Tag: zenmeditation
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THE ZEN MONK TO HIS DESIGNER DOG
Richard Reishin Collins Here’s a lighthearted poem of mine, “The Zen Monk to His Designer Dog,” published in Alien Buddha Zine 61 (April 2024). In this dramatic monologue in the mode of Robert Browning, the monk speaks directly to his canine companion and addresses (however obliquely) Joshu’s famous koan from The Gateless Gate (Mumonkan) about…
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THE WAY OF THE WAY
Richard Collins Komorebi (木漏れ日): Sunshine filtering through trees Just over a year ago I attended my elder brother’s funeral on the Oregon coast. A few days later my wife and I took an early-morning hike down a steep cleft in the rocks just off the coast highway. At the bottom of the trail the Pacific…
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98. Zen Lessons from the Mississippi River
It is said that the origin of the great Mississippi River is actually a tiny spring.Growing from that source it eventually becomes a huge mass of water sometimesresembling a lake at it’s widest points along the way. Of course we all know that the mighty Mississippi’s ultimate destination is theocean. Once entering there atmospheric conditions…
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97. Trying To Suppress Thoughts Is A Mistake
There is an interesting and productive way to view and digest the conundrum ofthinking in meditation. Sometimes it can become a hindrance, while at other times,thinking is a necessary function and integral part of being human. Let’s explorethis in the following manner: Begin by noting that when you are doing anything, whether it be physical…
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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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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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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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UNANSWERABLE QUESTIONS
“Don’t be deceived by the body, the mind, the world, or Buddhist teachings.” — Tōrei Enji This morning I plucked one of my old journals at random from the shelf, a volume covering Fall 2012, and found this quotation copied on the title page as an epigraph. It is by the famed painter and calligrapher,…
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THE GROWLING STOMACH SUTRA
17 November 2024, Stone Nest Dojo This morning in the meditation hall The chanting call-and-response of bellies Not the phonetic monosyllables of The Heart Sutra but something even more Primal, more visceral, authentic, true Responding to the energy in the room Calling out to the third treasure: Sangha Embodying the other two: Dharma Buddha (you).…