Month: January 2014
by Rick Nin’yu Harlan From Jukai, 1998 I had to take the Precepts vow. I didn’t know why or really what the entire meaning was, but I knew that I must. As time has passed, it has become a little more clear to me. Is it a set of moral standards to live by? Yes,… Read more »
Kyogen Carlson (This Dharma talk, transcribed by Jill Bukkai Washburn, was given in March, 1999.) Homage to the Buddha, Homage to the Dharma, Homage to the Sangha. As some of you know, at least those of you who are familiar with my talks, I can’t go too long without using either an animal story or… Read more »
Case 94 in the Book of Serenity tells of a time when Master Dongshan (Tozan Ryokai) was very ill. A monk came to him and asked, “Is there someone who does not get ill?” Donshan answered, “There is,” and the dialog goes on from there. Does this contradict the First Noble Truth? What’s going on… Read more »
We have good news on the geotechnical front – the pile of earth that has been sitting where the Sodo will be built – has done its job much better than expected. The idea was to put something much heavier than a building there, and “pre-squish” the ground until it is done squishing. The ground… Read more »
Jiko’s Pilgrimage Journal Entries from India Note: Center members Sallie Jiko Tisdale and Thomas Koshin Bruner have been in India from several weeks, visiting Buddhist sites, but also other placers of cultural and historical interest. *Jambudvipa, the ancient name for India used in Sutras. Jan. 9 in Varanasi: We walked to the northern end of… Read more »
On January 12, 2014, the Dharma Talk was “Taking Joy Seriously, or Can a Buddhist Have a Good Time?” In our practice we explicitly examine the causes of suffering as we study the Second Noble Truth. Dogen said that “To study Buddhism is to study the self.” Are we just a mass of suffering? How… Read more »
The property has been quiet during December, as the land becomes wetter and colder, resting for the winter. At a little over a year since we bought the property, the changes are apparent and dramatic. There is a road. There are piles of dirt and wood chips, along with silt fencing, where there were no… Read more »
As we start up again on our regular schedule, we sometimes find that we can look back at holiday excesses and have remorse, vowing to do differently. How can we take vows in a skillful way? Genko shares something of her own struggle with addictive behavior and how she is finding ways through it with… Read more »