Author: zenzdragon
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ZEN WORK 作務
It is upon us to begin the work; It is not upon us to complete it. – Talmud Zen work begins with samu 作務. Samu is physical and sometimes intellectual labor done in the spirit of mushotoku, with no thought of personal profit, without complaint or compensation, for the benefit of the sangha. It is…
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EMBRACING THE SHADOW SELF: A HALLOWEEN KUSEN
Richard Collins, Abbot New Orleans Zen Temple 31 October 2024 Yesterday I spoke about Zen Work, about the life work that comes with DOKAN, the Great Vow, the Ring of the Way. This work begins with working on yourself, really understanding yourself, recognizing yourself, not running away from yourself. And not just your nice, compassionate…
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Abbot Jiryu on the Publication of Becoming Yourself
Photo by Robert Erdmann Dear Sangha, In 2018, I had the good fortune to begin work with Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi on a new book of talks by Suzuki Roshi. The book was drawn from jewels of his teachings that Mel had been squirreling aside over the decades to someday publish. In the years…
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In This Body In This Lifetime, an Interview with Esho Sudan
By Tova Green During the last several years, Esho Sudan has been editing the newly published book, In This Body In This Lifetime, Awakening Stories of Japanese Soto Zen Women, translated by Kogen Czarnik. Originally published in 1956 in Japanese under the title Collection of Experiences in Zen Practice, the book gathers writings of…
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99. All life, not just human life is valuable
I came across a brief quote in the Tao Te Ching that says:“Meaning in life is arbitraryWhy ruin the universe with rigidity?” Meaning in life is so often tied to a belief system when as a matter of fact, it is inmany cases religious beliefs that stand as the centerpiece for human suffering.Human beings assign…
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100. A Synopsis of Sorts
Most of my almost 100 blogs have pointed towards and encouraged time honoredtechniques and meditation practices that I have distilled into what is hopefully auser friendly format for 21st century life. During the last two years, often referenced is the Anapanasati Sutra purported tohave been the meditation method used by the Buddha himself. Naikan meditationtechniques…
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Pictures on My Wall
Many years ago, I attended a Dharma talk on nonattachment. The monk explained the teaching by discussing the importance of having bare walls. He explained that if we decide that we want to hang a picture on the wall, that requires us to buy a frame for the picture. Then we have to get…
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The Animal Within Us
I don’t have a large house by any means. But there’s plenty of room for three cats and two humans. In addition to our first floor, we have a basement, an upstairs, and an attic space. If our four-legged children wanted, they could divide the house up into sections and never see each other. Instead,…
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Review of Mike Slott’s Mindful Solidarity
Mike Slott’s Mindful Solidarity: A Secular Buddhist Democratic Socialist Dialogue (Tuwhiri, 2024) lays out the arguments in favor of Secular Buddhism, why social engagement is necessarily a part of it, and how a Marxist analysis can complement the Buddhist analysis of suffering’s causes and amelioration. Mike is a long-time political and labor movement activist who…
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Buddhists Organize to Defend Democracy
This is a brief blog post to inform readers of a new non-sectarian Buddhist organization representing Buddhists from many lineages and traditions and holding a broad spectrum of political views who are united in acting to preserve democractic norms, institutions and processes in this time of peril. Why do we need a new…