Zen Roots – The First Thousand Years

(Red Pine, Townsend 2019) Fifty years ago, when I first started reading about Zen, D. T. Suzuki’s Manual of Zen Buddhism was a constant companion. It included the recorded words of the earliest Zen teachers – as well as those of the Buddhas – from which Zen took root. This book is an homage, a…

Hui Neng (慧能 Enō）

One night, whilst Enō was hard at work in the rice shed at Ōbai, Daiman Kōnin entered and asked, "Is the rice indeed white?" Enō replied, "It is white but it has not yet been winnowed." Damian struck Enō's rice-pounding mortar thrice with his staff; Enō shook the rice in the winnowing fan three times…

Hung-ren (弘忍 Kánin)

When Kánin encountered Dáshin on the road to Übai, Dáshin asked him, “What is your clan name?” Kánin said, “I have a NATURE but I do not have a conventional clan name.” Dáshin asked, “And what is IT?” Kánin replied, “It is the BUDDHA NATURE.” Dáshin queried, “So you have no clan name?” Kánin answered, “Because ORIGINAL NATURE is empty, I…

Tao-hsin (道信 Dáshin)

Bowing before Great Master Kanchi, Dáshin said, “Please, Reverend Monk, I beg you, from your compassion, to impart to me the Dharma Gate of liberation.” Kanchi said, “Who is preventing you from entering?” Dáshin answered, “No one is preventing me.” Kanchi said, “Then why do you seek liberation from me?” At these words Dáshin experienced…

Seng-ts’an (僧璨 Sásan）

Upon meeting Eka, Sásan asked him, “My body is riddled with disease; please, Reverend Monk, cleanse me of my defilement.” Eka replied, “Bring me your defilement and I will cleanse you of it.” Sásan thought long and hard about this, then said, “I have searched for my defilement but cannot find it.” Eka replied, “I…

A Zen Life

~ Movie Time ~ A Zen Life -- D. T. Suzuki A documentary film about Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966), the man who introduced Zen Buddhism to the West: "D.T. Suzuki had an excellent grasp of written and spoken English, combined with an exhaustive knowledge of Eastern and Western religions and philosophies. He was highly successful…

Hui-k’o (慧可 Eka)

Whilst serving and training with Bodaidaruma (Bodhidharma), Eka one day told him, “I have by now severed all my karmic ties.” Bodaidaruma said, “You are not denying the law of karma, are you?” Eka answered, “No, I am not.” Bodaidaruma asked him, “And how can you be sure of this?” Eka replied, “Clearly, and beyond…

Bodhidharma (达摩）

One day Hannyatara asked Bodaidaruma (Bodhidharma), “Amongst all things, which is without any characteristics?” Bodaidaruma replied, “The NON-ARISING is without characteristics.” Hannyatara asked, “Amongst all things, which is the greatest?” Bodaidaruma answered, “The DHARMA-NATURE is the greatest.” Listen (part I) Listen (part II) Bodaidaruma was of the warrior caste. Originally his name was Bodaitara; he…

National Iced Tea Day

Traditionally tea is mostly brewed with hot boiled water. Not only the fragrance and sweet, mellow taste of tea are enjoyed, but also the hot tea-drinking itself has become a leisure and relaxation. Nowadays, the fast-paced city life seems to leave a little time for sitting down and slowly boil water and make tea. And,…

International Tea Day

Today is the first International Tea Day observed by United Nations. For this special occasion, with "Shelter in Place", we offer the merit of our silent tea meditation from home to all beings -- for their safety and health, for peace and love in the world on planet Earth.

The Gates of Chan Buddhism

Chan Master Jing Hui (1933-2013)(Dharma Heir of Empty Cloud) “Since the last century a great many authors, through various possible approaches, have made Chinese Chan known to English-speaking readers in Europe and America. Among them the Japanese great master, Mr. Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966) did the most outstanding contributions in this regard. The characteristic feature…

Birthday of the Buddha

On this eighth day of the fourth lunar month, we celebrate the Birth of Shakyamuni Buddha. From where we are at this time of “shelter in place”, we recite the Scripture of Great Wisdom (the Heart Sutra) out of gratitude, and offer the merit of this recitation to all beings in the world. With this…

Profound Simplicity

I have learned so much about practice through the group chanting The Vows of Samantabhadra every Wednesday evening, as well as the “reading meditation” I have been doing with our online group. Putting my mind on one word, just this word, then the next, then the next, over and over, has been such a helpful…

“Shelter in Place” with Tea

Practice of Tea Meditation in the time of “Shelter in Place”: "I’m again amazed at the simplicity of this practice.It is pure Zen, pure Chan.Just this. Just to be with tea, be one with tea.Just pour tea, just drink tea.Being with the tea, just as it is. Putting attention on the tea utensils as they…

The Diamond

audio "The Diamond Sutra may look like a book, but it’s really the body of the Buddha. It’s also your body, my body, all possible bodies. But it’s a body with nothing inside and nothing outside. It doesn’t exist in space or time. Nor is it a construct of the mind. It’s no mind. And…

Not Two

This is a book of epigrams, epigrams that encapsulate the teaching the Buddha first transmitted 2,400 years ago when he held up a flower and Kashyapa smiled. They’re that simple. The Chinese call them ming 銘. I considered translating it half a dozen times. The language is so simple. It begs to be translated. And…

What Could be Easier than Zen?

For over a thousand years, the Song of Enlightenment 证道歌 has been one of the most popular Zen texts in all of East Asia. Composed in verse, it has also become one of the most chanted texts at Zen temples worldwide." (Red Pine at hometown in 2019) "Like a lot of what I’ve been working on…

Inner Cultivation with Incense

The arts of Tea Ceremony, Incense, and Flower Arrangement, collectively referred to as the three ways of fine cultivation in Japan, all have a long history and deep connection with China. From mere appreciation by the elite to daily life of the ordinary, they have gone through transformation and become very much alive in the…

The Ten Oxherding Pictures

The author of these "Ten Oxherding Pictures” is said to be a Zen master of the Sung Dynasty known as Kaku-an Shi-en (Kuo-an Shih-yuan) belonging to the Rinzai school. He is said also the author of the poems and introductory words attached to the pictures. He was not however the first who attempted to illuminate…

The Moon of Clear Mind

One Sunday evening, after a Dharma Talk at the Providence Zen Center, a student asked Seung Sahn Soen-sa, “How can I get beyond just verbalizing the question ‘What am I?’ ” Soen-sa said, “You want this question to grow. This mind is no good. This is attachment thinking. You must cut off this thinking, and…