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At StoneWater we are blessed in having some sangha members who are fine writers and who are able share and reflect, often in very personal ways. Here’s a lovely piece by Stuart Gendai Hollyoak who explores the idea of intrinsic value. The ‘Identity of Relative and Absolute’ says that each thing ‘has its own intrinsic […]
I had the opportunity to be Head Trainee (Shuso) in the Lakes this year. I don’t normally work on koans. My usual practice is just sitting (shikantaza). I chose this koan because of its ordinariness. It felt relevant to my everyday life. It involved Joshu and Nansen. Two of the great figures in Zen history. […]
Stage one As a Zenny I suppose it would be form to choose a koan from Mumonkan or Blue Cliff Record, write a breezy, impersonal account of why this koan appeals and how it works for me. It’s safe and will give the impression I am well sorted after all these years staring at the […]
At StoneWater Zen London, we have continued with our regular programme of weekly and monthly classes. We held our first AGM on 24 July to discuss the future growth of our practice together. However, earlier in the year, we had already discussed what we might do as a sangha to support Buddhist Action Month (June), […]
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 […]
I met Dogen Zenji once, late October by the river, the misting end of an Autumn day. He was ‘just sitting’, on a bench, looking west toward the distant mountains. A ship moved slowly upstream against the ebbing tide. “Do you suppose”, he said, “that it is the ship, the river or the mountains that […]
I recently attended a large Liverpool comprehensive school to take part in an interfaith event as part of a Culture Day. Our input was coordinated by Liverpool Community Spirit, an interfaith educational charity, and I was there to represent Buddhism alongside two other faith groups, Judaism and Global Christianity. The format of the day […]
When I did my Shuso retreat and ceremony a couple of years ago, Tony Shinro presented me with a copy of Master Ma’s Ordinary Mind: The Sayings of Zen Master Mazu Daoyi. While I’d obviously heard of Mazu (also known as Ma-tsu or Baso who lived from 709-788 CE), I didn’t know all that much […]
Very little is known about Ryonen, the Zen ancestor that I find myself drawn to write about. For many of our ancestors the historical details of their lives are often much less well known than the stylised reputation their names have gathered over the years. In the case of our female ancestors even less is […]
The thirty-eighth ancestor in the Soto lineage was Tozan Ryokai (807-69). He received transmission from Ungo Donjo (784-841) after first training with a number of other masters, including Isan Reiyu (771-853). Tozan met with Isan at a time when he was preoccupied by a question, which, according to the scholar Robert Sharf, was controversial within […]