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May 2018

May 01, 2018

The World is Magic: Reflecting on a Zen Koan

As it happens, it was on this day in 1394, the Zen priest...

April 2018

April 19, 2018

No Zen Masters in the West

Huangbo said to his assembly “You are all slurping up brewer’s dregs. If you’re...

April 12, 2018

A Zen Priest’s Mind Bubble on the Dance of Love

Nondual reality includes subject and object, each itself and freely transposing with the other; first...

March 2018

March 31, 2018

When God is Dead. A Zen Reflection on Christianity’s Holy Saturday

When God is Dead A Zen Reflection on Christianity's Holy Saturday James Ishmael...

March 09, 2018

A Zen Teaching for the Last Age

A student of the way asked master Yunmen, "What did Shakyamuni Buddha preach...

March 09, 2018

A Zen Koan from the Bible

I stumbled on this in my archives. I have no memory of...

March 06, 2018

Koans are a Rag-bag

"Koans are a rag-bag. They are not schematized. They are a hoard of old sayings...

February 2018

February 24, 2018

Zen & the Art of Finding Solace Within the Real

Explain Mu so a baby can understand. Traditional Zen koan One...

February 23, 2018

Zen, the Tangle of Language, and the Heart of Our Liberation

Zen, the Tangle of Language, and the Heart of Our Liberation James Myoun Ford...

February 18, 2018

A Meditation on Our Broken World, Zen’s Ten Oxherding Pictures, & the Intimate Way

Mapping Our Spiritual Journey A Meditation on Our Broken World, Zen’s Ten...

January 2018

January 16, 2018

Zen Master Raven Tells Us How to Die

One evening toward the end of a meeting, Mole said, "I've heard that Zen is...

December 2017

December 07, 2017

The World is On Fire: A Meditation on the Adittapariyaya Sutta as a Zen Koan

Burning burning burning burning O Lord Thou Pluckest me out O Lord...

October 2017

October 31, 2017

Save a Ghost: A Zen Meditation for Halloween

Today is the 31st of October. In the Western calendar today...

October 28, 2017

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head: a Zen Reflection

One of my favorite koans was anthologized in the Biyan Lu,...

October 27, 2017

All in It Together: Zen & the Art of Asking Questions

The church with which I am affiliated is undergoing a ministerial transition....

September 2017

September 05, 2017

Creatures of Pain and Joy: A Meditation on a Zen Koan and the Abiding Reality of Human Hunger

A student of the way asked master Zhaozhou, “I have just entered...

August 2017

August 28, 2017

The Great Way is Not Difficult: Zen’s Koans & the Way of the Broken Heart

This world of dew Is a world of dew Even so, even so...

August 27, 2017

The Zen Koan of the Buddha’s Teaching and Bodhidharma’s Intention

The Case An ancient worthy said, "Buddha's teaching is expressed through reason; Bodhidharma's intention is...

August 26, 2017

The Buddha Takes His Seat: A Brief Reflection on a Zen Koan

The Case One day the Buddha ascended to the platform. Manjushri struck the board and...

August 24, 2017

Of the Raw and the Cooked: A Zen Teacher Reflects on Dharma Transmission and Spiritual Practice

One of the many things I delight in in reading Zhuangzi is how one his...

August 19, 2017

The Buddha and the Non Believer: A Meditation on a Zen Koan

The Buddha and the Non Believer A Meditation on a Zen Koan James Ishmael Ford...

August 18, 2017

Daniel Terragno on (Lay) Zen Practice

My wonderful dharma sibling Daniel Terragno talking about Zen. He is not as...

August 15, 2017

Layman Pang’s Snowball Fight: A Small Zen Meditation

I was revisiting a case in the Blue Cliff Record. In...

August 03, 2017

Hakuin’s Song of Zazen: Three Translations of the Zazen Wasan

Hakuin's Song of Zazen The Zazen Wasan Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1768) was one of Japan's gifts...

July 2017

July 30, 2017

The World in a Blade of Grass: Reflecting on a Zen Koan

The World in a Blade of Grass: Case 4, Book of Serenity A Reflection James...

July 28, 2017

Meredith Garmon’s Koan Index

Koan Index Meredith Garmon An amazing resource put together by the Reverend Meredith Garmon, a...

June 2017

June 23, 2017

Zen and the Boundless Way: Reflecting on the Blue Cliff Record, Case 61

Fengxue said, “If you raise a speck of dust, the nation flourishes. If you don’t...

May 2017

May 14, 2017

Awakening and Zen: A Reflection on the Range of Awakening Experiences

On facebook in the comments to my recent posting on awakening and Zen there was...

May 10, 2017

Where Is Paradise? Commenting on a Zen Koan

In that wonderful anthology of Zen's koans, the Wumenquan, the Gateless Gate, the fifth case...

April 2017

April 21, 2017

On the Nothingness of God: A Zen Meditation

Back in 2008 I read a review of the book Merton & Buddhism: Wisdom, Emptiness...