Podcasts about rinzai zen

Zwischen Himmel und Erde – da ist der Mensch. In dieser Folge erfährst du, warum Zen kein Entkommen aus dem Alltag ist, sondern ein radikales Ankommen im Hier. Hinnerk Polenski führt dich tief hinein in das spirituelle Trainingssystem des Rinzai-Zen, das Körper, Atem und Bewusstsein in Einklang bringt.Wie können wir in einer Welt, die sich immer mehr verschließt, das Herz offen halten? Was bedeutet es wirklich, ein „wahrer Mensch“ zu sein? Und warum liegt der Schlüssel zur spirituellen Entwicklung in der Erdmitte unseres Seins?Diese Folge ist eine Einladung, tiefer zu blicken – jenseits von Ich-Ideen, spirituellen Konzepten und äußeren Versprechen.

In this Teisho, given on Novembwer 10, 2024, Rinzan Osho examines case 49 of the Hekiganroku: Sansho's "The Gold Carp Out of the Net." What is it when we have dropped the bonds of ego and are truly free? 

Während seiner Ausbildung bei Nangaku Ejõ geriet Baso Dōitsu in eine Sackgasse und zog sich in einen einsamen Tempel zurück, wo er tagein und tagaus meditierte. Er wünschte, dadurch ein Buddha zu werden. Zen umfasst aber das gesamte Leben. Während eines Sesshin wird daher auch Sitzmeditation mit der richtigen Dosis Alltag kombiniert. Gerade das Normale ist das Gold der Übung, denn Zen will sämtliche Bereiche der Existenz meditativ erforschen. Es sind die Koan, die uns das Leben selbst stellt, in denen wir dem wirklichen Gehalt des großen Lebens begegnen mit seinen angenehmen und herausfordernden Seiten. Letztendlich sind es die Zeichen der gegenseitigen Verbundenheit, die uns veranlassen, die Kategorien von Gut und Böse hinter uns zu lassen. Dann erfassen wir, was Ejõ in Koan 147 des Kattōshū seinem Schüler Baso übermittelt: »Beim nichtanhaftenden Dharma sollst du weder ergreifen noch ablehnen. Wenn du sitzt, um ein Buddha zu sein, tötest du lediglich den Buddha. Wenn du an der Sitzhaltung festhältst, wirst du nie das grundlegende Prinzip verwirklichen.« Baso jedenfalls wurde einer der herausragendsten Meister des Rinzai-Zen. Dieses Teisho wurde im Kô Getsu An (https://zen-bonn.de) gehalten. Um für junge Erwachsene den Aufenthalt im ToGenJi zu ermöglichen, bitten wir um eine Spende: Sie finden die Kontodaten/Paypal auf unserer Website https://choka-sangha.de/spenden/ Herzlichen Dank

Ama Samy (Arul Maria Arokiasamy), S.J., born in 1936, is an Indian Zen master and Jesuit priest. Ama Samy was born to Christian parents in Burma in 1936 and grew up in India. After becoming a Jesuit priest in 1972, he began visiting Hindu ashrams and Buddhist meditation centers. He was introduced to Ramana Maharshi's teachings by Swami Abhishiktananda. His searching led him to become a wandering beggar for a period and to settle down as a hermit. Father Ama visited Japan and trained with Yamada Koun Roshi of Sanbo Kyodan. In 1982, Yamada Roshi authorized him to teach Zen. Ama Samy founded the Bodhi Sangha, the community of his disciples, in 1986. Bodhi Sangha became an independent Zen school when he left the Sanbo Kyodan organization in 2002. Ama Samy's method of teaching embraces both Soto and Rinzai Zen traditions and draws from the resources of Christianity and other religions. He lives and teaches at Bodhi Zendo Zen Center near Kodaikanal in South India.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message.In this episode, Dr Linda Kader interviews Ginny Whitelaw, a former NASA scientist and leadership expert. They discuss topics such as finding purpose as a leader, authenticity and inquiry in leadership, aligning body, energy, and mind, and the vision for leaders in the world. Ginny shares insights from her own journey and emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, psychological safety, and aligning one's gifts with leadership. The conversation highlights the need for leaders to cultivate a sense of healing and wisdom in order to create positive change in the world. Dr Ginny Whitelaw is a Rinzai Zen master and founder and CEO of the Institute for Zen Leadership. A biophysicist by training, she combines a rich scientific background with senior leadership experience at NASA and 25 years developing leaders at such companies as Novartis, Dell, Merck, T. Rowe Price, Mercer, and JNJ. A recognized expert in development of the whole leader, she has authored several books, including The Zen Leader and Resonate. She co-developed the FEBI®, which measures 4 patterns of personality that connect body, mind and behaviors, and trains practitioners worldwide in applying FEBI in their work.In her nearly 10 years at NASA, Dr. Whitelaw became the Deputy Manager for integrating the International Space Station, for which she received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal. She holds a PhD in Biophysics and a 5th degree black belt in Aikido.Dr Linda Kader is a consultant psychiatrist, psychotherapist & mindfulness teacher with a strong interest and commitment to raise and facilitate necessary conversations in healthcare leadership and management. She works at The Royal Melbourne and The Royal Children's Hospitals offering leadership & clinical care, supervision & teaching of registrars, and supporting various aspects of service development  & implementation. She is a Mentor for registrars with RANZCP, holds passion for refugee healthcare and engages in Human Rights Advocacy through her local Council committees. She brings to her daily work extensive practice and knowledge of mindfulness and compassion to nurture professional, safe and engaging working atmosphere for her teams and all staff.Topic suggestion:If you have a topic suggestion or would like to participate in a future episode of Psych Matters, we'd love to hear from you.Please contact us by email at: psychmatters.feedback@ranzcp.orgDisclaimer:This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australia or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP's Your Health In Mind Website.

