Author Archives: Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson

A picture of a home altar

The “10,000 Things of Western Zen” – Alasdair Taisen Gordon-Finlayson

Dear sangha member, I am a researcher at the University of Northampton, UK, and as you might know, I am also a Zen practitioner in the StoneWater Sangha. I received tokudo in 2011, and was made ‘Hoshi’ last year by Keizan Roshi, who’s graciously permitted me to send out this call for help with my new research project, which […]

Read more…

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 […]

Read more…

Keizan Sensei on Youtube…

During his recent trip to Brighton for a Big Mind workshop with Diane Hamilton, Mark Walsh of integrationtraining.co.uk got Sensei to stand still long enough to ask him three questions on video: “What does a British spirituality look like?” “What is Zen?” and even “You’re asked what Buddhism is at a drunken party, how do you respond?” Click through for the answers!

Read more…