February 2019

Marian Mountain

‘It is natural for my mother to doubt the value of this kind of life. From…
Returning Empty-Handed

I had been thinking of this title for the post even before realising that the Dogen…
Dogen

‘This mountain monk [Dogen] has not passed through many monasteries. Somehow I just met my late…
Keizan Jokin

‘Don’t you see? Making the eyebrows rise and the eye blink is alright and not alright.…
Dongshan

Avoid seeking somewhere else Or you will be far from the self. These days I am…
Taiyuan Fu

‘One day the monk Baofu Congzhan was cutting a melon when Taiyuan Fu came up to…
Shodo Harada

‘True emptiness does not arise from a preconceived notion of nothing at all. It is what…
Baizhang

‘Baizhang said: “I want someone to go and tell something to Xitang.” Wufeng said: “I’ll go.”…
The Nature Of Wind

Zachary leaned over at the end of Monday’s sitting on the Embarcadero and name-checked Master Baoche.…
Shohaku Okumura

‘The Lotus Sutra says that all buddhas appear in this world for only one reason: to…