Closing out our exploration of the “three marks” of dukkha, in this episode we will take a look, close-up-and-personal, at death. In summary, our confrontation with and embrace of the three marks varies according to their universal natures, as well as to our personal nurturing in their recognition and acceptance. Aging is predictable, but typically sneaks up on us, moving far too gradually to register in our youth, even nowadays with our ubiquitous mirrors, selfies, and TikTok videos – none of which our ancestors had in abundance. Today's living generations may be the most self-conscious in the history of humankind. The famous “polishing a tile to make a mirror” koan anecdote reflected the fact that mirrors were originally of polished metal. Narcissus, remember, fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. By contrast, Tung-shan, a 9th century monk, was enlightened upon seeing his face for the first time, reflected in the water. A contemporary stand-up comic, who shall remain nameless, asked, “Did'ja ever look in the mirror in the morning and think, “That can't be accurate!”? Sickness, whether life-threatening or not, can land like a ton of bricks, flattening you for the moment – and often for the foreseeable future – with the rate of recovery dependent upon many factors, including aging. Sickness can often be the death-knell, as a diagnosis of cancer once was. As one ages, the body becomes less immune to the predations of bacteria and viruses, it seems. Today the threat of mental illness, leading to suicide, also looms large. Usually, the threat of death from natural causes may be safely ignored, postponed, or even denied, until it can't. But sudden death is even more unpredictable than sickness, and can come in such a variety of modes today, including natural and man-made disasters, which are popping up with greater and greater frequency, notably side-effects of climate change, such as the ever-increasing statistical rate of death from extreme heat. America seems to be the poster-boy for death by guns, accidental or intentional, now one of the major causes of death for children in the USA. Death from complications in childbirth is still far too common, particularly for non-white women. And then there is always stress, aggravated by habits such as smoking. If one thing doesn't get you, something else will, in the end. Death and taxes, as we say. I must note in passing that much of the hysteria we witness on ideological and political fronts of the public discourse seems motivated by an underlying fear, which appears to stem from the triple threat of aging, sickness and death. Witness the “worship of youth” culture, “self-improvement” programs, and anti-aging products aimed at prolonging vim and vigor and extending life itself as long as possible. This primal, largely subliminal fear is often projected onto the identified “other,” a form of transference that – like the old “I'm rubber, you're glue” trope – deflects self-criticism, in favor of defining each and every conflict in terms of self-preservation, and resorting to blaming others. As the Tao te Ching reminds us, “When the blaming begins, there is no end to the blame.” Buddha's original analysis of the constructed self's fundamentally dissatisfactory nature of reality, and our place, individually and collectively, writ large. The most dissatisfactory of all affronts and indignities to our ego are the three marks. If, on the other hand, we could all embrace, in all humility, the realities of aging, sickness and death as being perfectly natural and okay, the resulting equanimity of outlook might go a long way to ameliorating the insane intensity of conflict in the world. Aging gracefully includes embracing illness and death as built-in, intrinsic to the natural order of things. How much of our time, energy, attention and resources are dedicated to resistance to this fact – a fundamental denialism that leads naturally to the abdication of truth – in favor of our favorite fantasies as to the nature and central meaning of life? A young Rinzai Zen priest named Hasegawa published a book titled “The Cave of Poison Grass.” He mentioned the fact that most people seem to postpone confronting reality until, finally, they are on their death bed. He declared that this is too late – “like eating soup with a fork” – a memorable phrase. He insisted that we have to confront this “Great Matter” of life-and-death while we are young, and have sufficient strength and energy to overcome it. In the lore of Zen there is a Till-Eulenspiegel-like narrative that captures its sometimes irreverent attitude toward life and death, supposedly a true story. A monk realized that he was to die soon, and began asking other monks what they knew about, or had heard about, others dying. He was curious to know if anyone had ever died standing on their head, but nobody had. So sure enough, when the time came, he stood on his head in the corner and died. His sister happened to be a nun, and when she came to visit for the funeral, the corpse was still standing there in the corner. In disgust, she kicked it over, declaring that he had never had any respect for anything in life, and he still had no respect in death. The story goes that they buried him upside-down. An old saying in Zen says to “stamp life and death on your forehead and never let it out of your mind.” This is not a mark of morbid obsession with death, but simply recognizes that there is no life without death – birth is the leading cause of death.Instead of bemoaning the fact that life inevitably passes back into the great remix that is the universe – the wave returning to the ocean – we embrace the inevitability of “shuffling off this mortal coil” as a kind of relief. As Mark Twain was said to have asked, when in his old age reporters inquired as to whether he wasn't afraid to die, why would he be afraid of returning to where he came from? It is the stuff of science fiction to imagine a future in which medical science has treated the phenomenon of dying as an unnecessary aberration, a kind of illness, and come up with techniques such as cryogenic freezing of human remains, genetic mutation, and cultivating transplant organs and limbs to achieve what is, for all practical purposes, human immortality. The question becomes, would you really want to live forever? Life takes a great deal of its meaning from the inevitability of death, which is often considered in opposition to life. But Master Dogen treats both birth death as another nondual, complementary dyad, from Genjokoan–Actualizing the Fundamental Point: Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash you do not return to birth after deathThis being so it is an established way in buddha-dharma to deny that birth turns into deathAccordingly birth is understood as non-birthIt is an unshakable teaching in Buddha's discourse that death does not turn into birthAccordingly death is understood as non-death Birth is an expression complete this momentDeath is an expression complete this momentThey are like winter and springYou do not call winter the beginning of spring nor summer the end of spring In this wonderful analogy, Master Dogen places birth and death on a continuum, each as an “expression complete this moment,” and yet undeniably entangled. We might ask: An expression of what? and the answer would seem to be “life itself.” So birth, which we celebrate, and death, which we mourn, are seen to be inflection points, rather equal in import, in the continuum of life. When my older brother was dying in hospice, I spent about a week attending on him as he drifted in and out of consciousness. I picked up a pamphlet at the clinic where he was cared for, called “The Eleventh Hour.” It was written by a Christian woman, a clergy member or teacher of some sort, but she never once mentioned Jesus or God. One line I recall said something like, “Birth is the death of whatever precedes birth. Death is the birth of whatever follows death.” Very Zen. I hope this brief foray into the most dispositive and determinative factors defining our life experience helps to allay any unreasoning fear you may have of these time-honored Three Marks. Along with Buddhism's Three Poisons of greed, anger or hatred, and delusion or folly, they form the nexus of all that is wrong with the human universe in the personal sphere. When we move into the next outer layer, the social sphere, we confront them on a more global scale as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, Famine, War, and Conquest. Today we might be coerced to add even more unintended consequences to the deluge, including increasing population pressure and worldwide immigration, as well as advances in technology that tend to frustrate, rather than facilitate, our presumably inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Speaking of which, in the first UnMind episode of the upcoming month, we will look over our shoulder once again to the dread prospect of Election Year Zen, which is gaining on us, assessing whether or not we can see any light of compassion or wisdom at the end of that maddeningly long tunnel. Please add a seatbelt to your zafu and strap in. The haiku poem on the “grim reaper” is from a 2020 series called “Dharma Dreams from Great Cloud.” The text, titled “Swords into Plowshares,” will form the basis of July's UnMind. If you have any remaining questions as to why I feel it important to examine the current political pageantry from the perspective of ancient Buddhist teachings, which may strike you as outdated and irrelevant, please email me about it. * * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Shinjin Larry Little

We closed the last segment with a quote from Master Dogen from Shobogenzo Zuimonki, regarding monastic practice in 13th century Japan: How do we practice the Way without being disturbed by the slandering remarks of others, and without reacting to the resentment of others, or speaking of the right or wrong of others? Only those who thoroughly devote even their bones and marrow to the practice can do it. These instructions and admonitions for practicing the Zen Way and maintaining harmony in the Zen monastic community, from over 800 years ago, come across with great currency, as if Dogen may have been attending some of our past board meetings. It just goes to show that people have always been people, and that conflicts arising in day-to-day dealings with the propagation of communal Zen practice have not changed fundamentally over the centuries, and even millennia, since the inception of Buddhism. I think it appropriate to raise some of these quintessentially Western attitudes that have come to my attention in the recent past, and especially during the pre- and post-COVID period we have all just come through. Like most of Dogen's teachings – which can sometimes come across as harsh shaming, or finger-wagging scolding – the old adage applies: “If you see yourself in this picture…” or “If the shoe fits, wear it.” Any and all criticism in Zen, whether implied or explicit, is intended to be reflected back upon ourselves, as in a Zen mirror, and not held up to denigrate others. This is in line with the Ten Grave Precepts, particularly those advising against discussing the faults of others, or praising oneself at the expense of others. While we encourage independence of thinking in Zen, and further, claim that zazen is one of the only dependable ways of developing it to fruition, this does not imply that we then become the sole judge, and final arbiter, of all behaviors of others in the sangha. This is one of the many misconceptions, or delusions, that arise in community practice. One of our longer-term members once declared, some decades ago, that, in his dealings with others, he saw himself as the kyosaku – the somewhat controversial “warning stick,” usually used to strike the shoulders to help you “wake up” during long retreats. He felt it was his role and, indeed, his responsibility, to administer the stick, metaphorically, to those he thought were out of line with the Zen Way. I reminded him, gently, that there is a reason why the stick has to be requested, in Soto Zen. We do not simply go around whacking people with it willy-nilly, without so much as a by-your-leave. Dogen said somewhere that we should never regard ourselves as someone else's “teacher.” If and when we put ourselves in the position of teaching others whatever we consider to be the necessary lessons in Zen, we should remember that in the design of communications, it is the message received – not the message sent – that counts. We may teach another person a lesson we think they need to learn, all right, but it is not likely to be the lesson we intended. Our actions will likely tell them more about us, than they do about them. Dogen admonished his young wards on this point, urging juniors, and seniors in particular, to avoid using harsh words and behavior in the unfounded belief that criticism, however warranted, will work to their benefit, or that of the target of their reproval, or of their fellow community members who may witness the confrontation. In some general comments about one of the attitude adjustments that all students of the Buddhist way should adopt, Master Dogen stresses listening, over expressing your own limited understanding. Especially in the beginning of your practice and study of the buddha-dharma, which, remember, may require many decades to mature. His remarks seem as timely today as in the 13th century, and taken with the above quote, comprise as good a model of independent thinking and interdependent action that you may come across: 6 — 12These days, many people who are learning the Way listen to a talk on the dharma, and above all want their teacher to know that they have a correct understanding and want to give good replies. This is why the words they listen to go in one ear and out the other. They still lack bodhi-mind and remain self-centered. First of all, forget your ego and listen quietly to what others say, and later ponder it well. Then, if you find some faults or have some doubts, you may make criticism. When you have grasped the point, you should present your understanding to your teacher. Waiting to claim immediate understanding shows that you are not really listening to the dharma. Note that the popular trope – “in one ear and out the other” – is apparently not of recent coinage. We have to be careful of a certain cultural arrogance, in assuming that our present situation is overly unique. “It was ever thus,” as we say. Or, in Zen terms: “Buddhas and ancestors of old were as we; we in the future shall be buddhas and ancestors,” taken from Dogen's Vow. But to become buddhas and ancestors we have to learn tolisten, and that entails learning how to listen; which means learning how to hear. You may protest that you already know how to hear! That is, you are hearing, and have been doing so all along. But training in design thinking, particularly in the Bauhaus tradition, says “not so fast.” You may think you are hearing, seeing, and feeling, but are you really? Drawing, photography, and the other visual arts are all considered ways of training the eye to truly see. The audial arts – music, singing, et cetera – are likewise ways of training the ear to hear. Kinetic body work – dance, theater, athletics and so on, train the body to feel, and to move in gravity with efficiency and elegance. Similarly in Zen training we find expressions such as attributed to Dogen's teacher in China, Tiantong Rujing, where he said something like, paraphrasing freely, “gouge out your eyes so that you cannot see and then you may be able to see for the first time...” cut out your tongue, plug up the ears, burn the body, etc. so that they may be replaced with the true body and senses of buddha-nature. This, obviously, on a much deeper level than the Bauhaus training is shooting for. But simply on a social level of discourse, the need to listen is greater than ever, what with all the voices vying for our attention. With the recent burgeoning of interactive meetings on the internet – which incidentally, Master Dogen did not have to contend with, fortunately for him – we have witnessed a dramatic evolution of etiquette in public dialog. Standard admonitions include not interrupting the speaker; keeping your comments brief so that more attendees have an opportunity to participate; directing your comments to the moderator or guest panelist and avoiding cross-talk; and generally resisting the impulse to hijack the proceedings to pursue your own agenda. This syndrome has long been a known issue in American Zen circles, where even in intimate, in-person settings, when called upon, certain members of the audience will suddenly turn to the audience to share their viewpoint, rather than deferring to the person hosting the dialog. This is at a minimum impolite, if not downright rude. But this is America, where all opinions are considered equal, especially by those who hold them. Dogen goes on to modify his admonition to privilege a discerning silence over blurting out our opinion at every opportunity; giving it some time to gain clarity; then engaging the dialog in a respectful way. Application to today's social media transactions is too obvious to point out, but I could not resist. Later on, Dogen repeats this instruction, indicating that the issue had arisen again, in real facetime dialog: 6 — 14Students of the Way, when you practice with a certain teacher and learn the dharma, you should listen thoroughly again and again until you completely understand. If you spend time without asking what should be asked, or without saying what should be said, it will certainly be your own loss. Teachers always await questions from their disciples and give their own comments. You should ask again and again to make sure even of things that you have already understood. Teachers also should ask their disciples whether they have really understood or not, and thoroughly convince them (of the truth of the dharma). Taking Dogen's point, and following along the lines of appropriate attitudes and behaviors in the context of Zen community — including its traditional respect for seniority and today's smugly iconoclastic attack on anything that smacks of authority — the usual caveats regarding comparisons between our practice of Zen and that of the ancients, particularly the social or sangha dimension, include the disingenuous excuse that in the time of Dogen and before, male patriarchy and misogyny were prevalent in society, so the societal norms, mores and memes do not apply to us in modern America. To which our female members and others would likely react with a great rollingof the eyes. Furthermore, the thinking goes, the practitioners of that time were primarily monastic. Thus, the rules and regulations (J. shingi) governing the behavior of nuns and monks were themselves not characteristic of the larger community in those days. That is, they were even less egalitarian than conventions prevalent in the cities and villages, among the leadership structures of the times, and so, therefore, how much more so today. A closer reading of history might expose the relatively mythological status of these notions, but we cannot be faulted too much for trying to back-plot our current views of what is right and wrong – including ethical behavior and social injustice – to a place in history where our perspective may have had little or no relevance whatsoever. We like to imagine that the arc of history is bending toward the modern concept of justice, as Master Martin Luther King suggests. Admittedly, the language and culture of Buddha's and Dogen's times were somewhat determinative, if not dispositive, of the form and character of Zen practice of the time, both on personal and social levels. Particularly on the level of personal practice — by which term today, we primarily refer to zazen — the tangible differences might be somewhere in the 5% range of effectiveness on outcomes, including such technical developments as those of clothing and seating options. In other words, Zen “gear” has undergone its own cultural evolution. But the age-old relevance of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path still holds. In the social sphere is where we will find the most salient differences that cause confusion, and to which we may point, if we are inclined to mount challenges to Zen orthodoxy. In this regard — the social propagation of Zen — I want to share a few reminders about our root lineage. Matsuoka-roshi was definitely not in a class by himself. He belongs to a small, rarefied club of ancestors who not only took on the propagation of Zen in their time and cultural milieu, but also transported, imported, the face-to-face practice and transmission of Zen to a whole ‘nother country. O-Sensei joins the likes of Bodhidharma, who sojourned to China, apparently on foot, from the Indian subcontinent around 500 CE. He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Eisai Zenji and Master Dogen, who in the 12th and 13th centuries, respectively, traveled by sailing ship to China, bringing what they experienced there back to Japan. In the process Eisai revitalized Rinzai Zen, which had been predominant in Japan for centuries. Dogen Zenji introduced Soto Zen, emphasizing zazen over all other methods, around 1225. Matsuoka-roshi brought Dogen Zen to this continent in 1940, though the much longer journey by steamship may have been relatively safer, than those of Eisai and Dogen in ancient times. The period between each of these seminal international importations of Zen averages just over 700 years. I am gratified to be the recipient of the benefits of these great founders of our Zen past, as one of the current successors of Matsuoka-roshi. I am also somewhat concerned with the future of Zen, including the vitality of the branch of the tree that I have cultivated here in the Southeast Region of the USA. Thus this analysis. If you have any questions or comments on this subject, I would like to hear them. Tune in to the next episode of UnMind as we explore the future of Zen in America a bit further, with an intent to understand how the hybrid nature of our online and in-person interface may effect face-to-face transmission, for good or for bad, or, more likely, both.

