Here’s the recording of the session from Monday night: click (and then to see the video screen, select View from the top menu bar and Video). We’re having some difficulty translating the recording from Webex to a more versatile format but if we find our way around that, some edited versions may follow. So this is Keep Me In Your Heart (Uncut). You are invited to join the conversation, the stages of the spiritual path, this coming Monday, 8/31, at... Read more

I’m back at it here and have a few stray themes tonight, tied together with fire. First, sesshin turned out rather weird. I got a nasty, nasty flu in the wee hours of Friday morning and am still only at about 75% usual energy. And tomorrow I go back to my day job. That’s one fire I’ll be jumping into. Another fire I’m trying to start is through webinars. I’m offering another Keep Me In Your Heart Webinar tomorrow night,... Read more

Above is a screen shot of the first Wild Fox webinar. The second of four investigative dharma conversations based on themes from Keep Me In Your Heart Awhile: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri is this coming Monday, 8/24 (succeeding sessions are on 8/31 and 9/14, 7pm-8pm Central Standard Time). Space still available – register at Facebook (click here) Presentation and interactive conversation, about 60 minutes per session. Open to twenty-five participants. Headphones required, microphone preferred. Donations welcome via PayPal... Read more

The ancient road. Sesshin starts tonight (and there is much to do between now and then) and ends Sunday. Read more

In response to my last post, Harry asks, “What is the substantial difference between ‘wallowing’ and the real thing in terms of how we do it?” I’ve been reflecting on this issue again (see also the chapter in Keep Me in Your Heart Awhile on this) with reading Morton Schlutter’s How Zen Became Zen: The Dispute Over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in the Song-Dynasty China. At the heart of the silent illumination vs. koan meditation dispute is... Read more

I’m back from my annual BWCA trip with my son, canoeing and camping through it all with nowhere to go (well, there is the tent…) – rain and heat, wind at our back and in our face, and oh the wonderfully persistent insects. Flowers growing out of rock. Five days alone with my son was great. At 12 he’s incredibly grown up and yet very open, questioning everything in a Zennish way:“Why is smoke grey?”“Everywhere we camp, the waves are... Read more

Feeling fortunate today for this life. I’m also in the midst of packing for a trip to northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area (chains of lakes and rivers, far from the din and bustle of cell phones and computers and my upcoming work year…) where a day can go by without seeing another person and then maybe only far off on the other side of the lake. My son and I will canoe, portage, camp and play through Thursday. Three... Read more

One time while I was studying with Katagiri Roshi I went to dokusan and told him about a zazen breakthrough experience I’d just had. “Pretty good, pretty good,” he said, emphasizing the qualifier the second time through – “pretty good.” “Anyway,” he continued, “how’s your work going?” No need for explanation, eh? Roshi emphasized three important practices – zazen, dharma study and work. Here’s the second in a mini-series on work. Today’s piece is written by another deelply reflective person... Read more

Today and tomorrow I’m be posting some thoughts of others who are Zen students applying the practice in their work situations – or near lack thereof. First is from Ryushin (aka, “Wrench”) who provides the following bio: Early on I gave up a marriage, job, and car to join a cult that provided a white light initiation experience. Once I recovered andsettled into a more mainstream life I began practicing at MZMC around 1985. I practiced there rather earnestly for... Read more

I received this very nice, unsolicited review of my book the other day and have been considering sharing it or not … and in the spirit of laughing at myself and preaching to the choir, I’ll throw it out there anyway. The review is from Luc De Winter, a Soto Zen priest and student of Roland Yuno Rech, disciple of Taisen Deshimaru. Roland is now roshi of the Temple of La Gendronnière (170 km south of Paris – biggest Zen... Read more