More on Koans and Who Gets to Comment

Last updated on: January 14, 2012 at 12:15 pm By Dosho Port

My last post seemed to rile some folks up, as did the Old Monkey Mind in a related effort to be clear and gentle, it seems to me. James Ford is a much nicer person than I, btw, much more developed too, and it shows in many ways including the genteel generosity of his words. Despite our careful consideration – oh, how we suffer (wink, wink) – “some” Soto Zen teachers got rather huffy and puffy about owning a share... Read more

What “What is it?” Isn’t and Who Gets to Say Anyway?

Last updated on: January 8, 2012 at 8:25 am By Dosho Port

Here’s the Bodhi dog asking “What is it?” in his 100% doggie way. By the way, the talks from the Boundless Way Rohatsu 2011 are now up here (encouragement talks are listed first and then the talks by the teachers – Melissa Blacker gave the first teisho, David Rynick the second, Dosho the third, and we all chimed in on the fourth – probably our best collaboration to date imho). The theme for the sesshin was Xuefeng’s “What is it?”... Read more

Reviewing and Renewing the Buddhadharma on This Little Blue Dumpling Planet with Lots of Big Problems

Last updated on: December 31, 2011 at 11:15 am By Dosho Port

Happy New Year to you! Like you, I imagine and hope, I’ve been enjoying this cultural and arbitrary thing we call the “end of the year,” reflecting on 2011 and looking ahead to 2012. So here’s a few wandering thoughts about where we might be at and where we might be going. First, I’m wondering how the old planet will do in 2012. We’re having a really mild winter here in Minnesota. Sweet and great for the commute … but... Read more

Reflecting on Burial Rites for Wild Foxes: Adaptation or Traditionalism for Zen Now?

Last updated on: December 27, 2011 at 9:49 pm By Dosho Port

In a recent conversation with dharma friends, a quirky detail from the Wild Fox Koan came up. Click here for an old post wherein I quote the whole ugly affair. Deep into the koan, after the wild fox/former Baizhang has an awakening, he asks the present Baizhang, “Would you perform the funeral service for a deceased monk for me?” In Daishugyo, Dogen comments, “This is not an appropriate thing to ask.” Why not? “If we look for such precedents, there... Read more

A Story about Koans and Stories on the Solstice

Last updated on: December 22, 2011 at 7:41 pm By Dosho Port

Sunset on planet Earth at Latitude:N 45° 6′ 17.1126″ Longitude:W 93° 1′ 40.0865″ (White Bear, MN) at 4:35 on the Solstice, with the sun setting at 237 degrees SW (the last according to the compass app on my iPhone so subject to user error). This is the longest night of the year and a night we humans – at least our relatives who moved significantly north and south from the equator – have probably told some long stories on this night and got a... Read more

Consensus Buddhism, Mindful Mayo and Soy Latte

Last updated on: December 20, 2011 at 7:39 pm By Dosho Port

I did a little digging into the buddhist blog world over the weekend and found some interesting stuff. Seems to me the level of discourse and buddha-self-reflection is on the increase in the cyberwhirl. So I added some links to my blog roll on the right sidebar. Amongst it all, the Buddhist Geeks interview with David Chapman about Consensus Buddhism stood out. Chapman sees the contemporary dharma scene in the US as having come to consensus about the following principles... Read more

Why are there Clouds in the Sky? New Translation of the Lankavatara Sutra by Red Pine Coming Soon

Last updated on: December 17, 2011 at 1:52 pm By Dosho Port

I have here the Laṅkāvatāra in four fascicles which I now pass to you. It contains the essential teaching concerning the mind-ground of the Tathagata, by means of which you lead all sentient beings to the truth of Buddhism. So the Indian transmitter of Zen to China, Bodhidharma, said to the second ancester, Huike. So the story goes. Then for a couple hundred years, the Laṅkāvatāra was the struggling lineage’s main piece of literature, and handing on the Bodhidharma text... Read more

Soto Zen Form and the Sound of the Single Hand

Last updated on: December 14, 2011 at 6:49 pm By Dosho Port

I found the above photo with an image search – a young Katagiri Roshi (right) and an old Suzuki Roshi (left). Click to enlarge the image and you’ll see the Katagiri-fierce-zazen-face that he upheld throughout his life. Maybe he softened toward the end just a little bit. So I’m back from Rohatsu Sesshin at Boundless Way and one of the (little) striking things about the sesshin was looking around the room during a dharma talk... Read more

Wild Fox Zen Annual Appeal

Last updated on: December 5, 2011 at 6:18 pm By Dosho Port

Once a year I put out the cyber begging bowl and ask for donations to support this practice here at Wild Fox Zen. I haven’t run out of things to say yet – delusion is endless, I guess – so you can expect more here about what Zen can offer the world in our present rough spot, the dance of earnest-vivid sitting and koan, and some Dogen and Katagiri thrown in for good measure. I’m a long-time Soto Zen shikantaza... Read more

The Truth for Truth’s Sake

Last updated on: December 4, 2011 at 3:29 pm By Dosho Port

At my new job I’ve been getting more questions about Zen practice than I expected. One young man asked, “Oh, don’t people who meditate get like weird powers or something?” “Not me,” I said, “but sometimes I get weirdly ordinary.” He liked that. Many people seem to think that Zen is about wiping out thoughts in order to attain peace. James over at Monkey Mind has a recent post offering a different perspective. It is possible to not-think, entering the... Read more