In the last segment of UnMind, we took up the most social of the Three Treasures: Sangha, or community. In this segment, we will continue with our analysis of the design of Dharma study; and in the next, that of Buddha practice, Zen's unique meditation, or zazen. These three constitute the highest values and manifestations of Buddhism in the real world, and the simplest model for the comprehensive nature of living a Zen life. They are regarded as three legs, without any one of which the stool of Zen is unstable. Design intent is reflected in their modus operandi, message, and method, respectively. Dharma study consists in reviewing and contemplating the “compassionate teachings,” the message transmitted by Shakyamuni and the ancestors down to the present day. While they were all, in effect, “speaking with one voice,” nonetheless Dharma ranks second in importance and emphasis, as an adjunct to meditation, just as Sangha comes in third, in providing the harmonious community and conducive environment for Zen. As referenced in Dogen's Jijuyu Zammai – Self-fulfilling Samadhi: Grass, trees and walls bring forth the teaching for all beingsCommon people as well as sages The “walls” are the infrastructure that was built around personal and communal practice in the form of our sitting space at home, grass hut hermitages, and meditation halls of temples, centers, or monasteries. This is the millennia-old design-build activity of the ancestors attested to by the stupas of India and the monasteries of China, Tibet, Japan, and the Far East, the legacy inherited by modern proponents of Zen in the West. Dharma likewise has been codified, collected, and contained in tangible documents, originally in the form of rice paper scrolls, now in books distributed worldwide in hardbound and paperback format. My own two current volumes in print ‑ “The Original Frontier” and “The Razorblade of Zen” ‑ were actually printed and bound in India, the home country of Buddhism They are also, or will soon be, available in electronic form, as eBooks and audiobooks accessible to virtually anyone, anywhere, anytime. It is as if Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion – s/he of the innumerable eyes and ears needed to see and hear the sights and sounds of dukkha in the world, with innumerable arms and hands bringing the tools necessary to help ‑ has come to be manifested globally, in the form of the worldwide network of mobile media. By means of which her ongoing witness to the suffering of the world is also recorded for posterity. Thus, the potential for Dharma to have an effect on the world at large has expanded exponentially, as in the vow: “I take refuge in Dharma, the compassionate teachings.” Taking refuge in the Dharma means returning ‑ or “fleeing back” ‑ to the original truths or laws of existence, and our place in it. Consider what the first teachings of Buddha really had to say, and what was their intended effect upon the audience. The First Sermon lays out the essential logic of the Middle Way, and its avoidance of extremes of attitudes and approaches to the fundamental problem of existence as a sentient, human being. The design intent of the Dharma as expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha, was, as far as we can determine from the written record, to correct the conventional wisdom of the time, which I take to have been primarily based on beliefs and doctrines of Hinduism. One well-known example is his teaching of anatta or anatman, a refutation of the Hindu belief in a self-existent soul, or atman. Not being a scholar, I am basing this on my scant study of the canon and the opinion of others more learned than I. Considering how the Dharma was first shared gives us an insight more technically oriented to the intent of its design. In the beginning was the spoken word of Siddhartha Gautama, similar to the Bible's creation story. Buddha never committed a single word to paper, or so we are told. It is also said that he “never spoke a word,” a comment I take to mean that while language can point at the truths of Buddhism, it cannot capture them. Buddhist truth is uniquely experiential. It has to go through a kind of translation into language that is beyond language itself, as in the last stanza of Hsinhsinming‑Trust in Mind: Words! The Way is beyond language for in itthere is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today Later given the honorifics of “Buddha, ‑ fully awakened one” and “Shakyamuni ‑ sage of the Shakya clan,” and others, ten in total, Siddhartha's First Sermon to the five ascetics with whom he had been practicing, begins with: O monks, these two extremes ought not be followed by one going forth from the household life. What are the two?There is devotion to the indulgence of self-gratificationWhich is low, common, the way of ordinary peopleUnworthy and unprofitableThere is devotion to the indulgence of self-mortificationWhich is painful unworthy and unprofitableAvoiding both these extremes the Tathagata has realized the Middle WayIt gives vision it gives knowledge and it leads to calm to insight to awakening to Nirvana The intent of the content was to dissuade these monks from continuing to follow the dictates of their method of asceticism, which Buddha had found to be ineffective, to say the least. And to hold out the hope that if they were able to relinquish their own opinions of the truth they were seeking, and the method for apprehending it, they would be able to accede to the insight that he had experienced directly in meditation, the “middle way.” “Tathagata,” by the way, is also one of the ten honorifics accorded to Buddha later in the course of his teaching career, meaning something like the “thus-come one.” It was most likely appended to this narrative when finally committed to written form, some four centuries after-the-fact. But our point is that the spoken language was the medium in which the teaching was first shared. Buddha was said to have spoken Pali, which is similar to, and perhaps a dialect of, Sanskrit. The theory I have heard explaining why they were not recorded in written form is that they were considered sacred, and writing them down would have made them vulnerable to accidental or intentional change. The oral tradition was more dependable in terms of preserving them with their original intent intact. So the “design intent” of Buddha's use of kind or loving speech was not the usual intent of language in general. It was intended to encourage others to apprehend the “Great Matter” of life-and-death in the most direct way, the only way, possible. Buddha recognized that there was no way of sharing his experience with others in the ordinary sense, so he resorted to parables and analogies, to allow his audience to see themselves in the pictures he painted, and to transcend ordinary understanding in words and phrases, or the pursuit of information, the usual application of language. The later codifying and organization of the original spoken teachings into the Tripitaka or “three baskets” was designed to allow teachers and students to study the voluminous canon in an orderly way, and to prioritize their approach to it in digestible bites. It was most likely understood that the existing literature of the time ‑ which had to be scarce, compared to today's glut of publications – was to be absorbed in concert with practicing the meditation that had led to Buddha's insight to begin with. As Master Dogen reminds: Now all ancestors and all buddhas who uphold buddha-dharma have made it the true path of enlightenment to sit upright practicing in the midst of self-fulfilling samadhiThose who attained enlightenment in India and China followed this wayIt was done so because teachers and disciples personally transmitted this excellent method as the essence of the teaching In the authentic tradition of our teaching it is said that this directly transmitted straightforward buddha- dharma is the unsurpassable of the unsurpassable The design intent of the teachings has been, from the very beginning, the direct transmission of the buddha-dharma, what Matsuoka-roshi referred to as “living Zen.” In the daily lives of monks and nuns, frequent repetition of chanting selected teachings enabled the monastics to deeply assimilate them. Master Dogen was known for connecting each and every regular daily routine with brief recitations, such as the Meal Verse, in order to bridge the gap between the sacred and the profane, the physical and the spiritual. Codification of the koan collections of Rinzai Zen ‑ some 1700 strong according to tradition, later organized into five sets by Hakuin Ekaku Zenji, the 18th Century Rinzai master ‑ represent design efforts to structure the lore and legacy of Zen's anecdotal history of exchanges between masters and students available in progressive levels of difficulty, enabling accessibility of the apparent dichotomies of Dharma. Soto Zen simplifies the approach even further by regarding zazen itself as representing the living koan, requiring nothing further to complement, or complicate, the process of insight. All the various models of buddha-dharma developed by the ancients qualify as efforts in information design ‑ visualizing images and what is called “pattern-thinking” ‑ that allow us to grasp the form of the Dharma beyond what mere words can convey. The Four Noble Truths comprise the first historical example of these descriptive models, including the prescriptive Noble Eightfold Path. Tozan's “Five Ranks” and Rinzai's “Host and Guest” come later, but have the same design intent – to help their students get beyond the limitation of the linear nature of language. My semantic models of the teachings, published in “The Razorblade of Zen,” represent more contemporary cases in point. Nowadays ‑ as testimonial evidence indicates, from one-on-one encounters in online and in-person dharma dialogs with modern students of the Way ‑ people are no longer studying buddha-dharma as they may have throughout history, when documents were rare. More often than not, they are reading more than one book at a time, in a nonlinear process I refer to as “cross-coupling”: simultaneously absorbing commentaries from one author or translator along with others; or perhaps comparing the teachings of more than one ancestor of Zen to those of a different ancestor. This may be an artifact or anomaly of the ubiquitous presence and availability of Zen material in print form, as well as the encyclopedic scope of online resources on offer today. It seems that in every category, and every language, we have at our fingertips a greater textual resource than ever conceivable in history, dwarfing the great libraries of legend. We can “google” virtually anything – no pun - with a few strokes of a keyboard. In addition, Artificial Intelligence threatens to bring together summaries and concoctions of content at the whim of any researcher; documents are readily searchable for those who wish to quantify uses of words and phrases at any point in history, teasing out trends and making judgments as to the hidden patterns in historical evolution of ideas. In this context it is difficult to ascertain the design intent of dharma as articulated today. It is not easy to discern the intent of the publish-or-perish, rush-into-print crowd, or to judge whether a given piece of contemporary writing is worth our effort and time to read. Fortunately, Zen offers a wormhole out of this literary catch-22. Zazen provides recourse to an even greater inventory of databases, built into our immediate sensorium. We can always return to upright sitting, facing the wall. This is where we will find the nonverbal answers we are seeking so feverishly, and somewhat futilely, in “words and letters” as Master Dogen reminds us in his seminal tract on meditation, Fukanzazengi: You should stop pursuing words and lettersand learn to withdraw and turn the light on yourselfwhen you do so your body and mind will naturally fall awayand your original buddha-nature will appear This stanza is sometimes interpreted as a slam on the nature of contemporaneous Rinzai practice predominant in the Japan of Dogen's time. But I think we should take a broader view of the great master's intent. He is merely cluing us in to the fact of the futility of pursuing literal, linear understanding of the Dharma in its manifestation as verbal expression. We are to turn our attention, instead, to the immediate and intimate presence of the self of body-and-mind ‑ beyond, or before, words can interfere. Here is where, and now is when, we will witness the full force of the design intent of the Dharma.* * * Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Shinjin Larry Little

