Wuzu said Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another. Tell me, who is that other? Gateless Gate, Case 45 This koan is a simple as pie. And as complicated. Wuzu, who has a fondness for this sort of brief, and yet endlessly haunting question, tells the assembly that the Buddha and the Buddha to come both are servants to another. And then he asks the question. Who is that other? One of the foundations of Buddhist thought is... Read more

    The renowned Unitarian theologian, Professor James Luther Adams, once observed how nothing sells, I think he said is quite as marketable, as egoism wrapped in idealism. I’ve always found that a challenging comment, applicable as it is to so many forms of spirituality. Of course, it turns out one can even jettison the idealism. In our rising secularism, it turns out we don’t even need to clothe our egoism. Now the shape of this focus on the self... Read more

      (I wrote this in 2018, and stumbled on it while searching for references to Ash Wednesday. With the most minor of tweaks, I thought it worth sharing here again…)   We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, unremembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning;... Read more

      Within most Mahayana countries today, the 15th of February, is observed as Parinirvana, the anniversary of Gautama Siddhartha’s death. For those who like to think about such things, the principal text addressing this moment is the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. It is, at least by my reading, fairly obviously a digest of his teachings composed with an eye to the continuation of the community he led. Whether directly from his mouth or put together, as is more likely, by his... Read more

  MYSTERIES OF THE INTIMATE WAY The Zen Priest’s Buddhist Meditation for Valentine’s Day James Ishmael Ford Empty Moon Zen Tomorrow, you may have noticed, is Valentine’s Day. It is well known that this festival is largely the creation of a conspiracy amongst the greeting card association, the national confectioners association, and the national alliance of floral associations. I’m pretty sure we have a solid paper trail on this one, including hotel bills and photographs of smoke-filled rooms. Yes, this... Read more

  Today, the 12th of February is Charles Darwin’s birthday. Were he alive he would be two hundred and twelve years old today. Me, I always consider this day one to celebrate. I mark it out most years here on this blog. And it turns out I’m not alone in this wish to celebrate all things Charles Darwin. Wikipedia notes how his birthday has been observed as something special since his death in 1882. But in 1909 on the centenary... Read more

      (My apologies. As I sit with this small essay a couple of days out I realize the problem with it, is that it touches on two related but different issues. The one is my ongoing consideration of Buddhism, and how it is I am a Buddhist, and what that means. I think it a worthy project. And possibly of use to other people. The other is the more intimate exploration. My real time, if you will, encounter... Read more

      I have a fondness for books collecting the wisdom of the ages, and more specifically anthologies of quotations regarding the spiritual life. I recall when Stephen Mitchell’s anthologies, Enlightened Mind and Enlightened Heart were published. His “Zen eye” informed the curation of wisdom from the world’s traditions. And informed by that eye he presented something compelling. And helpful. His selections were satisfying by themselves. And they opened doors for further reading down the line. In my view... Read more

    I’ve been distracted a bit, of late. And, I missed that yesterday was Thomas Merton’s birthday. If I got the number right on my fingers and toes, it was the 106th anniversary of his birth. Merton is very much a part of my consciousness. In 2013 the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly was held in Louisville. And so for me that UU convention became a Thomas Merton pilgrimage. I drove out to the Abbey of Gethsemani twice, once with... Read more

    So. What is Zen meditation? We know it is the practice of a Buddhist spiritual tradition that, while it claims Indian roots, seems to have sprung up within the rich soil of ancient China. It has spread and has adapted variations in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. And from these different places, it has begun to spread to the West. What we can say is that it is not Vipassana, nor is it Samatha. Although it shares some family... Read more