Out in social media universe I saw a posting about Zen Christians from my old friend on the way Ken Ireland. He provided a list of Christian clergy who are authorized in formal Zen lineages. And in the middle of the pack, there I was. I wrote him a query and he responded, “I put you in the lineage of Father Lasalle, which is not totally accurate, but close enough for government work.” It did set me... Read more

    “In my life, faith has always been a beacon of hope and a calling to purpose, as it is for so many Americans, and I believe that protecting religious freedom is as important now as it has ever been. We must continue our work to ensure that people of all faiths — or none — are treated as full participants in society, equal in rights and dignity. We can only fully realize the freedom we wish for ourselves by... Read more

    Today at our Saturday morning Empty Moon Zen gathering we were engaged in our once a month book discussion group. Currently we’re reading that classic text in our emerging Western Buddhism, When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödren. When discussing one of the points, Tom Wardle, one of our senior dharma teachers called us to T.S. Eliot’s “Wait Without Hope,” a section from East Corker, itself the second part of his magisterial Four Quartets. I’ve been meeting with... Read more

    Shodoka – Song of Realization Yoka-daishi (d.713) Excerpted from Buddhism and Zen Compiled, edited and translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Ruth Stout McCandless (New York: The Philosophical Library, 1953), pp. 32-72. The stanzas italicized were translated from a copy of the original by Nyogen Senzaki, and the commentary following the stanzas was from Senzaki’s own instructions to his students. … The minute you attain Buddha’s Zen, the six noble deeds and the ten thousand good actions are already... Read more

      George Fox died on this day, the 13th of January, 1691, 331 years ago. He was born into a Puritan family in Leicestershire, England sometime in July, 1624. His father a weaver and so the family was financially secure. He doesn’t seem to have been formally educated, although he was literate. George apprenticed as a shoemaker. But he was also known for his spiritual calling and his quest for simplicity. Following an inner voice he began to... Read more

    The Five Remembrances & the Path of Heart Maureen Weinhardt Empty Moon Zen I am of the nature to grow old; there is no way to escape growing old. I am of the nature to have ill health; there is no way to escape having ill health. I am of the nature to die; there is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature of change; there... Read more

      MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES A Meditation on Olympia Brown & Navigating Hard Times James Ishmael Ford A Sermon delivered at the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles 9 January 2022 I come to you today with some bad news. But, not to worry unduly. I also have good news to share. And they’re connected. Let me start with the bad. Okay. For most of us it isn’t exactly news. These are, you may have noticed,... Read more

      About twice a month I visit an old ministerial colleague. He lives in an assisted living house across the Los Angeles metroplex from where we live, so about an hour’s drive away. More if we push close to LA’s rush hour. He suffers from two things. One is macular degeneration, a disorder I particularly dread. But, worse he suffers from vascular Parkinson’s. It’s a nasty thing, the product of a cluster of strokes. It looks like Parkinson’s,... Read more

    Today is many things. For one thing it’s the anniversary of Mr Trump’s little attempted putsch. Lots about that going on. And attention does need to be paid. But in the Western Christian tradition today, the 6th of January is the feast of the Epiphany. And that is what has most captured my heart for this day. Epiphany means “manifestation” or, perhaps “striking appearance.” It’s also called the Theophany, which means “a vision of God.” Here we get... Read more

    Mukunda Lal Ghosh was born in Forakhpur, in Uttar Pradesh, on this day, the 5th of January, in 1893. The fourth of eight children. His parents were well to do, his father a vice president of the Bengal Nagpur Railway. Because of his father’s work the family relocated several times, giving young Mukunda a more urbane sense of India. A major turning in his life was when he was eleven years old, and his mother died. His heart... Read more