Vine of Obstacles Zen

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Blue Cliff Record

Blue Cliff Record, Case 86: Yúnmén's Radiant Light

Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Zennies

Lars and the loon a tick pickers mommas don t let your babies grow up to be zennies 20:00/4:511× An old Waylon and Willie tune that an old Zen buddy, Larry Anderson, adapted. I had some minor input on the lyrics. Larry and I studied together with

Old Year, New Year

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Dogen

Great Doubt is Intimate

Dogen

Cultivating Verification in One School Zen: A New Shushōgi for Now

I recently wrote a piece titled, The "Soto Zen" of the PMSO: A New Religion Whose Time Has Passed, wherein I call out a text titled "Shushōgi" ("The Meaning of Practice Enlightenment"), a late-19th century summary of the teaching of Dōgen Zenji that has

Dogen

Everyone Has the Potential to Become Buddha

The Avalokiteshvara above is by the wonderful contemporary artist, Mayumi Oda. "Many people say that even though they have an aspiration to study the Way, it is the final age and they are at a low level of learning. It is impossible for them to practice in accord with

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery's One Hundred Questions Introduction Part 1

They Can Fish It!

Greetings, Next week we'll be on a break/retreat here at the hermitage and the following week we'll be in sesshin, so it'll be quiet here for the last week of December and the first week of January. This week, though, I've

The Storm and Afterwards

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Dogen

The Pivotal Linji Master Xutang and his Profuse Praise for Sōtō Master Dōgen

Dahui

Smashing Mu to Smithereens

Today I'll share another important passage about the one Zen way and the keyword that Chinul, the great Korean Master included in his Excerpts on Zen Practice, one of four core texts in the Korean Sŏn (Zen) monastic curriculum. The phrase "smashing mu..." also comes up

Book Launch Video and BTT Podcast Now Available

I'm happy to share the Going Through the Mystery news that both the the Book Launch Dharma Talk from December 4, 2022, and a Buddhist Temple of Toledo podcast are now available on the Going Through the Mystery page of the Vine of Obstacles Zen website. Click here.

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The One Word "Awareness" is the Gateway to All Calamities

A Wild Morning at the Hermitage

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Adverse effects of meditation

On the Adverse Effects of Meditation

A Cold Sunrise

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery 30: Why am I like this?

Greetings! For my update this month, I'll offer you this short video of chapter 30 in Going Through the Mystery. I'll also be offering a book launch dharma talk this Sunday at 10amCT. If you'd like to come, let me know and I'

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Going Through the Mystery

How to Investigate the Three Subtle and Six Coarse Aspects

A Lazy November Day Update

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Record of Going Easy

Zhàozhōu’s Cypress Tree

Dogen

Putting the Kōan Back in Genjōkōan

The Vine of Obstacles Zen has been immersed in an Intensive studying Ashvaghosha's teaching in The Awakening of Mahayana Faith on how suchness perfumes birthdeath and draws us to practice. "The dharmas of buddhas have causes and conditions; only when replete with causes and conditions can those

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Dogen

Bargaining for Salvation

One Mind, Myriad Aspects

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Pṛṣṭhalabdhajñāna - What's That You Say?

Going Through the Mystery

Book Announcement