"Zen is to transcend life and death (all dualism), to truly realize that the entire universe is the “True Human Body” through the discipline of “body-mind in oneness.”… Zen without the accompanying physical experience is nothing but empty discussion.”― Meido MooreThis week, our whole team is honored to receive as our Guest, Meido Moore Roshi.Meido Moore was a disciple of the lay Zen master Tenzan Toyoda Rokoji, enduring rigorous training in Zen and traditional martial arts. He also trained under Dogen Hosokawa Roshi and So'zan Miller Roshi, all in the lineage of the famous Omori Sogen Roshi. Meido is the author of “The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice” and “Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization.”He serves as the abbot of Korinji, a monastery near Madison, Wisconsin, and is a guiding teacher of the international Rinzai Zen Community, leading retreats worldwide.In this episode, Meido Moore answers direct questions from Zen beginners and those unfamiliar with Zen yet drawn to its guidance and teachings addressing the topics of:How Rinzai Zen emphasizes compassion in its teachings.Rinzai Zen's approach to diversity in its practice and teachings.The differences between monastic and lay practice in Rinzai Zen.Rinzai Zen's view of the journey of a spiritual practitioner.The tendencies for judgment and ways for practitioners to navigate and overcome such judgments.The role of self-awareness.Inclusivity regardless of background or beliefs.Two functional practices within Rinzai Zen that any new practitioner can do right now.The overarching goal of Rinzai Zen and its contribution to the well-being of both individuals and society.The importance of the Master-Disciple relationship and much more.If you were ever curious about ZEN, or ready to embark on a journey of exploration and practice for you, then this episode is a good introduction for you.Book links:Hidden Zen: https://www.shambhala.com/authors/g-n/meido-moore/hidden-zen.htmlThe Rinzai Zen Way: https://www.shambhala.com/authors/g-n/meido-moore/the-rinzai-zen-way-15201.htmlIG: https://www.instagram.com/korinji_monastery/Website: www.korinji.orgYou can follow, learn from, and support the Korinji Monastery on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/korinjiWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aInwjbiM8loPodcast produced by Brilliant Futures Productions.Sponsored by Delaflor Teachings Int. & Network for Human Empowerment TV.

In this Teisho, given on February 11th, 2024, Rinzan Osho examines case 13 of the Hekiganroku: Haryo's "Snow in a Sliver Bowl." Koan introspection invites into a way of being that is always available but that we don't normally access. This way of being opens us up to a more meaningful relationship with the deep nature of things.

Genjo Marinello Osho gave this Teisho during the sixth day of Rohatsu Sesshin 2023, at Chobo-Ji. This talk explores one of the core koans of Rinzai Zen training, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

In this episode of the EPRC Podcast, Sam Tullman (MPH, BCN), Head of Clinical Research at Quilt Technologies, tells host Dr. Shoshannah Bryn Jones Square about his research, including a Phase I clinical trial of n,n–DMT in Brazil for the treatment of depression. Sam is an EPRC member and a researcher and consultant in the study of Emergent practices, with primary focuses in EEG and behavior change. He received a degree in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania and an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Washington, and he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study the neurophysiological and behavioral impacts of psychedelic substances indigenous to Brazil. His research in emergence also includes a pilot study looking at the impact of neurofeedback on interoceptive awareness and the study of the neurological mechanics of people recognizing things they know–like their sense of self. Sam has spent the last few years of his professional life consulting in the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) space, architecting the EEG training strategy for FIELD Neuroscience Solutions, and aiding in developing “mental state” classifiers and training strategies for Atai Life Sciences' Psyber Health. He now works at Quilt Technologies as the Head of Clinical Research, helping build machine learning models that predict mental health using phone data. His overarching interest is allowing transformative practices and experiences to be more accessible to the general population, which brings together his work in Health Communications, Psychedelic Neuroscience, and BCI. He is also a dedicated student of Rinzai Zen but draws heavily in his practice from other Buddhist traditions and from modern Western psychology & Neuroscience.   Thank you very much to Alexandre Bergeron for editing this video!

In this teisho, given on August 23rd, 2023, Rinzan Osho examines the Mumonkan Case 40: Kicking Over the Pitcher. What is spiritual practice that is deeply intimate with the world as it is? What is it to dance with this very life?

