DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU THINK A Reflection on Awakening in Zen James Myoun Fordin conversation withJosh BartokMelissa Blacker& David Rynick The Case Case 51The Fifty-first Ancestor, Eihei Dogen Osho Eihei Dogen Osho came to Tiantong Osho. One day, Tiantong preached to his assembly at early morning meditation, saying, “Zazen is a falling away of body and mind.” Dogen, hearing this, suddenly had great realization. He went at once to the abbot’s chambers and offered incense.Tiantong asked him, “Why do you... Read more

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m deeply grateful for the accident of my birth into this strange, messy, violent, and lovely experiment that is the American nation. I’m endlessly fascinated with it. Yes, I am in the last analysis an internationalist, or rather more, a believer in the web of relationships that cuts no one off that says none is an “other.” And. And, I love my country, my native land which gave me language and culture and a perspective... Read more

Use your words today… Read more

RAGING AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT A Sermon by James Ishmael Ford & Cathy Seggel 27 December 2009 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave and close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men,... Read more

After a lovely day filled with cooking and cleaning and then feeding and visiting we went to bed early. At three thirty this morning Jan & I were up, Jan finished the last of her packing, and I drove her to the airport. She’ll be spending the next week in Los Angeles with family leaving auntie, the cats, the fish and me to fend for ourselves… Okay for today, anyway. I have some errands to run and must finish tomorrow’s... Read more

The other day I received a note from a fellow Zen practitioner. For the tag line he used one of those jokes floating around the web. “Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.” As I read it I felt a flash of guilt. I recalled being contacted with an offer of a copy of a book to review. Actually the book has been sitting on my bedside for a while,... Read more

Lest we forget… Read more

I learned to read at my grandmother’s knee, she resting her large family King James Bible on her lap. As written words came to be mine other things happened, as well. She believed the big and well worn book told the sacred story of the world. She believed and so, so did I. Many, many years have passed. My world has become bigger, my vision of faith is informed by many perspectives. Among other things I draw upon the wisdoms... Read more

Robert Bly was born on this day in 1926. Not precisely my cup of tea, but genuinely an interesting guy who opened the way of the heart for lots of people, particularly men who might not have otherwise stumbled onto the path… Read more

“Everything I have ever been, I still am. although in transformed ways. At Christmas time all those images of Jesus from Christmases past come fully to life. I walk around with tears in my eyes. Tears of joy, tears of rage, tears of hope, tears of despair. Secular, humanist, Marxist, Quaker, Buddhist tears. Human tears. Complicated tears. Wonderful tears.” Richard Hayes Read more