Zen. I’m glad he thought it helpful. Perhaps you will, as well… Ten Zen Pointers 1. Start with generosity of heart. 2. Bind ourselves to standards of conduct that support our aspirations. There are lots of rules, laws, precepts, and guidelines offered by different traditions. Understand what these rules are... Read more
Thus have I heard. And which I repeat. Brigid was born in 451 in County Louth. Traditions say her mother, Brocca was a Christian Pict slave. Baptized, tradition says, by Patrick himself. Brigid was said to exhibit signs of holiness from early on, including giving away her father’s money and goods to the poor. She became a nun, and with seven companions are celebrated as the first nuns in Ireland. She was eventually given “abbatial powers,” authority similar to that... Read more
(Maurine Mo Weindhardt is a Dharma Holder with the Empty Moon Zen Sangha. She delivered this talk at our December Rohatsu retreat. I asked her if I could reprint it here, and she graciously agreed.) For those of you who might need a sincere reminder, hear me. This is a deep and abiding truth: You are worthy. You are sacred. You are loved. Today, we’re going to talk about meeting the struggle. This has many meanings — but whether big... Read more
(On Saturday the 18th of January, Dr Chris Kaishin Hoff, an Empty Moon Zen Senior Dharma Teacher delivered the talk. With his generous permission I’m reprinting it here. I find it particularly timely…) In December, the counseling clinic I direct had a Secret Santa gift exchange. When it came my turn to open a gift, I was surprised by a coffee mug with the phrase “hope betrays” printed on it. I laughed out loud. You see, all the therapists who... Read more
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