Author Archives: Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson

Earthquake Memorial – Help sought from around the world

The sangha has been contacted by a group in Japan who are creating the “Tohoku Earthquake Memorial Sutra Mound” in memory of the 15,000 confirmed dead and 9,000 missing from the recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.  Keizan Sensei has asked me to make the details available to everyone so that those who wish to participate can do so.  In brief, those who take part will trace out a copy of the Heart Sutra in Japanese kanji script, part of a practice called “shakyo”/copying of sutras.  We will contribute these to the committee, who will then hold a ceremony in which they are recited, and buried on a mountain in Japan.  A memorial will then be erected on this burial mound.  Read of for more details of the project and how to get involved…

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Who is Keizan Jokin Zenji?

Each week, after chanting together the Identity of Relative and Absolute, we dedicate the merits of that chanting to our dharma ancestors. I’m not comfortable with just chanting the names mindlessly, so I thought I’d do some reading around and find out a little more… and then inflict it on you! I wanted to start with Keizan Jōkin (1268-1325), because of all the figures we recall during the service, he seems to have been most unduly overlooked.

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The fraud – Perils of koan practice

I’ve been stuck on a seemingly innocent koan for quite a few weeks now, even with weekly dokusan. I won’t go into details, I’m not looking for help on the koan, just an observation of the process, and perhaps a cry for understanding and begging not to be judged too harshly for either my fraud… or my self-pity!

(This is adapted from an old diary entry of mine – I’ve actually shared this online once before, but not here.)

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