{"id":8774,"date":"2014-08-26T08:18:52","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T12:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/?p=8774"},"modified":"2014-08-26T09:13:18","modified_gmt":"2014-08-26T13:13:18","slug":"tangling-in-the-vine-of-obstacles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2014\/08\/tangling-in-the-vine-of-obstacles.html","title":{"rendered":"Tangling in the Vine of Obstacles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Dosho<\/a>
\nThere is, and appropriately so, a great interest in living into the Dharma<\/a> through the interwebs. Lots going on. Many people offering what they have to offer. And, of course, people should be wary and careful. The web is wide open. Anyone with a computer and a modem\u2026 So, pirates and frauds. People with more notions than skills. And, credentialed guides with differing skill sets. All equally far and equally near.<\/p>\n

The one spot I consistently recommend people looking for access to the Zen Dharma on the web is Zen teacher Dosho Port\u2019s Vine of Obstacles.<\/p>\n

Of course there are others. I\u2019m sure there are good ones among the others. But, Dosho, I know. And I can recommend without hesitation. He\u2019s a long time Zen practitioner, a Dharma successor to the Soto pioneering missionary to the West, Dainin Katagiri<\/a>, who has continued his training in Japan and America, as well as completing the Harada Yasutani koan curriculum, working with Boundless Way<\/a> teachers Melissa Blacker, Josh Bartok, David Rynick and myself. He has also been around the block a couple of times, has seriously screwed up, has doggedly bowed, and has over the years continued to dig into the great matter; and has come out of it all as one of the most interesting and compelling Zen teachers I know.<\/p>\n

You can do vastly worse than connecting with Dosho\u2019s Vine. But you\u2019re not likely to do a lot better\u2026<\/p>\n

This small unsolicited pitch was inspired by the fact the Vine is kicking off a new session running for eleven weeks starting on September, 15th. <\/p>\n

The description at his blog<\/a> reads:<\/p>\n

Guidelines for Practicing the Way is a primer on Zen practice that focuses on intention, practice-enlightenment, body practice, and receiving and actualizing the fundamental. This course includes a text of comparative translations of Dogen\u2019s work, supplementary readings, audio and reflection work that is shared with Dosho, forums for cohort dharma conversations, and three thirty-minute practice meetings with Dosho via Google Hangouts.<\/em><\/p>\n

Guidelines requires a commitment to ongoing awakening, carrying out daily practice on one\u2019s own. The study portion of the course will take 60-90 minutes each week.<\/p>\n

If this calls to you, I encourage you to check it out.<\/p>\n

For expectations, feeds, etc, go to Vine of Obstacles<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n