This is where we invite you, the Sangha members, to contribute your short articles on your experiences, ideas
or readings that you feel will interest others. Send these direct to the webmaster, Andy Scott, or via the
contact page. Posts will be linked and publicised in general mailings, Facebook and Twitter. Comments may
be made on the StoneWater Zen Facebook page or via Sarah Thwaites if you don't use social media.
I left education when I was 29. I had cocooned myself in its embrace for 6 years. I felt I had found myself, found my friends, found my love of life. Experimented! I took photos, studied film and criticised some of the world’s greatest art pieces. Thinking I knew best. I spent many hours sat […]
As a fairly extreme addict of zazen and of shikantaza (“just sitting”) in particular, spending most of 2020 unable to sit up for more than a few minutes due to Long Covid meant that the mechanics of my practice needed to change. One option might have been to stop sitting but that somehow never occurred […]
“Koans are not for me”, I used to think. “My practice is woefully inadequate. Koans are for serious and accomplished practitioners of Zen”. “Besides”, I would go on, “I live too much in my head. Koans would only make my head even fuller of words and distract me from the practice of being in the […]
In January we lost Maurice Shokatsu George who passed away peacefully after a short illness. He was 89 years old but very much younger in energy and attitude than his age suggests. A colourful and well-loved member of the Sangha and a frequent attender at the Liverpool Centre and retreats over the years, Maurice was […]
Lorna found Buddhism in the 1980s at Sidney Zen Centre, which was affiliated to the Diamond Sangha in Hawaii under Robert Aitken Roshi. He visited Sidney to lead sesshin. He gave her the precepts and the dharma name Kokai. Lorna went to Honolulu for sesshin with Aitken Roshi. Returning to England, Lorna found Genpo Roshi […]
Henrike Jishin Reef, who was known to many in the Stonewater Zen sangha and who helped Roshi in the early days of the establishment of StoneWater Zen, sadly died on the 7th December 2020. Please click here to read a tribute to her written by Jim Yugen Lakey on the Yokoji-Zen Mountain Center blog.
When I thought about the subject of sesshins past I was a little surprised that the memories of sesshin that came up weren’t of any particular sesshin or of the the long hours in the zendo, much as I honestly love the sitting. Instead what popped up were other accompanying moments. Wandering leisurely through the […]
As part of a series of posts about sesshin gathered for the StoneWater Zen newsletter, here Roshi shares a very condensed diary of three weeks spent at Zen Mountain Center, California, August 4th, leave Manchester Airport 12 noon. Arrive Ontario airport, Los Angeles, 8pm, eight hours behind UK time. Tenshin meets me. Drive through desert […]
One of Roshi’s recent talks where he asked us to talk about our difficulties with zazen reminded me of a retreat I did with the Chan group in mid-Wales. This was about 2 years ago and was one of the final retreats before Maenllwyd closed for good. As always, we began in the old farmhouse,15 […]
In September and October we ran two online sesshins. The aim was to replicate, as far as possible, a physical sesshin, with extended sitting periods, interviews, work periods (samu) and services. There were also suggestions provided for meal preparation and other shared samu activities. The feedback for both these events was very positive. Whilst everyone […]