Today is the feast of the wondrous Mary Magdalene, so much more than either the orthodox would have her, or even as she’s portrayed in Dan Brown’s potboiler… Anyway, a tip of the hat to the real beloved disciple, the real first apostle, or so I’m pretty sure was the case… Read more
Sweeping Zen reports on the death of the Zen teacher. “Dr. John Hurrell Crook, the first dharma successor of the late Master Sheng Yen and also the founder of the Western Chan Fellowship, died peacefully at his home yesterday in Somerset, England on July 16, 2011 at age 80. Crook is also remembered as a distinguished ethologist, serving as Reader in Ethology at the Department of Psychology of the University of Bristol in the 1970s and 1980s. His death comes... Read more
I’ve given a lot of thought to our emerging Buddhisms of the West. As I count them there are various sorts of traditionalists ranging from Western Buddhists of East and South Asian descent who were raised in the West within various cultural enclaves including, near as I can tell, every Buddhist nationality, to traditionalist converts, often Vinaya monastics, although by no means all. What precisely is traditional is of course a bit on the slippery side. Mostly, however, these Buddhists... Read more
I see today is Red Skelton’s birthday, or would have been had he not died some thirteen or fourteen years ago. Skelton was one of that generation of vaudevillians who were challenged to make the transition to radio and then television, and was one of the blessed few who succeeded. I was working in Wahrenbrock’s Book House, a venerable used and antiquarian bookstore in San Diego, now also long gone, when one day Red and entourage walked through the doors.... Read more
For me it is now officially sixty-three rounds (sixty-four if we were counting East Asian style)… Nothing in particular new to report… Although it is increasingly hard to pretend I’m middle aged… Read more
Always an important question. In my youth, like many youth, I traveled the country by thumb. Scary moments. Wondrous adventures. Remind me to tell you some time about the time I was picked up by the two guys who had been contracted by the owner of a car to steal the car and dump it in a lake, but decided to double their profits by driving it to Mexico… My travels have become a bit less exciting in recent years…... Read more
I think of the storming of the Bastille and I think of the hope of humanity. And all the dangers that come with this aspiration, and the horrors when it goes wrong. The whole thing… I wanted to include the clip from one of the great movies that in some ways adds layers to this, but the copyright holders don’t appear to want that loose a usage. You may go here to watch it… Read more
No Zen in the West is one of my favorite blogs, collaboratively written by two brothers, both Soto Zen priests. I was a little surprised to notice two days ago when the essay “Heroes, Sangha, and Why I Haven’t Read ‘Fire Monks’” went up. It’s actually a good book, and one I’ve just recommended as summer reading to those looking for something with a real dash of Zen to it, a fast paced bit of non-fiction adventure. Fire Monks is... Read more
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