Category Archives: Liturgy & Study

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 […]

Where is the Dharma? Looking for the teaching on the cushion and in everyday life – Colin Shinjo Salmon

“The Dharma, incomparably profound and infinitely subtle, is rarely encountered even in millions of ages.”- from the Sutra Opening Gatha “The Buddha’s Dharma has this good reputation; it is well expounded by the Blessed One, visible here and now, inviting one to come and inspect it, applicable, to be personally experienced by sensible people.” – from […]

Daniel Bushin Gallagher – excerpt from “Meeting the True Dragon: A Commentary on Zen Master Dogen’s Fukanzazengi”

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 […]

‘Emptiness and Boundlessness’ by Sarah Kokai Thwaites

I’ve been experimenting with words recently. Not deliberately but rather noticing how different translations of some of the words that we use in talking about practice or in our chants bring a very different feel. I’m going to be exploring here just one of these – the biggest – emptiness. I’m not going to really […]

My Penny’s Worth on The Four Noble Truths – Keith Shingo Parr

The Four Noble Truths are said to contain the essence Of Gautama Buddha’s teaching. The truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path to the cessation of suffering which is The Noble Eightfold Path. The truth of suffering seems to […]

‘Pure Water, No Fish’- Examining the Four Noble Truths – Andy Tanzan Scott

The Four Noble Truths, along with the Eightfold Path and the Middle Way, are contained in the Buddha’s first teaching after his enlightenment. Called “Turning the Wheel of the Dharma”, this talk at Deer Park to his five former ascetic companions formed the basis of his teaching for the next forty-five years, so it is rather important. Nevertheless […]

‘The Gateless Gate – The Tales of the Human Heart’ by Woo Young Tetsugen Yang

Which book on Zen (or Buddhism generally) has had the most impact on your life and practice and why did it particularly resonate with you? The Gateless Gate – The Tales of the Human Heart As Sensei often muses, for a tradition that prides itself in ‘without relying on letters and words, transmission outside scriptures, […]

‘the book’ by Sarah Kokai Thwaites

‘the book’ – lowercase because this is less a book review (the title and author are lost) than a tribute to the power of reading, the value of public libraries, and the wonderful serendipity that the right book will appear when we need it to ….. “I have to preface this writing with an admission […]

The Identity of the Relative and the Absolute.

Here’s a beautiful reflection by Jez Lovekin : “Years ago, when I first heard and chanted this Sutra, I found myself connecting with it like none of the other sutras. This was the one that spoke to me about my ignorance of practice and subsequently my developing understanding and finally my need to struggle with […]

No creature ever falls short of its own completion. Wherever it stands it does not fail to cover the ground.

No creature ever falls short of its own completion. Wherever it stands it does not fail to cover the ground. Dogen Zenji I recently heard this quoted during a talk on sesshin at Crosby a few weeks ago. It caught my attention immediately with its profound depth and wisdom. I would like to share with […]