http://blogs.sfzc.org/blog/2018/08/14/featured-photo-august-16/ Rinso-in, the temple in Japan where Shunryu Suzuki Roshi was the resident priest. It is now overseen by his son Hoitsu and grandson Shungo. Photo from 1996 by Bill Schwob.
Month: September 2018
Anatman – No-Self – dialogue
i realize that it is a bit on the philosophical side, but i am wondering what the Soto Zen stance on "anatman" (no-self) is. Where does Dogen deal with the subject? What has been coming up in my practice is that "there is no lasting substance" to anything in the "solid world".... that the nature… Continue reading Anatman – No-Self – dialogue
True Mind is Watching Mind
from "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971) Your true mind is always with whatever you see. Although you do not know your own mind, it is there--at the very moment you see something, it is there--at the very moment you see something, it is there. This is very interesting. Your mind… Continue reading True Mind is Watching Mind
The Confucian Social Order – Some Basics
https://terebess.hu/zen/ZenRitual.pdf Excerpts from Zen Ritual p. 21-22 Long before Buddhism arrived in China, ritual practices and theory of ritual were well developed in the native Confucian tradition. The Confucian moral, political, and social orders were grounded in a sophisticated conception of ritual as the basis of civilization. The early Chinese character li, often translated as… Continue reading The Confucian Social Order – Some Basics
Stop…Focus on your Breath… Watch
Investigating our own feelings is difficult..... Many folks go to a psychotherapist to try to unravel their feelings, and the roots behind them... The more i have learned to treat my life as a scientific research project, the more my life has begun to open up to me. Research doesn't begin with a bunch of… Continue reading Stop…Focus on your Breath… Watch
Time and Awareness
“If we pay attention to how time passes, we may find that all the "contents" of what we feel and experience are ephemeral: passing, transient, fleeting...... our experiences are ephemeral and time is ephemeral..... In fact, our sense of awareness is not very different from our sense of time...... When we are experiencing things, they… Continue reading Time and Awareness
“I Don’t Know Mind” – Jundo Cohen
A friend asked about "Don't Know" mind. Rather than admit honestly that I don't know, I said this about the several (yet same) meanings of "Don't Know" in Zen. Don't know if I should post it, so I will. ----- Here's what I know (not) about "I don't know." "I don't know" can have two… Continue reading “I Don’t Know Mind” – Jundo Cohen
Mitzu Suzuki – April 23, 1914 – January 9, 2015 – Okusan of Shunryu Suzuki
San Francisco Zen Center January 7, 2016 With tender and grateful hearts, we hear of Mitsu Suzuki's decline in health. Her grandson Shungo Suzuki reports that she has been hospitalized and is not likely to recover. She is 101 years old. Mitsu Suzuki is the widow of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the founder of San Francisco… Continue reading Mitzu Suzuki – April 23, 1914 – January 9, 2015 – Okusan of Shunryu Suzuki
Self – Inquiry & Tension Knots – Dealing with the Roots of Tension and Hypertension
Dealing with the Roots of Tension and Hypertension This is a suggested method of untangling the body feelings and pent up emotions that sometimes form “tension knots” somewhere in the body. When these "tension knots" build up or pile up, IMHO , they can morph into hypertension . ....... This is in no way meant… Continue reading Self – Inquiry & Tension Knots – Dealing with the Roots of Tension and Hypertension
Shikantaza – Thoughts on Silent Illumination – Jundo Cohen
Jundo Cohen First, it is important to keep in mind that many very different approaches are being called "silent illumination" these days (maybe in the past too). Some, for example, seem to emphasize various degrees of concentration on the breath, and the attainment of varying degrees of "samadhi" with deeply concentrated mind states. Second, reading… Continue reading Shikantaza – Thoughts on Silent Illumination – Jundo Cohen
Reality is Dharma 