I’ve been reflecting again on “Way Heart,” having started some work with Hashimoto Roshi’s commentary.  Again and again the old ones urge us to contemplate impermanence as the source of a true Way Heart, not as an idea (although they’re certainly flowing too), but as our lived reality.  So many poets, especially the ancient Japanese, seem to gaze directly at (with) impermanence.  Here’s Saigyo: My cold corpse covered forever with moss for bedding will recollect what it learned here from dew... Read more

Coyote scat dropped in the woods, as in the photo, needs no caring although comes alive through our attention to it.  Anyway, here’s my last post on this thread for now. I worry that this “taking care of small details” might lead to a one-sidedness in practice. And I tell myself that when we attend to one side the other side is dark. So I’ll come back to doing what I can to shine a little light on the other side... Read more

A few days ago, Bodhi and I came upon a “kill site” in the woods. A lot of blood was splattered around. Part of the body remained buried in the snow and part was visible – the guts outlined with fur. It looked like the animal had tried to escape by burrowing into the snow and earth.  I suspected the killer was a coyote from the tracks and from the size of the perfect circle around the body – an enso... Read more

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cIfV74D2hII Here’s my video New Year’s prayer (this was up earlier but now it’ll play for you – I hope) that we may all plant small seeds for the good every day, actualizing the sublime quality of this life. Heartfelt best wishes to you for the complete fulfillment of your practice in 2009. Dosho Read more

All years are thieves and this one was most thorough going in that regard for many.  I looked at my photos for a graphic for this post but didn’t find anything that fit. Google Image search for “thief” was not even close to dead-on so I searched “Zen thief” and was quite surprised at the results – check it out.  As the year ends and I reflect on the past year, I remember the bold sentiment of moving-on in “May... Read more

Just back from walking Bodhi. The path today was shimmering. Unfortunately (but appropriately), the photo didn’t quite capture it.  The question about the essence of Buddha’s teaching has stuck in my craw since yesterday’s post. This was the question I posed to several teachers while on pilgrimage in the early 90’s and I’ll come back to how Harada Shodo Roshi responded in a future post.  Imv, it is pretty darn important because dharma freedom lies in practicing, manifesting, realizing, and... Read more

I’m beginning to hear from people who have read my book and am enjoying the feedback. You too are welcome to comment here any time or send me an email. I might start a “google group” around the book because it doesn’t seem complete to just throw something out there and then hide out, like giving a dharma talk and then running off to your room, trying to avoid the consequences of what you’ve done. Please let me know if... Read more

Above is a “sleeping stick,” apparently used by monks in China and then for a while in Japan to prop themselves up during late night sitting. Some monks renounced the comfort of the nest by vowing not to sleep lying down for long periods, like for the rest of their lives. I knew a guy in the 80’s who had studied at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas who made that vow. He slept leaning against a wall, although aimed to eventually... Read more

We’re always connected in some way, of course, even perched in the eagle’s nest. I found William LaFleur’s thoughts on the dharma poet, Saigyo, particularly ripe on this point. Here’s a selection. Saigyo’s sensitivity to the irony in human affairs is related to his awareness of what goes off track when we dichotomize reality. He was forced to see that even his own attempts to “leave the world” were, if naively misconstrued, attempts to find private peace in another such... Read more

I’m waiting for the subtitles or the voice-over. What an utter hoot this living in the 21st century! The only two words I can make out in the clip are “Zen” and “satori.” Thanks, Harry, for sending this my way via Jordan. Read more