Author Archives: Andy Tanzan Scott

Wild geese and wood sheds

It’s the final full weekend of the August Training period in the Lake District and a small group of us (Stephan, Emma, Isshin and myself) are awaiting the new arrivals today for the final week of the retreat.  The weather is beautiful as we look out across the Lowther valley eating breakfast. We have maintained […]

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Yokoji – more bad news

Having weathered the forest fire, as we previously reported, events have sadly taken a turn for the worse at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center.  See Yugen’s blog: http://zmc.org/blog/2013/09/a-turn-for-the-worse for some very distressing pictures. The forest fire burned off the vegetation that stabilised the soil on the mountain above the Center.  This has left them dangerously exposed to […]

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Mindfulness or Bodyfulness?

Mindfulness is much in vogue it seems but I have long had doubts about the term. With its focus on mind the temptation for westerners, I fear, is that we will become even more ‘lost in thought’ as Thich Nhat Hahn describes us.  In teaching zazen to beginners, I have found many who say that […]

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