The Heavy Lifting
01.27.2012 | No Comments ››I’d like to talk about a koan. A koan is a brief story or statement – usually a record of an interaction between Zen monks, Zen masters, or a Zen master and a ... Continue Reading »
Kuzan’s Blog
Mistakes
12.17.2011 | 1 Comment ››In his book Joyously Through The Days, Zen teacher Les Kaye talks about the wish to become pure: “Humans have always dreamed of transforming themselves, of becoming ‘pure,’ of gaining freedom from the ... Continue Reading »
About Enlightenment
11.11.2011 | No Comments ››I always thought the Zen masters and the Zen poets, hermits, and wanderers I read about when I was young had some kind of unique knowledge, some unique power or insight that gave ... Continue Reading »
My Avatar, My Self
10.09.2011 | No Comments ››Everything now has a life online, including Zen. For example, the website Second Life – a virtual world with something like a million active users – includes a virtual zendo. I was ... Continue Reading »
Zen Teacher/Zen Student
08.30.2011 | 1 Comment ››Recently, I gave a talk at a Zen center about the long process I went through that led to my ordination as a Zen priest. Afterward, someone in the audience commented that in ... Continue Reading »
Save me
08.01.2011 | No Comments ››In 1992, a crowd of 25,000 gathered before a seven year old boy, each hoping for a personal blessing. In 2011, among an auditorium of 600 New Yorkers, I sat patiently waiting to ... Continue Reading »
Zen and poetry
07.22.2011 | No Comments ››Art and religion have always been close companions. My own Zen lineage comes through Japan where Zen and art seem nearly inseparable. I’m personally interested in the relationship between art and religion because ... Continue Reading »
The Zen of choosing brownies
07.10.2011 | 1 Comment ››Some classical Zen literature looks at first blush like highly idealized, unrealistic, or even preposterous teaching for life in a complex world. One example is “Faith in Mind,” a long poem attributed to ... Continue Reading »
Shades of Doubt
06.22.2011 | 2 Comments ››Faith, doubt, and determination are three elements of Zen practice about which lots has been said. Most Zen practitioners tend to connect more with one of the three than with the others. For ... Continue Reading »
Enter there.
05.06.2011 | No Comments ››Kyosho was a young monk who came to study with Zen Master Gensha. Kyosho said, "I’ve come to you seeking the truth. Please tell me, where can I start to get into ... Continue Reading »