I notice how by some calculations this is the beginning of Obon, the traditional festival of the dead in Japan. Feels particularly appropriate for several reasons. For one, today Jan and I will be making the big push to finish clearing out the house in Newton ahead of a cleaning tomorrow. For another, I’m conducting the last service I’m likely to do as minister of the First Unitarian Society in Newton, a memorial service for a long time and beloved... Read more

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes… Henry David Thoreau One of my favorite blogs is Wild Fox Zen written by Zen teacher Dosho Port. I really admire him for lots of reasons. Not least of which is how obviously he has genuine insight into the fundamental matter. His most recent posts have been about power, and more specifically about power as authority in Zen. This is something I’ve also given some thought to and here I’d like to... Read more

Well, the end is in sight… Today burly guys come and remove stuff that will be recycled or dumped… Jan will oversee as I slip away to the Newton cemetery for a brief internment service. Last night after I picked up Jan we stayed in Boston’s MetroWest and attended the New Rep’s production of According to Tip, a one man production featuring Ken Howard telling the story of the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill. Like a fair number... Read more

Forwarded from Shosan Victoria Austin: As of 2:15 today, the fire has entered Tassajara, and our improvised sprinkler system is protecting the buildings, with the help of the five well-prepared monks on-site. Please continue to check our website, www.sfzc.org, for information and updates. If you are willing and able, please call or e-mail California senators’ local offices in support of Tassajara. Their numbers are: Senator Dianne Feinstein (415)393-0707Senator Barbara Boxer (415)403-0100 What you can say: You read the story in... Read more

Apparently five clergy, including Abbot Steve Stucky remain at Tassajara following a formal evacuation. The fire continues to rage and the situation at this writing remains unclear… Tassajara Zen Mountain Center was established as a Zen training temple in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition by the late Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and his senior students, particularly Richard Baker (now roshi) in 1966. It remains one of the signal centers for Zen practice in the West. For more details as they become... Read more

Hello all, Well, yesterday we emptied the house in Newton. Mostly. There is a rather large amount of stuff that needs to be hauled away, and then we need to clean the place up. But compared to what’s been what we are close enough to done to feel a wave of relief. Spent the night in our apartment on the East Side. Learned the dishwasher doesn’t work, nor the air conditioning unit in the living room. (Things being what they... Read more

Today we empty the house into “pods,” which then discreetly disappear until we’re ready for them at our new house in Pawtucket, Rhode Island… So, a momentous occasion. Almost too swimmingly busy to notice, but last night was the last we’ll sleep in “our” house in Newton, Massachusetts… Tonight we take up residence in our East Side Providence apartment… Who said it’s all about change? ps: entries here might be a bit spotty for a bit… Read more

Seventy-three years ago Tenzen Gyatso was born. A couple of years later ecclesiastical authorities following the advice of astrologers and their own investigations identified the young boy as the fourteenth incarnation of the Dalai Lama. As a rationalistic Unitarian Universalist Buddhist my read on the tulku system is, frankly, suspicious. And when I see figures such as Steven Seagal get named as tulkus I find it hard to take it all very seriously. On the other hand there is a... Read more

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I’ve found myself thinking about Jesse Helms who died yesterday. I really wanted to say something nice about him and thought about it. The best I’ve been able to come up with is that he and his wife adopted a child with cerebral palsy, he did work with Bono to address AIDS in Africa (although never here at home) and that he was very good at constituent services. I’m also sure he loved his family and by all accounts was... Read more