Vine of Obstacles Zen

Review Featured

A Review of Vine Writing in 2025 & What Might be Offered in 2026

This Ghost site is dedicated to writing about Zen practice within the context of the greater buddhadharma for folks who aspire to go deeply into and through the Buddha Way.

Paid-members only

Sunday Practice Session

Sunday, Dec 14: Vine Practice Session (and last dharma talk of the year)

Sitting Buddha is killing Buddha.

Four Subtle Wisdoms

Polishing a Tile to Make Four Subtle Wisdom Buddhas

A translation of the Four Subtle Wisdoms with explanatory comments.

Paid-members only

Sixth Ancestor

Towering, Towering: The Death Gatha of the Sixth Ancestor

and fixed sitting.

Members only

Katagiri Roshi

What Are You Figuring To Do, Sitting There In Zen?

Members only

Zazen

Fixedly Questioning Fixed Sitting

Dogen

"How Much Zazen Should I Do?"

No offense intended, but from what we've seen, probably a lot more than you are now doing.

Members only

Dogen

On Using the Past as a Model for the Present

Paid-members only

Dogen

Wasting Time Under the Bright Window

One of the secrets that's necessary for calming fully and awakening completely.

Members only

death Featured

Hakuin Zenji's Death Koan and the Secret Ingredients for the Soft-Butter Method

Dogen Featured

Dogen's Wall-Gazing Liberates Beings

"[... By] the straightforward abandonment of skillful means and the exclusive proclamation of the supreme Buddha Way." - Zhiyi from his commentary on "The Lotus Sutra"

Paid-members only

Dogen Featured

Cultivating Verification: A New Shushogi for Today

"The endeavor to negotiate the Way, as I teach now, consists in discerning all things in view of enlightenment, and putting such a unitive awareness into practice in the midst of the revaluated world." - Dogen

Members only

Lotus Sutra

"How Can I Liberate Beings Such as These?"

Paid-members only

One School Zen

Zen: One School, One Mind Workshop, Part 3

Below you'll find the recording from the third and final session from the workshop at Korinji, August 8-10, 2025. If you haven't seen my review, here it is: A Brief Debrief on the “Zen: One School, One Mind Workshop”More photos belowVine of Obstacles ZenDosho Port

death

Kokan Shiren On Contemplating Empty Dharmas While Dying

Kokan offers a step-by-step process to awaken during the dying process and a 'if that doesn't work, try this' for 'ignorant persons of lesser capacity.' This last point is in contrast to both Dahui and Dogen.

Members only

Dogen

Focus on Just One Thing

Paid-members only

One School, One Mind

Zen: One School, One Mind Workshop, Part 2

The live-streamed portion, second recording, from the workshop at Korinji, August 8-10, 2025.

death

Dogen On Taking Refuge Through Life and Death

"Whether sleeping or waking, we should reflect on the virtues of the three treasures; whether sleeping or waking, we should recite the three treasures."

Paid-members only

One School, One Mind

Zen: One School, One Mind Workshop: Part 1

The first recording from the workshop at Korinji, August 8-10, 2025.

Members only

death

Dahui On "Being Immediately Reborn in a Buddha Land"

One School Zen

A Brief Debrief on the "Zen: One School, One Mind Workshop"

More photos below

Members only

death Featured

How To Practice During the Long, Last Moment

Paid-members only

Lotus Sutra

What Was the Buddha Reluctant to Share?

Members only

death Featured

Why is the Long, Last Moment So Important?

death Featured

Hongyi's Long, Last Moment

"The future's uncertain and the end is always near." The Doors