Vine of Obstacles Zen

Fukanzazenki

What is Not-Two's Nature? from Going Through the Mystery's One Hundred Questions

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Stinking Skin Bags, Blind Donkeys, Parrots and Studying the Buddhadharma

Dogen

Dōgen on Zhàozhōu’s MU

Dahui's Shobogenzo

Floating Clouds and the Pure Reality Body

Greetings Patrons, Here is another excerpt from Dahui's Shobogenzo. Master Ciming was a 17th generation successor of Bodhidharma in the Linji lineage known for his innovative teaching style. Although a monk, it seems that he had a wife who lived near the temple. You can read more about

Striving

Suzuki Shunryū Rōshi and Striving

Now, as for striving and Sōtō Zen - I bet you've it said heard before - Sōtō Zen is about no-gaining mind. And sometimes those who make this one-chopstick assertion cite the Heart Sutra's "no attainment." And yet, the Heart Sutra also teaches "

How To Escape?

Here's a Friday afternoon practice bump for ya: I've been working through an advance copy of Thomas Cleary's translation of Dahui's Treasury of the Eye of the True Teaching (aka, Shobogenzo, to be posthumously published by Shambhala in the fall). I'

Into the Pit of Birth and Death

When our personal and/or community life seems to be falling apart, what then? Our proclivity to use the practice as a safe refuge. This is an important developmental stage, but really only gets us some limited peace. What about when our safe refuge falls apart? All the ancient teachers

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 Zen. The first post, The Vital Importance of Studying Buddhadharma: Why and How, was the why and how - like the title says. In the third post, "Stinking Skin Bags, Blind Donkeys, Parrots and

Dogen

Taken By Surprise: Three Perspectives on Breath Work

Going Through the Mystery

Question 20: What is Our Country?

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery Question 5: What Single Thing Are You Writing?

The Vital Importance of Studying Buddhadharma: Why and How

Introduction In this post, I will explore two questions: "Why study the buddhadharma" and "How to study the buddhdharma as a practice of the buddhadharma." This is a fuller expression of these issues that Tetsugan Sensei and I posted for our students on the Vine of

Dahui

Almost Everything You Need Do To Awaken and Go Beyond Awakening: A Table Of Contents For The Teaching Of Dàhuì

Koan

Dark Night, Broken Bridge: What To Do When What's Worked Doesn't

The Broken Bridge, West Lake, Hangzhou, China Many of us come to a place in our journey where what once worked is broken, where the path is dark, where we're at a loss - especially in these dark days of ongoing pandemic, climate crisis, social divisions, and political

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery Question 4: How Can This Be Avoided?

Ten Line Kannon

Disclosing the Hidden Teaching of the Ten Line Kannon Sutra

This is a recording from a talk given on April 30, 2022, for the Buddhist Temple of Toledo's Practice Period, Celebrating Women in Buddhism, and for the Vine of Obstacles Zen. The Ten Line Life-Prolonging Kannon Sutra is a sutra/practice that is dear to my heart and

Awakening

Great Way No Gate

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery 3: Where is the One Flower?

The Many Beings Are Numberless: A Brief Reflection on Translation

Question A student on the Vine of Obstacles recently asked, "Our translation of the first Great Vow is 'The many beings are numberless, vowing to carry them across.' The group I practiced with previously used a different translation, 'All beings, one body, I vow to liberate.

Mu koan

Koans and Confusion

Three Marks and Ouch! Ouch!

Awakening Featured

Practicing Awakening in These Very Times

This talk is from 2021. It was supposed to be about Cyber Zen, given my experience with such and the pandemic it seemed a fitting topic. However, I spent most of the time talking about the importance of awakening in our Soto tradition, telling a bunch of awakening stories of

Lake Superior Today - April 23, 2022

Dogen

"Dōgen's Great And..." Series Table of Contents

Seven Stumbles, Eight Blunders: The Life of Tetsu Gikai