Teachings
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Fourth and Fifth Oxherding Pictures, by Ruben Habito
March 28, 20162 min read
The fourth stage is now the catching of the ox. After having sighted it we go closer to it and are maybe even able to lasso it and as the picture in one version shows, the little child holds a rope around the ox’s neck. Now, we have the ox closer at hand. But still the ox is unwieldy and it can still run away from us. It is still not under control. We have...
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Second and Third Oxherding Pictures, by Ruben Habito
March 25, 20164 min read
The second stage is described as “finding the ox’s traces.” Now one gets a sense of where one may go in pursuing that question and is inspired to go on further. The ox here is a symbol of the true self in the same way that the circle also is the true self. And so now one sees traces, like hoof prints, or perhaps some droppings, that makes one suspect that the ox must be...
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Teisho: Mu Koan
March 24, 20161 min read
“Clearly I have seen: no person, no Buddha, not one thing. And what is it after all? Nothing special. Just this, just this.” Yamada Koun Roshi Description: Koan A monk asked Joshu, “Does a dog have Buddha nature?” Joshu answered, “Mu.” Traditionally the first talk during a sesshin is about the great “barrier koan” Mu. That’s what this talk focuses upon. Henry asks, How do we forget the self? It’s not that the self disappears and somehow “I” remain;...
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First Oxherding Picture, by Ruben Habito
March 21, 20162 min read
The first picture in the classic versions depicts a little child who is supposed to be perplexed, or is searching for something. An inscription in Chinese characters goes, “In the beginning, suddenly emerged from confusion.” Another description found in other versions of this same first picture of a child just beginning to open its eyes and wonder about things is “the awakening of the fact.” Our version, sketched by an artist friend of the Maria Kannon...
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The Zen Oxherding Pictures: Overview, by Ruben Habito
March 18, 20164 min read
We look at the ten oxherding pictures as a mirror that can tell us where we are in our practice. “The Ten Oxherding Pictures” is a set of ten calligraphic works that portray the different stages in the journey to the realization of the truth, or the realization of the true self. I will first give a general introduction, summarizing each of the ten so that we have a broad picture. We look at the ten oxherding...
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Teisho: Book of Equanimity Case 28, Gokoku’s “Three Disgraces” Part 2 of 2
March 17, 20162 min read
“That’s why we are here--to make our experience of the world fuller… therefore, to be more at peace... to be able to act not harmfully.” Description: Case 28: Book of Equanimity: Gokoku’s "Three Disgraces” Part 2 of 2 A monk asked Gokoku, “How about when a crane perches on a withered pine tree?” Gokoku said, “It is a disgrace when seen from the ground.” The monk asked, “What about when every drop of water is frozen at once?” Gokoku...
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Developing our Land
March 14, 20161 min read
A dedicated group of volunteers has been developing our land. We have a beautiful garden, new walking paths, a lovely gazebo and many flowers around our zendo and other buildings. Pancho Burke celebrates the gazebo. Bill Bruce, our facilities manger and hardworking gardener and deck carpenter. The MCZC vegetable and flower garden, summer 2015. Many blessing to the volunteers who tended to her with loving care. We are looking forward to the 2016 garden! New pathways for kinhin and wandering. Pancho...
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The World is made of Stories, by David Loy, Part 3 of 3
March 14, 20165 min read
It is the deluded belief that one is separate from others that permits one to pursue one’s own interests indifferent to what is happening to those others. Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 of The World is made of Stories. One of today’s dominant stories is that we live in a world ruled by impersonal physical laws that are indifferent to us and our fate. Human beings serve no function in the grand scheme of...
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The World is made of Stories, by David Loy, Part 2 of 3
March 11, 20166 min read
Awakening involves realizing that “my” story is part of a much larger story that incorporates others’ stories as well. Our stories do not have sharp edges; they are interdependent. Click to read part 1 of The World is made of Stories. The central character in the foundational story that we return to over and over is the self, supposedly individual and real yet actually composed of the stories “I” identify with and attempt to live. Stories give...
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Teisho: Case 28, Book of Equanimity: Gokoku’s “Three Disgraces” Part 1 of 2
March 10, 20162 min read
“This whole being called me is just a hole.” Description: Case 28: Book of Equanimity: Gokoku’s "Three Disgraces” Part 1 of 2 A monk asked Gokoku, “How about when a crane perches on a withered pine tree?” Gokoku said, “It is a disgrace when seen from the ground.” The monk asked, “What about when every drop of water is frozen at once?” Gokoku said, “It's a disgrace after the sun has risen.” The monk asked, “At the time of the...
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