In today's episode, we welcome Father Justin Lanier, a Priest in the Episcopal Church. He was born in Louisiana and grew up in Delaware where he went to Methodist, Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. Early in his formation, Father Justin entered the St. Benedict's Trappist monastery community in Snowmass under Abbot Joseph Boyle where Father Thomas Keating was resident. Fr. Justin was under the direction of these two men until their deaths in 2018. Fr. Justin was also sent to train in a Rinzai Zen monastery in Japan as part of his formation. Throughout his formation, he has been in touch with Contemplative Outreach teachers and presenters. In this episode, we will focus on the expanding vision of the community of Contemplative Outreach.To connect further with us:Visit our website: www.contemplativeoutreach.orgFind us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contemplativeoutreachltd/Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/contemplativeoutreachCheck out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/coutreachTo learn more about Father Thomas Keating's guidelines for service and principles visit www.contemplativeoutreach.org/vision.Season 2 of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts was made possible by a grant from the Trust for the Meditation Process, a charitable foundation encouraging meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative prayer. This episode of Opening Minds, Opening Hearts is produced by Crys & Tiana LLC www.crysandtiana.comStream and Download the Opening Minds, Opening Hearts Podcast NOW for FREE on Apple Podcast, Google, Amazon and Spotify!

A reading of a piece from the CMOON  Substack Newsletter,  by the author, Cristina Moon.As a strategist, author, and Chozen-ji priest, Cristina Moon works with individuals and organizations to develop the sensitivity and spiritual strength needed to lead in today's challenging world. Cristina ordained as a Zen priest in December 2020 at Daihonzan ChInozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple in Hawaii in the Tenryu-ji line. Cristina publishes a Substack newsletter called CMOON, with published work appearing in Tricycle, Lion's Roar, and Buddhadharma magazines. Cristina's memoir is coming out in June 2024 with Shambhala Publications.Find out more about Cristina at:www.cristinamoon.comhttps://cmoon.substack.comInstagram: @moon.c.moon

Rinzai Zen/Soto Zen by Ordinary Mind Zen School

About Our Guest for this EpisodeAs a strategist, author, and Chozen-ji priest, Cristina Moon works with individuals and organizations to develop the sensitivity and spiritual strength needed to lead in today's challenging world. Cristina ordained as a Zen priest in December 2020 at Daihonzan ChInozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple in Hawaii in the Tenryu-ji line. Cristina publishes a Substack newsletter called CMOON, with published work appearing in Tricycle, Lion's Roar, and Buddhadharma magazines. Cristina's memoir is coming out in June 2024 with Shambhala Publications.Find out more about Cristina at:www.cristinamoon.comhttps://cmoon.substack.comInstagram: @moon.c.moonAbout Our Host for this Episode Dalila Bothwell (she/her), a Dharma practitioner in the Insight Meditation/Theravada Buddhist tradition and a graduate of Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader Program.  She served as Deputy Director of New York Insight Meditation Center for nearly a decade where she learned the priceless value of sangha and the role relationships play in embodying the teachings and in creating kinder human beings.  With a formal education in food and nutrition, her practice meets at the intersection of physical and emotional wellbeing while being Black and queer and her love of recovery, nature, community, and justice. A native of the Southwest, Dalila currently lives in Papago / Tohono O'odham territory in Arizona with her handsome pup, Brisco.To connect with Dalila in other ways:www.dalilabothwell.comIG: @moonearthlove

The ah-un meditation comes from the Rinzai Zen tradition and is a powerful practice for waking up, centering our awareness and energising the hara (belly). It may feel a bit weird at first (and sound strange), but the proof is in the pudding...! Try it and see how you feel.The more familiar you get with this practice, the less physical movements and sounds you'll need. These are helpful in the beginning to create this energising quality, but over time you might find you only need only one breath, and then no sounds, and then just you might be able to do it simply with your intention. You'll find you naturally start to live more of your life remaining centred in your hara.This meditation was recorded to go along with Ep2-5 with Evan Williams. Evan has found it to be a great practice to do before a performance (or equivalently a talk, interview, etc.) to encourage a body-centred focus and a strong sense of grounding and power.Support the showThis podcast is sponsored by Zen Minded – an online lifestyle store offering you the very best of Japanese craft, incense & other Zen-inspired home-goods. Check it out at www.zenminded.ukWe're also sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers convenient and affordable therapy online, helping match you with the right therapist from their network. They've extended an offer of 10% off your first month of therapy if you sign up via https://betterhelp.com/zenatthesharpendIf you liked this podcast, consider: Sharing it via social media Signing up to my email list www.markwestmoquette.co.uk

Designing BuddhaBuddha was the firstTo define design intent —It hasn't changed much.* * *In the next three segments of UnMind Podcast we will consider the Three Treasures of Buddhism — Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha — from the perspective of design thinking. That is, the method of Zen as consisting of Buddha practice: time on the cushion; Dharma study: researching and interpreting the teachings of the lineage masters; and Sangha service: the place and importance of community. We will devote one podcast to each of these three legs of the stool, as the saying goes, stabilizing the process of living a Zen life in our times. Anyone-anytime-anywhere Zen. One of the premises of Zen practice is that it starts out as a specialized method, upright seated meditation, or zazen in Japanese, consisting of discrete periods of time in “silent illumination,” which is not necessarily silent and often not very illuminating. But over time we develop patience with it, which means patience with ourselves and our own impatience. Over time the halo effect of zazen begins to expand beyond time on the cushion to subsume all of our other activities in daily life until it is virtually 24/7. But don't get ahead of yourself; this usually takes some time. You may be a prodigy or genius of Zen but you may be carrying more baggage than you imagine so better to err on the side of modesty and not develop grandiose expectations, and best to entertain none at all. However, the benefits of zazen will probably blossom in your life in unexpected ways. One of our more recent members who is a poet amongst other skills sent the poem below, which testifies to the remarkable accessibility of Zen meditation under any and all circumstances:Waiting Room Zazen Waiting room zazen— Quiet as a zendo, Almost. Each patient in a chair Staring at a cell phone Or reading. Sitting upright, I lower my gaze. Such stillness In the midst of it all. Too soon they call My name. —Renee WalkerZazen is so simple in design that it is virtually irreducible. It doesn't require a lot of equipment, other than a human body. The upright posture and natural breath can be employed anywhere, and this has an immediate and dramatic effect on attitude and attention. But this is more likely to come true after long practice on the cushion, preferably in a controlled environment such as the zendo. So both things are true at the same time. It is optimal to sit in a setting more conducive to meditation, but it is possible to meditate in environments not designed for that purpose.Soto Zen's worldview and approach is often compared and contrasted to other practices. There are many styles of meditation competing for attention these days, including “mindfulness” meditation, which differs in one key physical aspect from zazen: they recommend sitting with the eyes closed. Which raises a question of how mindful that can be, if it doesn't even include the sense of seeing, our greatest source of sense data. Historically Rinzai and Soto Zen were often positioned at odds with each other, though many exponents of one school or the other, including Matsuoka Roshi, dismissed any difference as superficial or pedagogical in nature. Their historical provenance was probably largely politics. From my perspective as a professional trained in design thinking, Soto Zen appears as simply the simplest. That is, we rely on the method of Zen meditation itself to carry the bulk of the load, less so on the influence of the teacher and other dimensions of the practice. The trappings of ritual, study and other appurtenances are supportive but not critical to the essential process. Again, the design of zazen is ingenious and deceptively simple: just sit still enough, long enough, and observe what happens.Proponents of Soto Zen view Koan practice as somewhat superfluous or extraneous as well, in that in zazen, we are sitting smack dab in the middle of the real koan: the riddle of life itself. This does not mean, however, that the method of penetrating the illogical mysteries presented by koans, under the tutelage of an accomplished master, is not appropriate for some students of Zen. I have heard that some Rinzai teachers consider koan practice to comprise preparation for shikantaza, the experience of just sitting. So there is no real conflict between the two great schools in terms of meaning or objectives. All roads lead to nirvana if pursued with sincerity and diligence.Matsuoka Roshi's appreciation of Rinzai Zen was amplified by his respect for Hakuin, as indicated by his praise of Zazen Wasan, the great Rinzai master's paean to zazen. In such considerations, we should keep in mind the all-inclusive embrace of Zen's worldview, rather than falling into comparative thinking, or indulging in attitudes of exclusion. There is no my way or the highway in Zen; no absolutely right way or wrong way. Even if one wastes an entire lifetime in futile pursuit of a Zen fantasy, rebirth will provide the necessary course correction, just as the planet Earth will eventually recycle all of the waste matter with which the human species has polluted it. Zen takes the long-term view, but there is no time to waste. The underlying impulse to practice Zen is sometimes characterized as “Buddha seeking Buddha.” This means that it is not exactly our personal mission to wake up to realization of the sort promised by Zen. Zazen is already the full expression of enlightenment, not something we “do” to attain enlightenment. We may regard it as “assuming the posture” of enlightenment, just as we assume the posture of surrender when we are arrested by the police. The cross-legged or kneeling postures traditionally associated with meditation, including Zen, are clearly non-defensive. One cannot easily flee or fight from this position. But what we are surrendering to is not an attack from outside, but the internal struggle with existence itself, with all its maddening contradictions.The idea of innate enlightenment does not mean that we do not have to do any work to realize it, but that what realization reveals is, in some sense, already true. That we are already “buddha,” already awake, but not yet cognizant of the fact, is something like the difference between potential and kinetic energy. Matsuoka Roshi described zazen in an analogy that points to this dynamic, saying that it “looks like a mountain, but actually it is a volcano.” The underlying caldera of magma is building to a climax that will one day erupt. But he also described the experience of realization as something more subtle than a volcano erupting, more like the “parting of clouds to reveal the sun” than a sudden lightening bolt from the sky.Which brings us to the subject of Samadhi, a jargon term in Buddhism that is so revered that it is usually capitalized in text. In Hakuin Zenji's Song of Zazen he praises the Samadhi of zazen effusively:Thus one true Samadhi extinguishes evilIt purifies karma dissolving obstructionsThen where are the dark pathsTo lead us astray?The Pure Lotus Land Is not far awayPowerful stuff. If we experience genuine samadhi in our zazen, it apparently has a direct effect upon not only our immediate awareness and appreciation of the determinative causes and conditions of our existence, but also expiates or atones for our karmic actions of the past and mitigates any consequences in the present and future. Samadhi is the secret sauce of Zen meditation. It is our ticket to the Pure Lotus Land of legend. Which raises the question, just what is this samadhi and where can I get some? The answer in Soto Zen is, of course, in zazen. My model of zazen samadhi consists of – surprise – four points, the inevitable, fundamental tetrahedron. I suggest we think of samadhi in four dimensions: physical, emotional, mental, and social.The physical posture of zazen is a model of balance, sitting upright in the midst of gravity, “leaning neither to the left or right, front or back,” as Master Dogen puts it with his usual spareness of expression. Where does that leave us? Exactly in the middle. Without going into his excruciating detail on the proper establishment and maintenance of the posture, we can see that it is essentially centered and balanced, as symmetrical a pose as possible for the human body, as clearly illustrated by the vast body of iconography — imagery and statuary of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas — as well as portraits of the known Ancestors of Zen. The most visible thread running through the entire history of 2500 years and counting is this singular, central posture of the seated buddha. The other aspect of note is the non-binary or androgynous nature of these artistic representations, and their resemblance to the local population, rather than rendering and accurate ethnic representation of Shakyamuni, for instance. I understand that these illustrate the principles of buddha-nature being non-gendered, and as a potential to be realized by all human beings.So once we have begun to experience what it means to enter into this exalted physical state of upright seated samadhi, the inevitable and predictable side-effects begin to set into place. Since the mind (J. shin, C. hsin—“heart-mind”) and body cannot separate, notwithstanding the Western view of mind over matter or the spirit as opposed to the incarnate body, emotional samadhi manifests to ever-greater degree with the normalization of physical samadhi: less anxiety, more natural calmness. Mental samadhi likewise begins to manifest as more clarity, less confusion — particularly in regard to the reality that the Buddhist teachings are pointing to. We begin to experience in a direct, sensory (or better, trans-sensory), and concrete way the actual meaning of such seemingly obscurantist phrases as “form is emptiness; emptiness is form.” Eventually, by becoming more grounded in reality on the cushion, we begin to enjoy what I refer to as a kind of “social samadhi,” — less friction, more harmony in relationships with family and friends, professional associates and even strangers. In developing patience with ourselves on the cushion, we find we naturally have more patience with others. Take my word for this until it becomes true for you.In the next segment we will take up the Treasure of Dharma, usually listed second of the three. Like buddha, dharma, and sangha will be seen to be forces of nature, operative dynamics of the universe. * * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Shinjin Larry Little

