Thank you, Myozen, for starting the thread… Read more

Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang. The king said, “Venerable sir, since you have not counted it far to come here, a distance of a thousand li, may I presume that you are provided with counsels to profit my kingdom?” Mencius replied, “Why must your Majesty use that word ‘profit?’ What I am provided with, are counsels to benevolence and righteousness, and these are my only topics. “If your Majesty say, ‘What is to be done to profit... Read more

There appears to be a low bubbling concern raised every now and again about authorization in Zen asking what exactly a Zen teacher is supposed to be, anyway? It’s an important question. There are people who claim to be Zen teachers without any justification. They seem to have just awakened one morning (I guess there’s a pun there) and declared themselves Zen teachers. There are people with the normative credentials of the tradition, but little apparent training leading to the... Read more

Today is the birthday of Mahavira, the great founder of the Jain tradition. The traditions of the Jains and the Buddhists have close similarities, and stark differences. Worth knowing a little bit about these traditions in the light of the other. Understanding the limitations of a ten minute video and despite the fact it ends abruptly, this isn’t a bad clip attempting to briefly do this… Read more

THE WAY OF LIBERAL BUDDHISM The Case for a Buddhist Unitarian Universalism James Ishmael Ford (A few weeks ago I delivered a sermon on why I am a liberal Buddhist. The service included a guest gospel choir and I wove allusions and phrases from the Christian gospel tradition, which felt fine, and I thought the juxtaposition appropriate within a Unitarian Universalist context. A few weeks later I was co-presenter with David Rynick Roshi at a Convocation of the Unitarian Universalist... Read more

Adam Tebbe at Sweeping Zen has just published the first review of the Book of Mu for Amazon. “A monumental new book,” says Adam. “Edited by James Ishmael Ford and Melissa Myozen Blacker has hit bookshelves today (about a month early!)—The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen’s Most Important Koan. Ford and Blacker are both Zen teachers in the American Zen community representing the Boundless Way Zen school. The work is being presented as part of the Essential Writings... Read more

“Does a dog have Buddha nature?”THE BOOK OF MU Essential Writings on Zen’s Most Important Koan James Ishmael Ford, EditorMelissa Myozen Blacker, Editor The word “mu” is one ancient Zen teacher’s response to the earnest question of whether even a dog has “buddha nature”—and discovering for ourselves the meaning of the master’s response is the urgent work of each of us who yearns to be free and at peace. “Practicing Mu” is synonymous with practicing Zen, “sitting with Mu” is... Read more

But some do it better than others… I was at one of my favorite sites, Killing the Buddha, and just read Nathan Schneider’s latest, about a couple of things, but mainly the Melanesian Brotherhood, an Anglican religious order, and about peacemaking and what it sometimes costs… I suggest a visit… Read more

          Unitarian Universalist Views of Prayer Edited by Catherine Bowers In this pamphlet, eight Unitarian Universalists (UUs) respond to the questions “How do you pray?” “Why do you pray?” and “What role does prayer play in your life?” These questions, of course, assume an affirmative response to the previous question, “Do you pray?” Some Unitarian Universalists would simply respond, “No.” The responses in this pamphlet reflect the wide variety of approaches to prayer among Unitarian Universalists.... Read more

One of my friends who is also a Facebook friend posted two queries to her Facebook page. In one she asked what was the god you don’t believe in. The other asked what was the god you did believe in. Got lots of responses, including, of course, some cross over comments. Some snark. Some heartfelt appeals… I responded to both queries. I am a professional religious, after all. And I think about God a lot. Right off I know the... Read more