Category: Personal Development
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A Cosmic Shower of Qi
I was standing there under what felt like a waterfall of cosmic energy. I could feel it cascading down from the top of my head to my feet. I’ve never been a religious person, but this experience felt undeniably spiritual. This was years ago when I first learned a qigong technique called the Cosmic Shower.…
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The History of Two Finger Shooting Zen
I wanted to share some thoughts about One Finger Shooting Zen and its elusive cousin, Two Finger Shooting Zen. I’ve never written about this before, so grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing), and let’s dive in! Where It All Began: One Finger Shooting Zen I originally learned One Finger Shooting…
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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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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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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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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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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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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…
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Something Old Is Dying: Why I’m Writing on Substack
Life feels heavier than ever. So much fear. So much fragmentation. And beneath it all, a quiet sense that something old is dying—and something new is struggling to be born. You might think I’m talking about the world. I am. But I’m also talking about myself. Or my un-self. Or whatever the hell is happening…
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Healing Others with Qi
I want to talk about healing other people (and pets) with qi. There’s a lot of confusion on the subject, so I want to make it clear where I stand, what I believe, and what I teach. I’ll be teaching two different Qi Transmission techniques in my upcoming Qigong 301 program: Opening Vital Points (OVP)…