Zen, Martial Arts, Budo and Shugyo - An interview with Rinzai Zen Practitioner Jim TaborJim Tabor is longtime Rinzai Zen practitioner and a founding board member of the Korinji Rinzai Zen monastery Foundation. He is one of the moderators of the Rinzai Zen Discussion group on Facebook.  In addition to Zen training, Jim has been a practitioner of classical Japanese martial arts for the past 30 years including Aikido and Iaido.  He currently holds the rank of Sandan (3rd degree black belt) in Aikido.  Currently Jim is the manager of Crestwood Aikido, a dojo in the south suburbs of Chicago.  As a part of his Zen and budo training, he became a certified Zentherapy practitioner under founder Dub Leigh in 1997. More about Jim: - https://www.crestwoodaikido.com/ - https://www.korinji.org/ More about the Simplicity Zen Podcast: - https://simplicityzen.com/ 

Corey Hess is a longtime Rinzai Zen practitioner who studied with renowned Zen master Shodo Harada Roshi in Japan.  He maintains the Zen Embodiment website, The Energy Collective practice group and the Internal Process with Corey Hess Facegroup.  Corey joins us for a second time and this episode we discuss non-directed body movement, Qigong, energy work and internal processes. We look at them individually and their relationship to traditional Zen practice. https://zenembodiment.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/216103826122795Simplicity Zen Podcast:https://simplicityzen.com/

00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:15 Being a zen priest at Daihonzan Chozen-ji and taking away fear.  00:03:38 Being a good leader from the perspective of Rinzai Zen 00:07:54 Rinzai Zen's perspective of leaders and followers 00:09:31 Zen arts as a path of awakenment, on Omori Sogen and blending martial arts and zazen meditation. 00:14:42 Breaking through self-imposed limits through martial arts 00:17:00 On kendo, “the way of the sword,” historically and prior to WWII.  00:20:27 Unified action and intention  00:25:41 Martial arts fundamentals and flavors 00:29:42 Supporting someone through silence 00:35:36 Asian Buddhism in America in the 19th century. 00:43:55 Engaging in Asian culture today   Links: Cristina Moon www.cristinamoon.com Podcast https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts Support Enjoy these episodes? Please leave a review here. Scroll down to Review & Ratings. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-liberation/id1393858607

Bassui Tokushō (1327–1387) was a Rinzai Zen Master born in modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture who had trained with Sōtō and Rinzai Zen-masters. Bassui was unhappy with the state of Zen practice in Japan during his time, so he set out in life with the mission of revitalizing it. The problems he saw were really two sides of the same coin. That is, he saw both too much attachment by some monks and masters to ritual and dogma as well as too much attachment by some monks and masters to freedom and informality. Bassui was one of the "wild men" of Zen—along with such masters as Hakuin, Basho and Ryokan—who existed outside the institutional system. His spirited teaching of the Way as the immediate, personal experience of buddha-nature has inspired Zen students for hundreds of years as well as Zen masters such as Hakuin.

Kritee Kanko is a climate scientist, Zen priest, Educator & founding spiritual teacher of Boundless in Motion. She is an ordained teacher in the Rinzai Zen lineage of Cold Mountain, a co-founder of Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center and faculty for many organizations for courses at the intersection of Ecology and spirituality. She has served as a scientist in the Climate Smart Agriculture program at Environmental Defense Fund. She answers the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:The sense of belonging that comes from taking time to slow down and share your authentic truthThe need for healing our collective trauma, to allow us to bond and move forwardThe emergence of ancestral resilience that can bring us togetherThe tension between freedom and boundaries in belongingConnect with Kritee KankoWebsite: boundlessinmotion.orgSupport the showComplete Show Notes

The beginning of twenty years seems so long. At the end of twenty years, the time passed seems so short. Such a milestone is twenty years of anything. For me it is twenty years of doing Aikido (a bit longer) and teaching Aikido. Twenty years (also a bit longer) employment at the Bureau of Reclamation. Twenty years since my father passed away. Twenty years (more like twenty three) a Buddhist in both the Rinzai Zen and Tibetan Dzogchen Vajrayana. All this arose when I realized I have been a direct student of Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche and Tibet Buddhism for twenty years. Twenty years... What a milestone!! Thanks for listening! I invite you to share this podcast, offer a comment or leave some feedback. Show Notes: Twenty years employed at the Bureau of Reclamation. Twenty years practicing and teaching Aikido. Twenty years since my father passed. Twenty years a Buddhist student of Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche  Resources: Three Shapes Aikido - My Aikido Dojo. The Buddha Path - My Buddhist Dzogchen Lineage and teacher of the Tibetan Dzogchen Vajrayana. Reclamation - My place of employment. Contact. Follow. Share. instagram | facebook | twitter | pinterest How to review the podcast on iTunes If you enjoyed, benefited or were impacted by the podcast, it would be beyond cool if you'd take a minute and write a review on iTunes. To do that, click on the iTunes link or launch the iTunes podcast app on your computer or phone. Search for One Hand Speaks, select the album art for the show, select ratings and reviews and then write your review. Big thanks and appreciation. Please spread and share if you feel others will benefit and enjoy and leave a comment or offer feedback.

