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July 2023

July 19, 2023

Gnawing Through Qiánfēng’s Three Illnesses and Two Lights

Dogen Zenji famously said that to study the buddha way is to study the...

June 2023

June 29, 2023

“Why, Oh Why, Is My Practice Not Progressing?”

Progress is empty, but that doesn't mean that progress in Zen practice is unimportant....

April 2023

April 10, 2023

A Black Lacquer Person Runs Through the Night: The Sudden Awakening of Keizan Jokin

Sudden, great awakening is the life blood of the Zen school, both Soto and Rinzai....

April 06, 2023

Intimate Friendship: “When You Sing, I Respond; When I Sing, You Clap Hands”

Intimate friendship is such an important aspect of the Zen Way. In the dharma context,...

February 2023

February 02, 2023

Wandering Destitute into a Demon Pit

In this post, I will continue my recent Dōgen translations with short comments. This is...

September 2022

September 13, 2022

Is There Someone Who Gets It?

In our recently concluded summer study session through the Vine of Obstacles Zen, we explored...

July 2022

July 13, 2022

Four Little Fishies in the Big Zen Sea and How They Do Study

Overview This post is the second in a series of three on study practice in...

May 2022

May 23, 2022

Disclosing the Hidden Teaching of the Ten Line Kannon Sutra

Click here to support the my teaching practice via Patreon. This is a recording...

May 09, 2022

The Many Beings Are Numberless: A Brief Reflection on Translation

Click here to support the my teaching practice via Patreon. Your contribution will enhance my...

September 2020

September 16, 2020

Going Against the Identity Center and Going With: The Missing Motif

In April, in the early pandemic days, I began posting a series here on the...

July 2020

July 14, 2020

“Please Sit By The Heater”: On Following A Teacher’s Instructions

Practice at Bukkokuji was like living at grandpa's house. Harada Tangen Rōshi set the rules and...

May 2020

May 31, 2020

Break Through Is A Must: More On The Keyword Instruction Of Dàhuì

Let's get right down to it Break through is a must if you want to...

May 07, 2020

Saving Energy is Gaining Energy: More On The Keyword Instruction Of Dàhuì

Awakening is a lot about energy. Slump and sniff in zazen and daily life and...

May 01, 2020

Clicking and Snorting Across The Flood: More On The Keyword Instruction Of Dàhuì

How to cross the flood of sense desires, becoming,...

April 2020

April 24, 2020

Let Go of Making the Ground Flutter: More On The Keyword Instruction of Dàhuì

“When you truly understand this fundamental principle you will not be anxious about your life...

April 17, 2020

Great Uncertainty and the Real Work: More On The Keyword Instruction of Dàhuì

"The mind that is not baffled is not employed." My first real baffling encounter...

April 10, 2020

You Have To Do It On Your Own: The Keyword Instruction of Dàhuì

Some years ago, a Zen teacher was leading a sesshin for Catholic monastics. In the...

April 03, 2020

Is There Someone Who Does Not Get Sick?

I recently met with a student (via Zoom, of course) who was recovering from the...

December 2019

December 06, 2019

Issues in Translation: On 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei

Why nineteen ways to translate one poem? As...

February 2019

February 24, 2019

Is Zen a Joke or a Trick? Crabs, Cartoons, and Solemnity

"Zen could be said to be the biggest joke that has ever been played in...

June 2018

June 18, 2018

Like Salad With Nasturtium Petals: The Delicious Way of Zen Master Yunmen

In these later days of the buddhadharma, when most of what passes off as "buddhadharma"...

June 16, 2018

The Language of Dragons: Introduction to Zen Koans

This month we're working the theme of being on the outside. Bob Dylan expressed it...

May 2018

May 12, 2018

Right To The Point: Reflections on the Implications of Hakuin’s Zen

Why don't you build a jointed bridge with your free mind for the people passing...

February 2018

February 05, 2018

Tears of Love, Tears of Resentment

Studying Hakuin, the real guy keeps showing up -...

January 2018

January 29, 2018

The Zen Priesthood: A Fold of Failures

This post continues the series on the teaching of Hakuin, the 18th Century Japanese Rinzai...

January 22, 2018

Hakuin’s Advice for How To Attain Kenshō

The road passes among cresting mountains, Winding through thickets and vines; The border of the...

January 05, 2018

Who Is This ‘Hakuin’ Guy?

Recently, I interviewed a prospective student for...

October 2017

October 28, 2017

Zen in Fantasyland

A few weeks ago we were talking about koan. A guy...

October 25, 2017

Long-Distance Train: Remembering Beginning Zen Forty Years Ago

Forty years ago today, I walked into the Minnesota Zen Center building (pictured), met Katagiri...

June 2017

June 21, 2017

What Is Zazen? Dōgen’s Koan Realized

What is zazen? Everybody knows that Zen practice is largely about zazen, literally, "sitting zen"...