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June 2021

June 22, 2021

Sometimes I Call it the Great Empty: A Mind Bubble on Zen in the West

Jan & I are on a drive across the country. We'd not allowed enough...

June 13, 2021

Water and Light Soaking into the Earth: Seeking a Common Ground for all Religions

Water and Light Soaking into the Earth Seeking a Common Ground for all Religions James...

June 09, 2021

Rumi’s Guest House: Three Versions of a Spiritual Text

Jalaluddin Rumi is one of the great figures of world spirituality. He was born...

June 06, 2021

Purple Hearts: My World War II Dream

On this day, June the 6th, 1944, seventy-seven years ago, and, for what...

June 03, 2021

Help Wanted: We’re Creating a progressive and open Zen community in Long Beach & Orange County

A note from James Ford and the Empty Moon Zen in Long Beach...

May 2021

May 30, 2021

The Disobedience Sutra, the Duty Sutra, and in the End, a Sutra of Interdependence

The Disobedience Sutra, the Duty Sutra, and in the End, a Sutra of...

May 23, 2021

Continuity & Change: The Zen Priest Revisits Himself From Ten Years Before

I'm working on a fairly large writing project. I hope, although I...

May 16, 2021

Zen Priest Received as Minister Affiliated with a Unitarian Universalist congregation

Unitarian Universalism has long had a comfortable association with Buddhism. As a radically...

May 16, 2021

SINGLE BOOK ZEN: Zen Teachers Recommend a Single Book on Zen

Recently I posted a request for recommendations of a single book on...

May 09, 2021

My Three Mothers: A Small Meditation

Mother's Day. I find myself thinking about my mother now long dead. My...

May 08, 2021

Hurray for Burritos!

Oh my. I can hear him! Right now! The guy who drives through...

May 03, 2021

Pilgrimages: A Mind Bubble on Spiritual Journeys

Today, the 3rd of May, is marked in the Christian calendar as...

May 01, 2021

The Flowing Bridge: Exploring a Zen koan and the Mysteries of Everyday Life

THE FLOWING BRIDGE A dharma talk James Ishmael Ford Empty Moon...

April 2021

April 30, 2021

Creating Community: Are you aging? Are you a Buddhist or a Unitarian Universalist? An old lefty? Maybe this is for you.

Are you aging? Are you a Buddhist or a Unitarian Universalist? An...

April 19, 2021

Poetry & the Beginner’s Mind

Poetry & the Beginner's Mind Poetry, the beginner’s mind, the kingdom of heaven,...

April 18, 2021

AMONG THE SNAKES & DRAGONS: Mind Bubbles on North American Zen Lives in the Twenty-First Century

AMONG THE SNAKES & DRAGONS Mind Bubbles on North American Zen Lives in...

April 16, 2021

The Zen Priest Considers the Secrets of the Religious and the Spiritual

I've been thinking about religion and spirituality. And what those words might...

April 12, 2021

The Zen Priest Discovers he is a Post-Secular Buddhist

Somehow I'm on the email list for Academia dot edu. They're...

April 09, 2021

Smoke, Spice, and Soul: A Recipe for Collard Green & Andouille Soup, With Cornmeal Dumplings

The other day Jan & I made a soup. Mostly collard greens and chopped up...

April 08, 2021

Recalling the Birth of the Buddha: Celebrating Hanamatsuri

In the Japanese calendar today, the 8th of April is Hanamatsuri. It's becomes...

April 03, 2021

Buddhist Resources for Memorial Services

Buddhist Resources for Memorial Services For an overview, you might read the Wikipedia...

March 2021

March 29, 2021

The Short Course in Zen: Five Books Plus One

Every once in a while it's important to come up with a brief...

March 27, 2021

The Fat Man and the Ox

The Fat Man and the Ox Glenn Taylor Webb What...

March 23, 2021

PRACTICING WITH HOUSEHOLDER KOANS

Practicing With Householder Koans Dharma Talk given on March 19, 2021 at the Empty...

March 22, 2021

YOUR BEST SEASON: A Zen Meditation on Spring

YOUR BEST SEASON A Zen Meditation on Spring Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer Delivered on March...

March 21, 2021

THE ZEN PRACTICE OF KOAN INTROSPECTION

THE ZEN PRACTICE OF KOAN INTROSPECTION A Dharma Talk at Empty Moon Zen's Inaugural...

March 08, 2021

FINDING MY RELIGION: The Zen Priest Reflects on Buddhism, Christianity, and the Currents of a Living Spirituality

Every once in a while I feel it important to pause and...

March 05, 2021

Soto Zen Liturgical Forms: A Small Miscellany of YouTube Videos

I've captured these mostly for our small community, but it occurred to me that...

March 04, 2021

Zen and the Long Haul

I have been practicing well past fifty years. My skin is...

March 03, 2021

Third Way Zen: A Small Mind Bubble

I've been thinking of late about Zen and the intimate way in the...