Today, the 3rd of November, the Anglican communion honors Richard Hooker, priest and theologian in its calendar of feasts. He was a central figure in the establishment of Anglicanism as a via media, a middle way between Catholicism and Protestantism. Hooker was also a beautiful writer. He articulated a “threefold cord not quickly broken” of Bible, church, and reason. It would evolve with Anglicanism into the “three-legged stool” of scripture, tradition, and reason. (The historical nitpickers among us,... Read more

    Mu: A Love Letter Tom Wardle Empty Moon Zen The Gateless Gate, Case One: Zhaozhou’s Dog A student of the way asked Zhaozhou (Joshu), “Has the dog Buddha nature or not?” Zhaozhou said, “Mu.” The Verse  Dog, Buddha nature— The full presentation of the whole; With a bit of “has” or “has not” Body is lost, life is lost I am really excited to be giving this talk today and I have been inspired by the many in... Read more

      Out near where my mother in law lives there’s a church called “All Saint’s Lutheran.” They also sport a directional sign for parking. It reads “This way for All Saints.” And appended under that, someone thoughtfully added, “And sinners, too…” It never fails to make me smile. And. Today is the feast of all saints. It the Western tradition it follows All Hallows eve and precedes the feast for All Souls. Like shadow and dawn. I think of... Read more

        I think of how it began for me. My first of many moments, my opening into the spiritual way. When I was a youth, I wanted to know God. Or, that God was a sham. Desperately. With all my heart. I even prayed that if God would reveal himself, herself, itself – in the next moment he, she, it could kill me. I meant it. What I got was silence. Silence. It can be a brick... Read more

      “To live in this world you must be able to do three things to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go” Mary Oliver Here’s a little secret. The spiritual life is our inheritance from before the creation of the stars and planets. No matter what else is so, there is this mysterious way and... Read more

    The Japanese Zen master Soyen Shaku died on this day, the 29th of October, in 1919. A prominent Rinzai master, he was invited to present a paper at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. The event was captured by the great Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda. And even among the Buddhists present, the one most remembered at the time was Sri Lankan Anagarika Dhamapala. But for some, and for the establishment of Zen in the West, the most... Read more

      The other day my spouse Jan and I watched the PBS “American Masters” segment, “Becoming Helen Keller.” It was a real treat. And even more so for me as I saw Jan’s name scroll by in the credits among a bunch of people marked out for special “thanks.” A really good summary of Helen Keller’s life and contributions. In the program they made much of that turning point in the movie about Helen Keller, with the pump,... Read more

      It was today, the 27th of October in 312 that the general and would be emperor Constantine, later called the Great, claimed to have a vision of a cross in the sky and heard the words “With this sign, conquer.” I’ve commented on this moment in the past. In 2011 I titled my noticing of this date “When Religions Go Bad.” In 2016 I titled it “One Could Say Today is the Day the Devil Took Over... Read more

      It was on this day, the 26th of October in 1892 that Ida B. Wells’s Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases was published. It is extremely hard to overstate the importance of this book and of Ms Wells, herself. From when I first learned of her, I’ve tried to note this anniversary. Although searching my blog archives, I see I’ve been remiss for a couple of years. What follows is my briefest summary of her life... Read more

      TRUE HEART RISING Jesus & Ikkyu, Scrooge & Tiny Tim Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer Joseph Priestley Zen Sangha and Empty Moon Zen I was preparing a dharma talk the other day that touched upon the Zen priest and poet Ikkyu Sojun, that antinomian character who, were he Chinese, might well have been referred to as a kind of Daoist Zannie, but who seems, frankly, too serious for that. No, his hanging out in brothels and taverns feels more... Read more