“God disturbs us toward our destiny By hard events And by freedom’s now urgent voice Which explode and confirm who we are.” – Norman Hirsh I recently learned of a big change in my work life. A friend had shoulder surgery. Another prepares for dialysis several times a week for the rest of her life. “God disturbs us toward our destiny.” How can we move freely through the disruption? We know, of course, that we are change and we are... Read more
Marc Lesser, a business consultant, former CEO of Brush Dance, and Zen teacher in the San Francisco line, has written a comforting book, making me re-think what a mature person is all about. And that’s just from reading the book because I’ve hardly even met the man. I think that Marc might have been director of Tassajara when I visited there 30 years ago and I may have had a brief conversation with him. So in this case, I’m innocent... Read more
What do dreams mean? Especially those dreams that haunt, that can’t be shaken off with a cup of coffee and a traffic jam. First a caution. True Zen practice is exclusively about clarifying the Great Matter of birth and death. Other pursuits not directly in the service of this purpose are, at best, interesting and benign distractions. You might be able to know past lives through dream interpretation, for example, but from where I sit, it looks like wandering on... Read more
Sometimes I get called “Reverend” and it just doesn’t sit right. You see, I don’t see myself as a minister in the Protestant mold or a priest in the Catholic/Anglican mold either. Neither molds approximate the Zen mold. Seems to me that in American Zen we’re desperate for an English word that labels what we do but haven’t found a good one yet. In grasping for a fitting cultural paradigm for those who’ve undertaken homeleaving, we resort to minister and... Read more
One of the central metaphors in the buddhadharma likens our usual world to a dream from which practice can help us awaken. But what about the nonmetaphorical dream world we live through while asleep? What practice can we do there? Can the world of dreams also be a field for awakening? In preparing for our upcoming practice period, “Expressing a Dream in a Dream,” I’ve been reflecting and reading about dreams. Are dreams important to you? How many dreams from... Read more
If you happen to be reading this and live in the White Bear area, you might be interested in this practice period invitation: Monday, January 28-Monday, May 13 You are invited to participate in the upcoming home-based, 100-day practice period, making a commitment to daily sitting-zen, ongoing dharma study, and some of the intensive sitting-zen opportunities too (see below for details). The question “what is the meaning and measure of this life?” will be the theme for this practice period.... Read more
Jiryu Mark has a nice new post, American Buddhist Apocrypha, over at the No Zen in the West blog where they’re getting really educated these days. A backwoods, unlearned guy like me had to look up “apocrypha” – “hidden,” “esoteric,” “spurious,” “of questionable authenticity.” I think it’s a word that’ll come in handy in wild fox country, so thanks to Jiryu, one of the finest of the California Zen ilk. “I think we owe it to ourselves,” says Jiryu, “and... Read more
“Life is a process of growing and changing, and what our results suggest is that growth and change really never stops,” says [Daniel] Gilbert, “despite the fact that at every age from 18 to 68, we think it’s pretty much come to a close.” That’s Gilbert on new research that you can read more about here: “You Can’t See It But You’ll Be A Different Person In Ten Years.” This is a personal version of the “end of history illusion.”... Read more
I imagine that like you, dear reader, today I’m reflecting on 2012 and wondering about 2013. For me 2012 was a year of several important shifts. One child graduated from high school. Another bloomed into a young man, driver’s test looming. I completed my last professional license this lifetime and am already looking forward to a career change. I’m passionate about my work in education, you see, and there’s another adventure that I’m eager to go on that is slowly... Read more
Last night I dreamed that I was in a brightly lit dokusan room. Unlike usual dokusan, however, I sat on a comfortable brown leather couch and the person I was with was completely back-lit by intense sunlight so I couldn’t see his face. He was familiar to me but in the waking world, I can’t identify him. We were talking about koans. The dream teacher said to me, “Some koans have a hidden, dark aspect.” “What do you mean?” I... Read more
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