Category Archives: Liturgy & Study

Alasdair Taisen Gordon-Finlayson – Shariputra and the Thicket of Views

(Statue of Shariputra from Mahamevnawa Amawatura Monastery in Kandy, Sri Lanka) Just some reflections on a Saturday morning… I was watching a video about Shariputra – a fascinating video that explores what we know about the man himself, who he studied with before meeting the Buddha, his role in the Buddhist sangha, his enlightenment… and […]

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Japanese sutra

Where is the Dharma? Looking for the teaching on the cushion and in everyday life – Colin Shinjo Salmon

“The Dharma, incomparably profound and infinitely subtle, is rarely encountered even in millions of ages.”-  from the Sutra Opening Gatha “The Buddha’s Dharma has this good reputation; it is well expounded by the Blessed One, visible here and now, inviting one to come and inspect it, applicable, to be personally experienced by sensible people.”  – from […]

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Daniel Bushin Gallagher – excerpt from “Meeting the True Dragon: A Commentary on Zen Master Dogen’s Fukanzazengi”

The following commentary has been taken, in slightly different form, from the forthcoming book, Meeting the True Dragon: A Commentary on Zen Master Dogen’s Fukanzazengi. Introduction Eihei Dogen was born in the Japanese Capital of Kyoto in 1200. He was a Dharma heir in both the Rinzai and Soto schools of Zen and is credited […]

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‘Pure Water, No Fish’- Examining the Four Noble Truths – Andy Tanzan Scott

The Four Noble Truths, along with the Eightfold Path and the Middle Way, are contained in the Buddha’s first teaching after his enlightenment. Called “Turning the Wheel of the Dharma”, this talk at Deer Park to his five former ascetic companions formed the basis of his teaching for the next forty-five years, so it is rather important. Nevertheless […]

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‘The Gateless Gate – The Tales of the Human Heart’ by Woo Young Tetsugen Yang

Which book on Zen (or Buddhism generally) has had the most impact on your life and practice and why did it particularly resonate with you? The Gateless Gate – The Tales of the Human Heart As Sensei often muses, for a tradition that prides itself in ‘without relying on letters and words, transmission outside scriptures, […]

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No creature ever falls short of its own completion. Wherever it stands it does not fail to cover the ground.

No creature ever falls short of its own completion.  Wherever it stands it does not fail to cover the ground.        Dogen Zenji I recently heard this quoted during a talk on sesshin at Crosby a few weeks ago.  It caught my attention immediately with its profound depth and wisdom.  I would like to share with […]

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