Teachings
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The Last Leaves
December 21, 20151 min read
The last leaves dance their final dance against the grey winter sky It will be Xmas in few days and the trees in the garden will soon stand bare in the December light Yet in the corner tacked behind the compost bin the first tender cherry blossoms are blooming opening their hearts to the world Trusting that deep down in the darkest days of winter all is well all is well all is well... Photos and poem by Rosa Bellino, used with her permission....
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Full Autumn Moon at Il Convento
December 18, 20151 min read
It is dark outside and the barking of a dog echoes over the sleeping village In the distance the mountain covered chestnuts are shedding their leaves There has been great bounty this year and honey and flour are abundant Above all in the clear sky the full autumn moon stares down untouched by human life Alone I stand in the convento's courtyard my frozen breath raising to the sky I climb the stairs to the candle lit zendo and sit...
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Teisho: Case 19 Book of Equanimity, Unmon’s Mt. Sumeru, Part 1 of 3
December 17, 20151 min read
Description: In this teisho, Henry begins an exploration of the compact koan, Unmon’s Mt. Sumeru: A monk asked Unmon, "Not a single thought arises: is there any fault or not?" Unmon said, "Mt. Sumeru!" Henry probes the dangers of quietism, the hazards of self-assessment in meditation practice, and Unmon’s startling singular response, “Mt Sumeru" — which means center of the universe. We begin to learn about Unmon’s famous and powerfully effective one-word teachings. Post and Featured Image Credit:...
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Discover your Hidden Treasure: Part 2 of 2
December 14, 20157 min read
We are invited to...enter a mode of being wherein we are able to...behold the treasures that are right there in the midst of those “ordinary” things in our day to day life. Written by Ruben L.F. Habito Click to read Part 1 of Discover your Hidden Treasure. The Buddha, in the second of the Four Ennobling Truths, invites us to examine the root cause of our dissatisfactory state of being. It can be summarized in one...
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Discover Your Hidden Treasure, Part 1 of 2
December 11, 20156 min read
... instead of devoting ourselves to seeking that one thing necessary that can fill our hearts with true peace and joy, we spend our time and energy in the pursuit of many things we... think are “necessary” for us. Written by Ruben L.F. Habito One of my favorite Zen kōans is about a monk named Qingshui (pronounced Seizei in Japanese), who asks his teacher, Caoshan, “Master, I am alone and poor. Help me to become prosperous.” Caoshan responds,...
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Teisho: Father John Dear brings his message of peace to Mountain Cloud
December 10, 20151 min read
Description: Father John Dear speaks at Mountain Cloud about his compelling vision for a nonviolent world. Father John is an internationally known voice for peace and nonviolence who has dedicated his life to working for peace as an organizer, lecturer, author, and retreat leader. He has organized and participated in nonviolent campaigns for over three decades and been arrested some 75 times in acts of civil disobedience against war and injustice. Archbishop Desmond Tutu nominated Father...
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“NOT YET” AND “ALREADY”
December 4, 20154 min read
The underlying approach of Soto Zen is "already"; the underlying approach of Rinzai Zen is "not yet". Soto Zen’s main practice is shikantaza, or “just sitting.” The main plus side of shikantaza is that it is completely natural and inherently personal. We find our own way to the fact that our sitting is the expression of the whole universe when we sit in shikantaza. At the same time it is completely universal. The injunction, "just sitting,"...
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Teisho: Case 18 Book of Equanimity, Does A Dog Have Buddha Nature? Part 3 of 3
December 3, 20151 min read
Description: “Why should I, being subject to birth and death, seek what is likewise subject to birth and death?” Launching from these words of Shakyamuni Buddha, Henry concludes his series on the koan Mu and his exploration of Buddha nature. He explores the monk’s question to Joshu, “Why would Buddha nature crawl into a dog?” by looking at Tozan’s realization that all animate and inanimate things are preaching the Dharma. Henry reads a poem he wrote...
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Pilgrimage
November 30, 20151 min read
Pilgrimage is Body and mind Drop off. Dogen Eihei Koroku Image by Rosa Bellino Featured image, Shoes, CC0 Public Domain, from Pixabay.com
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