This post might surprise the long-time Wild Fox Zen reader. When I rant and fume about the current state of practicing awakening in the Zen world, you see, I’m usually primarily chiding those who claim affiliation with Sōtō Zen and the so-called “just-sitting” method. At the same time, I often hold up kōan work as the more effective practice for kenshō and post-kenshō training. In the interest of... Read more
Click here to support my Zen teaching practice via Patreon. Introduction This post is the third in a series of three on study practice in this lineage of Zen. The first post, The Vital Importance of Studying Buddhadharma: Why and How, was the why and how of study. In the second post, Four Little Fishies in the Big Zen Sea and How They Do Study, I identified some of the study fish in the Zen social media sea (mostly) and... Read more
Overview This post is the second in a series of three on study practice in Zen. The first post, The Vital Importance of Studying Buddhadharma: Why and How, was the why and how – like the title says. In the third post, “Stinking Skin Bags, Blind Donkeys, Parrots and Studying the Buddhadharma,” I’ll offer some of what the great teachers in our tradition had to say about dharma study, especially Dōgen Zenji and Hakuin Zenji. In this post, I really... Read more
Introduction In this post, I will explore two questions: “Why study the buddhadharma” and “How to study the buddhdharma as a practice of the buddhadharma.” This is a fuller expression of these issues that Tetsugan Sensei and I posted for our students on the Vine of Obstacles a month or so back. In my next post on this subject, “Four Little Fishies in the Big Zen Ocean and How They Do Study,” I’ll share my observations about some approaches to... Read more
Many of us come to a place in our journey where what once worked is broken, where the path is dark, where we’re at a loss – especially in these dark days of ongoing pandemic, climate crisis, social divisions, and political dis-ease. The phrase “dark night of the soul,” used variously in Christian mysticism, is often about the whole journey to union with God. In Western Zen, starting with Aitken Roshi, it is sometimes used for those very dry places... Read more
Click here to support the my teaching practice via Patreon. This is a recording from a talk given on April 30, 2022, for the Buddhist Temple of Toledo’s Practice Period, Celebrating Women in Buddhism, and for the Vine of Obstacles Zen. The Ten Line Life-Prolonging Kannon Sutra is a sutra/practice that is dear to my heart and I was happy to share some of that inner work here. The practice of this amazing sutra offers a powerful integration of nenbutsu... Read more
Click here to support the my teaching practice via Patreon. Your contribution will enhance my capacity to offer posts like this. Thank you! Question A student on the Vine of Obstacles recently asked, “Our translation of the first Great Vow is ‘The many beings are numberless, vowing to carry them across.’ The group I practiced with previously used a different translation, ‘All beings, one body, I vow to liberate.’ This has a different flavor. Specifically, I wonder about the ‘one... Read more
Click here to support the teaching practice of Dōshō Rōshi. What you’ll find in this post What you’ll find here is a deep dive into the life of Tetsu Gikai (Pervading Clarity Justice Mediator), the third ancestor in the Japanese Sōtō succession, not to glorify him, but as inspiration for your own practice now. Gikai has long been a powerful example for me because of the rough bumps he encountered … and how he passed through. If you think that... Read more
Click here to support the teaching practice of Dōshō Rōshi at Patreon. One helluva teacher This is the last post in this sub-series on Tiāntóng Rújìng (1163-1228), the last Chinese teacher in the Cáodòng/Sōtō lineage of Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253), and nearly the end of this series on the great teachers surrounding Dōgen (at least for a while). Next up, “Seven Stumbles, Eight Blunders: The Life of Tetsu Gikai,” which should be cooked through and ready to serve up next week.... Read more
Some say this is due to a deficiency in the Zen tradition, but in my view that’s not where the deficiency lies. One cause of this myth is how essential aspects of our liturgy practice have been lost in the transition from Japan to the global culture. Another aspect is a profound misunderstanding regarding what zazen is about in our tradition. For this second aspect, I’ll turn in a moment to the teaching of Tiāntóng Rújìng (天童如淨; Heavenly Child Pure... Read more
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