In The Instructions for the Cook, Dogen encourages us, “Without worrying about the quality [of ingredients], simply make the best of what you have.”  To paraphrase, take some not-so-perfect ingredients (like the wilted Yugoslavian lettuce above) and make a fine bowl salad. And don’t go wallowing in your usual emotional trips. Let them go and focus fully on the task at hand.  That’s really sound advice, it seems to me, in relationships, family life, and in leadership.  One of... Read more

This section of Dogen’s Instructions for the Cook seems especially rich. Dogen mixes important principles for practice in with “immersion in the mundane,” as one practitioner put it. Click here for the recording of the dharma presentation section of this webinar. Once it gets rolling, select View and Video.  Here are a few of the dharma tidbits we are practicing with this week:  High places are high and level; low places are low and level.  During the day and through... Read more

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I’ve been busy these last few days after sesshin with a couple projects I took on, including writing a piece about play for the upcoming Austin Zen Center newsletter, Just This (not sure when it’ll be “out’), connecting Zen, violence, and salvation, of course. I also just saw Jiryu’s No Zen in the West blog piece and discussion about the lack of young people in Zen. It’s a important conversation. Here’s my comment: Thanks Jiryu for bringing this up. It’s... Read more

Uploading the photo of non-barking dogs, I remember Katagiri Roshi advising us about what to do when people criticize us: “Don’t bark first. Don’t bark back, Don’t bark at all.” More on that sometime, but what’s coming up for me today is something that happened at work.  A young co-worker whose father just died came into my office for a chat. After telling me about his father’s life with cancer – the man was diagnosed before my co-worker’s birth –... Read more

On Sunday, my son and I were with Bodhi (middle right) and our neighbors’ lab when we came upon four more. Looking at it tonight, I’m reminded of my life this week – lots of dogs off leash.   Speaking of dogs, sesshin starts on Friday night. The focus will be a bit or two of Dogen’s Extensive Record on thinking. Like this:   Our thinking during immovable sitting circles the earth; our boundless karmic consciousness fills the heavens. Although... Read more

Katagiri Roshi died in the early morning hours of March 1, 1990. Tomorrow morning we’ll be doing a memorial ceremony after morning zazen. It’ll be much like last year’s commemoration – click here for that. “Rely on the teaching not the teacher” says the first of the four reliances. Indeed, every teacher is unreliable at least in death. What was Katagiri Roshi’s teaching? One of the Katagiri-inspired reflections that I’ve been doing lately has to do with enlightenment, the central... Read more

Here’s our second webinar for the 90-day online practice period. Click here. Once it gets rolling, select Video and View. We had some audio issues in the second half of the session and will get those resolved for next time.  Dogen invites us in this section of the Instructions for the Cook to inquire carefully and study the self intimately in the process of practice itself, in this case in our kitchen work.  Specifically, Dogen raises an issue that seems... Read more

This from an old Zen friend:REMEMBER –  “ WHEN YOU ARE IN  DEEP SHIT, LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD, KEEP YOUR  MOUTH SHUT, & SAY  NOTHING…” Read more

Gee, what nice work they do out at Boundless Way! If you’re in the neighborhood, please come on by. Click here. Read more