For me, today, the 25th of June is something of a holy day. I’ve described this day before. It is, as I said, a holy day for me… On this day in 1900 the Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu, was at work salvaging for ancient religious artwork in one of the ruined Caves of the Thousand Buddhas near Dunhuang. But today was special. In one of the caves he noticed a long hidden door. He opened it. That... Read more

        Today, the 24th of June, is Midsummer Day, the ancient European celebration of the summer. The solstice rolls around close to it, this year it was the 21st. In the development of the Christian liturgical calendar this date becomes significant because it becomes the feast of John the Baptist. As the forerunner of Jesus, his feast is set exactly six months from that of Jesus. That would be today. It sparks that little quip from scholars... Read more

      As it happens it was on this day, the 22nd of June in 1633 that Vincenzo Maculani da Firenzuola representing the Holy Office of the Inquisition, declared: “We pronounce, judge, and declare, that you, the said Galileo… have rendered yourself vehemently suspected by this Holy Office of heresy, that is, of having believed and held the doctrine (which is false and contrary to the Holy and Divine Scriptures) that the sun is the center of the world,... Read more

    Robert Aitken was born on this day, the 19th of June, in Philadelphia, in 1917. Soon after the family moved to Hawai’i. He is remembered as one of the first Westerners to be recognized as a Zen master. As it happens I’ve referenced him by name 139 times on my Monkey Mind blog. Here’s an appreciation I wrote, or more accurately culled out of earlier posts, for this date last year.  What follows are some words of his... Read more

      Frithjof Schuon was born in Basel, Switzerland, on this day, the 18th of June, in 1907. His mother was a francophone Alsatian while his father was German Swiss. His father, Paul was a concert violinist, and the family was a center of music, literature, and spirituality. The Schuon’s were progressive Catholics. From his childhood Schuon was obsessed with spiritual matters. While in primary school he became friends with Titus Burckhardt, who in time would gain renown as... Read more

        Today, the 17th of June, is celebrated in the Anglican communion as a feast for St Botwulf of Thorney. His feast is celebrated by other Western Christian communions as well, although on other dates. Details of his life are at best sketchy, most of what we know comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written some hundred years after his death. What caught me is that he is among a couple of other things, the patron saint of boundaries.... Read more

        A student of the intimate way asked Zhaozhou, “Why did Bodhidharma come from the West? Zhaozhou replied, “The Cypress Tree in the Garden.” Gateless Gate, case 37 I cannot say what a treat it was when I was offered the chance to review a new book from a California based publisher, Kales Press. I love smaller presses, and I especially am happy to see California based publishing. The book: Trees: An Anthology of Writings and Paintings... Read more

      At this moment in my life, I suffer from an abundance of offers of free books. Well, not actually free. The cost is a promise to review it. Mostly I decline these offers. The truth is the stack of books I want to read for my purposes is dangerously high. And I want to get the stack lower, not add unnecessarily to it. For that reason, I tend to keep close to my subject when I agree... Read more

      I’ve just noticed that the Episcopal Church observes today, the 13th of June, as a feast, of sorts, for Gilbert Keith Chesterton. He is perhaps best known as G. K. Chesterton. According to Wikipedia his “friendly enemy” George Bernard Shaw spoke of Chesterton as “a man of colossal genius.” And a public intellectual of his time and place. Chesterton was a wit and a controversialist.  He was a both a literary and social critic. he turned his... Read more

      Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators GUY ARMSTRONG Somerville, Mass.: Wisdom Publications, 2017. 307 pp., paper, $17.95. Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the Language of Dragons JAMES ISHMAEL FORD Wisdom Publications, 2018. 248 pp., paper, $17.95. Reviewed by Dhananjay Joshi Of course the bird we see and hear exists. It exists, but what I mean by that may not be exactly what you mean. —Shunryu Suzuki Roshi To come across one good book on a topic like... Read more