Teachings
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Interview by Sweeping Zen with David Loy, Part 2
April 22, 20164 min read
...every time Buddhism has spread to a different culture it hasn’t just imposed itself but has also been changed, sometimes radically. Sweeping Zen: Your works have been described by many of your colleagues as helping to reshape our Western understanding of Buddhist teachings, sometimes marking a departure from the so-called Asian party line. Is this something that you’ve intentionally set out to do? David Loy: Yes, very much so. Arnold Toynbee is reputed to have said (though...
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Teisho: Bodhidharma’s Zen Part 2 of 2
April 21, 20161 min read
Description: Henry continues his exploration of Bodhidharma’s core teaching, Outline of Practice, the Two Gates. He opens the teisho with an inspiring quote from the novel Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams that captures an essence of what we seek in Zen practice. Then we learn that our tradition of facing the wall comes from Bodhidharma, (the tradition says he faced a cave wall for 9 years) whose teachings are a powerful blend of meditation and Taoism...
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Interview by Sweeping Zen with David Loy, Part 1
April 18, 20167 min read
Yes, all form is empty, but emptiness is always taking form. Sweeping Zen: This question gets asked a lot, but, how did you first get started with Zen practice? David Loy: In 1971 I was living in Hawaii, sometimes hanging out with a friend in Waikiki who heard about a zendo near the University called Koko An. We went there one evening and after the sitting learned that the following weekend there would be a seven day...
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Bodhi Tree
April 15, 20161 min read
The body is the Bodhi tree, The mind is like a clear mirror. At all times we must strive to polish it, And must not let the dust collect. Shenxiu, according to Huineng, the sixth Patriarch of Zen Bodhi originally has no tree The mirror also has no stand. Buddha nature is always clear and pure; Where is the room for dust? -Huineng Poem taken from Zen Poems, Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, 1999 Image: Past, by Hartwig HKD, CC BY-ND 2.0, from Flickr.com...
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Teisho: Bodhidharma’s Zen Part 1 of 2
April 14, 20161 min read
Description: In this talk, Henry explores the origins of zen as it moved from India, to China and finally Japan. This penetrating teisho grounds us in Bodhidharma’s view of zen which is rooted in four simple but profound characteristics: a special mind to mind transmission outside scripture; not relying on words and letters; directly pointing to the human mind; and becoming Buddha. Henry discusses Bodhidharma’s Outline of Practice, or the “Two Gates” to entry which are...
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Mountain Cloud Photo Gallery
April 8, 20161 min read
Enjoy these images of our zendo. Photos taken by Cherie Manifest, used with her permission. On the stone a name is inscribed. What is the name? Stop the sound of the distant bell. Emptiness Wisdom, compassion, equanimity All people have their own place of birth in Karma. What is your place of birth in Karma? Past, present future: unattainable, Yet clear as the noteless sky. Late at night the stool's cold as iron, But the moonlit window smells of plum. Hakuin Yield to the willow All passions, all desires...
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Teisho: Book of Equanimity Case 21, Ungan Sweeps the Ground
April 7, 20162 min read
Description: Case 21, Book of Equanimity: Ungan Sweeps the Ground When Ungan was sweeping the ground, Dôgo said, "You are working hard, aren’t you.” Ungan said, "You should know there is one who does not work hard." Dôgo said, “Is that so? You mean there is a second moon?" Ungan raised his bamboo broom and said, “What number moon is this?" Dôgo was silent. Gensha said, "That is precisely the second moon." Unmon said, "The man-servant greets the maid-servant...
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Ninth and Tenth Oxherding Pictures, by Ruben Habito
April 4, 20164 min read
The ninth stage is described as a return to the source. Now, after having forgotten both my “self” and the “world” (that is, what is thought to be “outside of myself,” what emerges? There’s a bamboo shoot. There is a plum blossom. There is a rock beside a gently flowing stream. Beyond that we don’t see anything. This is just the realization of the way things are, as they are, in their naturalness. It is...
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Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Oxherding Pictures, by Ruben Habito
April 1, 20162 min read
The sixth stage is riding the ox home. We are now able to feel that we are on our way home. We can ride the ox and it doesn’t try to jump and throw us away like a bucking bronco anymore. It is now fully one with us, and we are comfortable riding the ox. But still, there is more to come. The seventh stage is about forgetting the ox, leaving the child to simply sit...
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Teisho: Book of Equanimity Case 20, Jizo’s “Most Intimate”
March 31, 20162 min read
“Real spirituality is about going beyond who we think we are” Description: Case 20, Book of Equanimity: Jizô's "Most Intimate" Jizô asked Hôgen, "Where are you going, senior monk?" Hôgen said, "I am on pilgrimage, following the wind." Jizô said, "What are you on pilgrimage for?" Hôgen said, "I don't know." Jizô said, "Not knowing is most intimate." Hôgen suddenly attained great enlightenment. Henry explores “Not knowing is most intimate.” There are two kinds not-knowing in Zen: first is extinguishing, the...
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