I’m working on a fairly large writing project. I hope, although I cannot say it will be a new book. It’s pretty intimate in parts, and because of that I wanted to be sure I wasn’t simply reworking an earlier book, If You’re Lucky, Your Heart Will Break. The subtitle is “field notes from a Zen life,” and I usually refer to it as my sort of memoir. I’ve jut re-read it, fast, I admit, but all... Read more

    Unitarian Universalism has long had a comfortable association with Buddhism. As a radically non-creedal community, approximately ten to fifteen percent of UUs identify as Buddhist.  At this point two Zen priests have served as parish ministers in UU congregations, although in both cases they had trained in conventional western seminaries. In this case the congregation is naming an affiliated minister based solely upon his training and credentials as a Zen Buddhist priest. An Announcement from the Unitarian Universalist... Read more

      Recently I posted a request for recommendations of a single book on Zen. I put it on a couple of lists to which I belong that are limited to Zen teachers. I added for this query some direct emails to a couple of old hands who don’t have formal titles but are particularly knowledgable about the Zen literature. A few of my friends made fun of the project. One, maybe two suggested the pillow (if you’re not... Read more

    Mother’s Day. I find myself thinking about my mother now long dead. My auntie, my “junior mother,” more recently dead. And, looming behind their mother, my grandmother. All now among the great cloud of witnesses. A few years ago I wrote a sermon for Mother’s Day. And in it I outlined my experience of these women. It was my grandmother who was our family anchor and spiritual center. Boline was a prayer warrior, who I admit in my... Read more

    Oh my. I can hear him! Right now! The guy who drives through our neighborhood using a bullhorn to announce his one dollar tamales. He’s a recent addition to the neighborhood. And we haven’t yet taken him up on his offer. I love tamales, but there’s a reason they’re often called lard sticks. And. Well. I’m so happy to live here… And. It set me to thinking. One of the delights of living in Long Beach (and specifically here... Read more

      Today, the 3rd of May, is marked in the Christian calendar as the Feast of the Holy Cross. It’s the day people honor Helena’s discovery of the true cross. Helena is the mother of Constantine “the Great.” Don’t want to confuse him with those lesser Constantines. Apparently the Brits like to say she was English, and want her to have been the daughter of a king. Others suggest a lower rank, including stable maid. Which, frankly, I... Read more

        THE FLOWING BRIDGE A dharma talk James Ishmael Ford Empty Moon Zen May 1st, 2021   “As I cross the bridge, the bridge flows” From the Miscellaneous koan collection of the Harada Yasutani Zen tradition I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a person of the intimate Way, a person of the Zen way here and now. There is a vermillion thread tying who we are here to spiritual ancestors in Japan.... Read more

      Are you aging? Are you a Buddhist or a Unitarian Universalist? An old lefty? Do you wonder what the endgame should be looking like? If so, perhaps this is worth a read. It doesn’t mean I have a plan. But, I have some information. Whether it sparks plans, or is just helpful to you, or, hey, interesting is good enough, as well. I mean for this post to capture some of my reflections and research regarding aging,... Read more

    Poetry & the Beginner’s Mind Poetry, the beginner’s mind, the kingdom of heaven, & the power of community. Matthew Sherling A sermon delivered at the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles April 18, 2021 There was a time in my life when I had to start unlearning all the ideas & beliefs I had inherited from the past – from my parents, from my church, from TV & movies. About what matters, about history, about myself, about God,... Read more

    AMONG THE SNAKES & DRAGONS Mind Bubbles on North American Zen Lives in the Twenty-First Century (A bit of a mess. A draft. To be worked on…) James Ishmael Ford “Ordinary people and saints live together. Dragons and snakes all mixed up.” From the Blue Cliff Record, Case 35 Among the various maybes and possibilities of history is the suggestion that possibly a Chinese expedition including five Buddhist monks led by the Bhikshu Hui Shen touched at points... Read more