Teachings
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Zen and the Art of… Art
August 3, 20157 min read
Zen art suggests a new way of seeing, a new way of being, that cuts to the core of what it means to be fully human and fully alive. -- John Daido Loori Sesshu Toyo (1420-1506) -this is an example of a Zen landscape done during the Muromachi period. Sesshu trained as a professional painter in China and returned to Japan as a professional painter. Ever since Robert Persig’s 1974 iconic novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle...
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When Heaven Meets Heart
August 1, 20151 min read
“When heaven meets heart a flower blooms unborn and undying it lives with a care till it turns the heard towards the ground and bows in gratitude” Photo and poem by Rosa Bellino, used with her permission
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Case 7 Book of Equanimity. Master Yakusan Ascends the Rostrum, Part 1 of 2
July 30, 20151 min read
Episode Description: In this teisho, Henry helps us on our journey of letting go of ourselves by introducing us to great Master Yakusan’s “speciality.” Henry explores the true path of Zen and probes the question: What is this existence? Yakusan’s noble silence in the koan offers an infinite, supreme and endless answer to this question. Post Image Credit: Anzio by Moyan Brenn, CC BY 2.0. Featured Image Credit: Zen Stone Garden, by t_s_l, CCO Public Domain...
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Case 6 Book of Equanimity. Master Baso’s Black and White
July 23, 20151 min read
Episode Description: Henry examines this fascinating koan in which a monk asks Master Baso, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?” or, more specifically, what did Bodhidharma really hope we would discover when he brought the Zen meditation school from India to China? The talk briefly examines the “4 Propositions” and “100 Negations” of Buddhist philosophy, which are mentioned in the koan, and gives us some background on the characters in the case,...
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Case 4 Book of Equanimity. The World-honored One Points to the Ground
July 16, 20151 min read
Episode Description: Henry presents this simple koan about the Buddha, Indra and the building of a temple. This talk explores how something as simple as a piece of straw can illuminate infinite abundance, ultimate reality. Henry quotes from Sri Nisargadatta, from the 17th Century English cleric Thomas Traherne, and from Master Bansho to expose what Bansho calls “the fundamental matter.” Henry shows that to clarify who we really are, to see the fundamental point of our...
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