I gave a talk at Clouds on sunday about Work practice, Sangha and practice period. Something I said has been lingering in my mind. I said, “Zen is not a philosophy, it’s something that you do.” After all the books, scholarly study and the hundreds of Zen books in the libraries, how can that be … Continue reading With which mind do you eat these dumplings?
Blog posts
Ireland, Sept 2014
I am in Ireland on vacation with my family. I have been taking what I call a well-deserved vacation. I have been busy with other aspects of my life since around the beginning of August. What has surprised me the most is that after about 6 weeks of “other things” besides my work as a … Continue reading Ireland, Sept 2014
Wherever you are, enlightenment is there
Hashimoto Roshi, one of Katagiri Roshi’s teachers, said: The way we (Japanese) cook is to prepare each ingredient separately. Rice is here and pickles are over there. But when you put them in your stomach, you don’t know which is which. The soup, rice, pickles, and everything get mixed up. That is the world of … Continue reading Wherever you are, enlightenment is there
Right Thought II
There are two types of thought in Buddhism: Initial thought – first thought Developed thought – elaboration on first thought, which leads us into fantasy and belief in our constructed stories. This is similar to the four layers of concept and language which is how our thoughts construct what we think is reality. 1. Naming … Continue reading Right Thought II
Right Thought
In my last Sunday talk, I worked with the 8-fold path and the limb of Right Thought. The Buddha had many suggestions about how to work with our thoughts. One of the practices I use is “Guarding of the Mind.” This practice creates an image of a protective guardian at the entrance to the mind … Continue reading Right Thought
Karen Maezen Miller’s “Weeds”
I am just going to quote what I found in Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, in the summer 2014 issue. This is from Karen Maezen Miller’s book: Paradise in Plain Sight published by New World Library, May 2014: “In these sixteen years of gardening, I have not yet learned how to garden. My most useful tools … Continue reading Karen Maezen Miller’s “Weeds”
Vital Creativity
“Karma” has been a word that has been usurped by our society. Everyone uses that word, Buddhist and non-buddhist alike, but how terribly misunderstood that word is. We have just done a sesshin at Hokyoji Zen Community where we investigated the teachings on Karma. Particularly we read Katagiri Roshi’s book, Each moment is the Universe, … Continue reading Vital Creativity
Oryoki at McDonalds
I’m in 7-day sesshin at Hokyoji Zen Community in southwest Minnesota. I have come here for almost 40 years now and have a profound appreciation for the deep core of Zen that can be practiced in this environment. Today during Oryoki, which is the procedure for a formal meal in the zendo, I thought of a … Continue reading Oryoki at McDonalds
Hurry corrodes Meaning
I have a teaching story or Koan from Tomoe Katagiri who is a teacher for many of us in her quiet way. She is Katagiri-roshi’s widow. Thursday, Sosan and I went to her house to work on Jukai (Buddhist initiation) names. We are continuing again this Jukai to give the participants Japanese names with translations. … Continue reading Hurry corrodes Meaning
Sorrow and Loss
It seems that a combination of things has caused me to think about aging and death a lot lately; having an empty nest, turning 63, some of my friends getting sick. I’m at my eldest son’s graduation from college – tomorrow it’s cap and gown, but underneath is this sorrow for my life passing and … Continue reading Sorrow and Loss
me, my, mine
I have been working with a mindfulness slogan to remind me that the whole world doesn’t revolve around me and my life. In fact, there is no centralized self! “I” am just a dynamic function of the 5 skandhas (form, feeling, perception, formation and consciousness) that isn’t owned by “me”. So, I work with this … Continue reading me, my, mine
Face in the Direction of your North Star
After I wrote the long post about the 4 Noble Truths, I also felt that I could answer my son using the idea of Right Intention or Right aspiration or Right vow; all different translations of the Second Limb of the 8-fold Path. Semantically speaking, I’ve trained myself not to use the word “goal”. Goals … Continue reading Face in the Direction of your North Star
Four Noble Truths
My 19 year old son asks me: “OK, I have a philosophy Buddhism question — so desire is a bad thing right? Hungry ghost? I think one thing I’ve been working on is understanding my desires and taming them so they don’t control me…. But my question is, isn’t desire what makes you do things? Like … Continue reading Four Noble Truths
Doshi’s Statement on Buddha’s Birthday
We, Minnesotans, turn our faces up to the sun Our hearts warming up after 30 below We feel the warm breeze blowing through our bodies Without our coats on The spring peeper frogs started this week A symphonic cacophony A congregation of Robins surprise us in one tree Buddha’s birth is a surprise within … Continue reading Doshi’s Statement on Buddha’s Birthday
The disease of wanting more
Since January of this year I have been using a new mantra: Accept, accept, accept, enough, enough, enough, relax, relax, relax. I have been contemplating the word “enough” which has its own Koan: BOS 77 ” Yangshan’s Enough.” In the Jewish tradition there is a special word — Dayenu, which means a certain action of God would … Continue reading The disease of wanting more
Guiding Teacher Changes
These are my notes on a talk I gave Sunday March 23rd at Clouds in Water Zen Center on my announcement of stepping down from the Guiding Teacher position and to propose that Sosan Theresa Flynn step up to that lead role. I’m writing to let you know about some changes that the teacher ryo … Continue reading Guiding Teacher Changes
Talk for Carl Myosen’s memorial
From Reb Anderson’s Chapter on “Do not kill” in “Being Upright”: Life does not change into death. death does not change into life. life is just life; death is just death Life and death are not before and after In reality, death vividly and peacefully coexists with the fullest expression of life the ancient buddhas … Continue reading Talk for Carl Myosen’s memorial
Entrusting yourself to the Waves.
One of my favorite Ryokan poems: To find the dharma Drift east and west, Come and go, Entrusting yourself to the waves. Entrustment — to put into the care of and protecting someone or something. That is from the dictionary. Is there, in Buddhism, someone or something to entrust yourself with? Well, certainly it is not … Continue reading Entrusting yourself to the Waves.
The Two Absorptions
I was in the airport today, looking around at people’s faces. What I saw were faces of minds filled with stories. Each person’s mind filled up with their activity and spinning with their happiness and difficulties. I looked at my own mind. I thought to myself, could I wait for the plane and have a … Continue reading The Two Absorptions
The crucible of spiritual practice in marriage
I often say that zazen is a crucible. It is like an alchemical vessel or scientific beaker sitting on a Bunsen burner, which allows a transformation to occur within the beaker. By sitting still with no escape, we allow the flotsam and jetsam of our life to float up to the surface and get burned … Continue reading The crucible of spiritual practice in marriage