Let's support and watch this world award winning documentary, Carving the Divine!  HERE IS THE LINK: https://igg.me/at/Carving-the-DivineCheck out an endorsement review of Carving the Divine by Rinzai Zen Master, Meido Moore"Great Buddhist sculpture reveals not only a hard-won technical mastery and aesthetic refinement: it possesses an energetic, luminous quality that has the ability to transform our conditions, and even to give the viewer an experiential taste of the qualities represented by each figure. This wonderful film "Carving the Divine" shows us that the path to mastery of this ancient art is as much a spiritual discipline as it is the learning of a skill. The profound yet stern compassion of the teacher, and the sincerity of the apprentices as they seek to uncover the images within the wood, are wonderfully shown. Watching this film, one may grasp how the art of the Busshi is not simply to produce sculpture: it is itself a Way of life and wisdom, in which the images mirror the artists' own hearts."- Meido Moore, Rinzai Zen priest Abbot at Korinji Rinzai Zen MonasteryWhat is Carving The Divine about?Carving the Divine is a documentary film that offers a rare look into a 1400-year-old Buddhist woodcarving tradition and the practitioners struggling to preserve its legacy in a rapidly changing Japan.Carving the Divine has become the official selection for 30 film festivals, showing in a total of 22 countries, and won awards at 13 festivals worldwide, such as winning the Best Director Award of a Foreign Language Documentary at World Cinema Milan and premiering at the famous Raindance Film Festival in London.Carving the Divine Awards: World Cinema Milan Festival 2019 - Best Director of a Foreign Language Documentary Award Art Quake Kyoto 2019 - Best Feature Length Film Award Helsinki Education Film Festival International - Best Historical Feature Award Australia Independent Film Festival 2019 - Jury Award Arte Non Stop Festival 2019 - Best Screenplay Award Religion Today Film Festival 2019 - In the Spirit of Faith Award and commendation Award Japan Indies Film Festival 2020 - Best Documentary Feature Award Puerto Rico International Film Festival ENFOQUE 2020  - The mention of Honor of Best International Documentary Film New York Interfaith Film & Music Festival  2020  - Best International Documentary award Rhode Island International Film Festival Roving Eye 2021 - Best Documentary First Prize  Rhode Island International Film Festival 2021 -  Flickers International Vision Award: First Prize World Independent Cinema Award (WICA) 2021 - Best Cinematography in a Documentary - Best Director of a Foreign Language Documentary Buddhist Arts and Film Festival 2022 - Best Documentary Award, Boulder ColoradoThe art of Busshi is one of the most significant cultural legacies of Japan.  Yet at this point, this tradition is virtually unknown to the Western World.   These statues have been an integral part of Japanese culture for 1400 years for a reason.  And it will be my great pleasure and privilege that Carving the Divine will be the first experience of these cultural treasures for many people around the world.More information please visit: http://www.carvingthedivine.comhttps://www.facebook.com/CarvingTheDivine/https://www.instagram.com/carvingthedivine/https://twitter.com/CarvingDivineSupport the show

Shaku Kojyu is the abbot of the Daishu-in West Rinzai Zen temple in rural Northern California.  He came to Daishu-in West in 2007 and was ordained in Kyoto the following spring.  He practiced traditional Rinzai Zen at the training halls in Daitoku-ji and Kosho-ji for ten years before returning to America.More about Shaku:- https://daishuinwest.org/More about the Simplicity Zen Podcast:- https://simplicityzen.com/

Meido Moore Roshi was a disciple of the lay Zen master Tenzan Toyoda Rokoji, under whom he endured a severe training in both Zen and traditional martial arts. He also trained under Dogen Hosokawa Roshi, and later under So'zan Miller Roshi. All three of these teachers are in the lineage of the famous Omori Sogen Roshi, perhaps the most famous Rinzai Zen master of the twentieth century. Meido serves as abbot of Korinji, a monastery near Madison, Wisconsin, and is a guiding teacher of the international Rinzai Zen Community, traveling widely to lead retreats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rinzan Pechovnik is a Rinzai Zen priest and is the teacher at No Rank Zendo in Portland Oregon.  Rinzan began his training with the Zen Community of Oregon in 2003, studying under Hogan and Chozen Bays.  He began training under Genjo Marinello in 2012, ordained under him in 2013, and was named a Dharma Heir (Inka) in 2019.   He works professionally as a trained psychotherapist.More about Rinzan:- https://www.norankzendo.org/portlandzenbuddhismMore about Simplicity Zen Podcast:- https://simplicityzen.com/

In this talk, Meido Roshi discusses methods for integrating Zen meditation and the experience of meditative absorption (samadhi) in daily activities, through the use of the body, breath, and sense. Meido is the abbot of Korinji, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monastery in Wisconsin, and the guiding teacher of the international Korinji Rinzai Zen Community. Meido Roshi began Zen practice in 1988 and trained under three teachers in the line of the great 20th century Rinzai master Omori Sogen Roshi. He has completed the koan curriculum of this lineage, and in 2008 received inka shomei: recognition as an 86th-generation Zen lineage holder empowered to transmit the full range of Rinzai Zen practices. Aside from Zen, Meido is also ordained in the Mt. Koshikidake tradition of Shugendo. He is the author of two books: The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice and Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization.

Today's Dharma Talk includes a reading from “The Record of Linji” –  translation and commentary by Ruth Fuller Sasaki.“I believe that Zen, particularly Rinzai Zen, has a significant role in the present world. Modern people are adrift amid the great confusion and uncertainty of contemporary life. The Linji lu can give us a foundation on which to construct a new and powerful view of human existence.” –Yamada Mumon

 Shozan Jack Haubner is an ordained Rinzai Zen priest and was a student of Kyozan Joshu Sasaki. He has written two memoirs (Zen Confidential,Single White Monk) about his experiences studying with Sasaki and is currently working on a third book. For more about Shozan: - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt9Q74t3o7AUCJ_bKTc5CgA For more about the Simplicity Zen Podcast: - https://simplicityzen.com/ 

Corey Ichigen Hess is an ordained Zen monk and body therapist. He lived a monastic life for many years at Sogenji Zen Monastery in Okayama, Japan. He teaches meditation classes and works with individual clients doing private embodiment process coaching sessions, Sourcepoint Therapy, Structural Integration, and Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy at his home on Whidbey Island in Langley, Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Corey Ichigen Hess is an ordained Zen monk and body therapist. He lived a monastic life for many years at Sogenji Zen Monastery in Okayama, Japan. He teaches meditation classes and works with individual clients doing private embodiment process coaching sessions, Sourcepoint Therapy, Structural Integration, and Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy at his home on Whidbey Island in Langley, Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Corey Ichigen Hess is an ordained Zen monk and body therapist. He lived a monastic life for many years at Sogenji Zen Monastery in Okayama, Japan. He teaches meditation classes and works with individual clients doing private embodiment process coaching sessions, Sourcepoint Therapy, Structural Integration, and Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy at his home on Whidbey Island in Langley, Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corey Ichigen Hess is an ordained Zen monk and body therapist. He lived a monastic life for many years at Sogenji Zen Monastery in Okayama, Japan. He teaches meditation classes and works with individual clients doing private embodiment process coaching sessions, Sourcepoint Therapy, Structural Integration, and Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy at his home on Whidbey Island in Langley, Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/japanese-studies

Robert  Mutoku Scheafer is a Rinzai Zen priest ordained Rinzan Pechovnik Osho of No Rank Zendo in 2022.   After years of following many spiritual paths, Robert began studying Zen under Rick Kendo Hart in the Mt Baldy Zen Center lineage.  Next he began Zen studies with Konrad Ryushin Marchaj at Zen Mountain Monastery and remained his student for many years.  For the last several years he has been practicing with the Rinzai Zen koan curriculum at No Rank Zendo where he frequently attends sesshin.For more in No Rank Zendo:- https://www.norankzendo.org/More more on Simplicity Zen Buddhist Podcast:- https://simplicityzen.com/

Kokan Genjo Marinello was installed as the second Abbot of Chobo-ji, Seattle's Rinzai Zen Temple in 1999. In this podcast we focus on his thoughtful and encompassing book Reflections on Awakening & Maturity. Genjo is also a psychotherapist in private practice and a certified spiritual director from a program that was affiliated with the Vancouver School of Theology.  Among other teachers, Genjo trained with the late Eido Shamano, former abbot of DaiBosatsu Monastery in New York, who affirmed Genjo as Dharma Heir on May 21, 2008.  Genjo has served the greater Seattle community as an Adjunct Faculty member at Antioch University Seattle in Buddhist studies, a volunteer Buddhist pastor for the Washington State Department of Corrections, as has worked repeatedly with the Church Counsel of Greater Seattle in Interfaith trauma response to tragedies. For more information about this warm and caring teacher, please see:  https://choboji.org/ which also contains links to his podcast which contains a wonderful collection of his dharma talks and teishos. This podcast is available on your favorite podcast platform, or here:  https://endoftheroad.libsyn.com/episode-224-genjo-marinello-abbot-of-the-seattle-chobo-ji-rinzai-zen-templereflections-on-awakening-and-maturity Have an awesome weekend! Epilogue--Nighttime practice.

Please enjoy this Simplicity Zen Podcast where we talk to Corey Hess about his experience training with Rinzai Zen. This is our first episode the “Zen Lamp” podcast series. Corey leads the Internal Process with Corey Hess Facebook community and specializes in internal process work, including QiGong, Zhan Zhuang, Non-Directed Body Movement, and meditation. He lived in Japan Sogenji which is a traditional Rinzai Zen under renowned Zen master Harada Roshi. For more about SimplictyZen:https://simplicityzen.com/For more about Corey: http://coreyhessbodytherapy.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/21610…https://zenembodiment.com/

Seido Ray Ronci is a Rinzai Zen monk and the director of the Hokoku-An Zendo meditation center in Columbia, Missouri. He is the author of the poetry collection The Skeleton of the Crow, winner of the 2009 PEN Center USA Award for Poetry, and This Rented Body (2006). He contributed to the Zen poetry collection America Zen: A Gathering of Poets, published in 2004. His work has also appeared in Tricycle, Narrative, and Rattle. Seido Ronci is an associate professor at the University of Missouri, where he teaches critical theory and literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Seido Ray Ronci is a Rinzai Zen monk and the director of the Hokoku-An Zendo meditation center in Columbia, Missouri. He is the author of the poetry collection The Skeleton of the Crow, winner of the 2009 PEN Center USA Award for Poetry, and This Rented Body (2006). He contributed to the Zen poetry collection America Zen: A Gathering of Poets, published in 2004. His work has also appeared in Tricycle, Narrative, and Rattle. Seido Ronci is an associate professor at the University of Missouri, where he teaches critical theory and literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Seido Ray Ronci is a Rinzai Zen monk and the director of the Hokoku-An Zendo meditation center in Columbia, Missouri. He is the author of the poetry collection The Skeleton of the Crow, winner of the 2009 PEN Center USA Award for Poetry, and This Rented Body (2006). He contributed to the Zen poetry collection America Zen: A Gathering of Poets, published in 2004. His work has also appeared in Tricycle, Narrative, and Rattle. Seido Ronci is an associate professor at the University of Missouri, where he teaches critical theory and literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode we explore the connection between Fight Club, the Life of the Buddha, the face-slapping wisdom of Rinzai Zen and the biblical spirit of Nimrod. Whether you're a fan of the novel by Chuck Palahniuk or the film by David Fincher we hope you will discover something entirely new to add to your library of thought about Fight Club and give you a good excuse to watch or read it again. In the extended we talk about Rinzai Zen initiatory practices, Qabbalistic symbolism and Hollywood egregores. Thank you and enjoy the show!On this episode we discuss:-Bob, the Big Moosey-Who is Tyler Durden?-Tulpas-Cornelius and Rupert Name Etymology-Penguin Power Animal-The Atman-The Diamond Sutra-Nimrod and The Tower of Babel-The Cave of 1,000 Buddhas-The Blue Cliff Record-Hari Rama, ya know, Enlightened?-Getting Beaten up For Zen BuddhismIn the extended show available at http://www.patreon.com/thewholerabbit we discuss:-Waiting Outside The Temple-Tarot Symbolism-The Chemical Marriage-Soap Alchemy-Who is Marla?-Anatman-Who is Narrator?-Paperstreet House-Jungian Symbolism-Chloe-Jared Ledo, Joker and 12 Monkeys-Religious ConversionSections on Rinzai Zen and Temple Initiation by Heka Astra. Sources:Blue Cliff Record:http://www.buddhism.org/Sutras/2/BlueCliffRecord.htmZen and Fight Club:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/7/206/htmDiamond Sutra Translationhttps://www.lifelonglearningcollaborative.org/silkroads/articles/diamond-sutra-translation.pdfSamsara:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81raSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/thewholerabbit)

Method and routinemay be hard to separate —Work it out in time* * *In the last episode of our series on Design thinking and Zen, considering methods and materials, tools and techniques associated with Zen practice — as well as their place in the process of Design and problem-solving in general — it occurred to me that zazen is not the solution itself, but a recommended method for arriving at an ongoing solution to the problems life presents. This may be belaboring the obvious, but Bodhidharma is credited with saying something to the effect that it is not really necessary to do zazen, but only to “grasp the Vital Principle.” I capitalize V and P, as is the custom to highlight terms pointing to ineffable reality, such as “Emptiness,” or the “Uncreate,” from Muso Soseki's letters to his students, two brothers who were shoguns of Japan at that time, titled Dream Conversations.I feel I am in good company when I assert that zazen, or any method for that matter, cannot magically turn the trick for whatever you may expect from it. No method can work itself; you have to work the method. As to grasping the vital principle of existence, how could that be limited to sitting versus lying down, standing, or walking? Or running, swimming, sky-diving or bungee-jumping, for that matter? Not to confuse being “in the flow,” and its accompanying adrenaline rush, with the effects of zazen. That we sit stock still in zazen makes it an even more extreme action, triggering a consciousness of the relative flux and flow of time. Counterintuitively, stillness elevates awareness of subliminal movement.We also promised that this episode will take a different tack in defining the problem of existence, and Zen's unique approach to penetrating — as opposed to solving — it. While the Zen problem constitutes our fundamental koan, a gordian knot of universal proportions, it is no more subject to intellectual solution than the illogical riddles of Rinzai Zen tradition, which nonetheless are all pointing to it. While we may have to give up our usual strategies for problem-solving, we should not give up on the whole endeavor. Our ancestors claim to have come to resolution and peace on this issue. And so we should not despair, however frustrating a slog the journey becomes. Zen is not the problem. Our approach to the method has to be where the difficulty lies.Taking Bodhidharma's claim that penetrating to the essence of the Great Matter, the mystery of life, is not, indeed cannot be, actually dependent upon zazen puts any discussion of the details of the method into perspective. If the very practice of zazen is not absolutely imperative, how important is obsessing over the subroutines? One answer is that you might want to familiarize yourself with these techniques before you decide to not follow them, rather than decide not to follow them without being familiar with them. After all, the masters who refined Zen's method over millennia past were quite accomplished in other dimensions of life. Anyone capable of copying monastery plans on sojourn in China with brush and paper, bringing them back to Japan, and building a copy, would likely be at least as competent in analyzing and codifying the method of meditation that inspired their demanding design-build endeavors.If we understand that the investment of time and effort necessary for zazen to work its magic has nothing to do with the efficacy of the method, but everything to do with our stubborn nature and its accumulation of ignorant and self-serving ideas about reality, we can embrace the recommendations of the ancestors wholeheartedly. It is entirely our fault that the method of Zen does not deliver results to our expectations, let alone on our unreasonable timetable. This is the attitude adjustment dimension demanded of us by any worthwhile endeavor. If we persist in our resistance, we are not really applying the method. So just give up, and give in. Surrender is a vital part of the Zen method. Zazen posture is one of surrender: the fight or flight syndrome is impossible to act upon sitting cross-legged, at least in the physical sense. But the monkey can still mount a vigorous array of mental evasive maneuvers.One example of such a maneuver involves counting breaths. While we may regard this recommended subroutine as a provisional aspect of the overall method of zazen, the monkey may seize upon it as something — better than nothing — to preoccupy itself. Are we counting correctly, in the most efficacious way? From one to ten? One to four and start over? Counting down from ten to zero? How many breaths per minute? Can we measure time counting the breath? How long can we keep up the counting without missing a beat? Et cetera ad infinitum.I once had a visitor come in for the one-on-one interview (J. dokusan) that we sometimes offer as part of regular meditation sessions or retreats. After bowing respectfully and announcing his name, he declared that his practice was counting the breath. I asked how long he had been counting his breath. He said about three years. I suggested he may want to stop counting his breath for a while.If and when a suggested or recommended technique goes from being an ancillary routine intended to help focus the attention, as the breath-counting is usually regarded — to an essential piece of the method, the instructions have gone from being a map of the territory to an imposed stricture. We cannot explore the territory if we have to stick to trails already blazed by those who have gone before. When the instructions so carefully considered and tailored by the ancestors are regarded as more like a jazz chart, on which we are to improvise — than the painstakingly detailed notation of a classical concert piece that we are to replicate as closely as possible to the original performance — we are less inhibited in our real-time experience of the music itself. Eventually we can throw away the written record entirely.But in the meantime we may want to take to heart the encouragement of Tozan Ryokai, founder of Soto Zen in China, from his teaching poem Hokyo Zammai: Precious Mirror Samadhi:Penetrate the source and travel the pathwaysEmbrace the territory and treasure the roadsPrioritizing penetrating the source does not mean that we can disregard traveling the pathways followed by our predecessors. The territory now is the same as it was for them, though our experience of it is necessarily unique, differing in time and space, as well as in person. We are not them and they are not us, but we should treasure the roads they have paved for this Great Vehicle, to stretch the analogy. However confounding the message handed down to us, rendered in translation from culture to culture and language to language, the Great Way that it is pointing to is right in front of our face, and directly beneath our feet. The teachings are like so many Burma Shave signs, alerting us to what lies ahead.Like advertising, Zen teachings change over time, with developments in media and technology, but the basic message stays the same, like the annual Super Bowl commercials. The different approaches to selling the same old beer and vehicles each year illustrate the creativity of the writers and producers. We need to be equally or at least similarly creative in our approach to Zen. When we hear instructions for how to do zazen, we should take them as an approximation of what the actual method should be, rather than hard and fast rules. Even sitting still should be understood as relative, not absolute. Only by attempting to sit more and more still, for longer and longer periods of time, can we learn what is the point of not moving. But only by moving can we appreciate what is sitting still. If sitting still were somehow magically the trigger of insight, what would be the point of walking meditation (J. kinhin)? By witnessing the relative stillness of zazen, compared to the relative motion of kinhin, we begin to grasp the harmony of sameness and difference (shout out to Sekito Kisen) implicit in the contrast. Finally we come to embrace the principle of motion in stillness, and stillness in motion (Sino-J. mokurai).Our approach to the entire complex of form surrounding the practice of meditation: the environmental conditions of ambient light, temperature and sound; the clothing and the equipment; and finally the method itself: posture, breath and attention; is informed by this middle way of finding balance between extremes. Those niggling differences that at one time may have caused distraction and irritation begin to fade into irrelevance, with repetition. Eventually we can sit through a thunderstorm, as Sensei said.If identifying clothing as part of the method seems to be a bridge too far, consider sitting stark naked. Where would you sit, and on what kind of surface? Now expand the range of costume to include work clothes, party dress, military uniform, a medieval suit of armor, deep water diving gear, et cetera. It will become clear that appropriate clothing will support the method, while inappropriate garb will not. Even skinny jeans, the fashion choice of the hip, may cause bunching around the knees, inhibiting circulation and causing discomfort. Whereas spandex may support the necessary flexing of the muscular and skeletal system. In this context it is easy to get a perspective on why the ancient monks preferred to wear robes over the few other choices available to them. But it does not follow that robes are necessarily the best choice for sitting in meditation today.Take one more simple example. When in zazen, we recommend a specific hand posture (S. mudra). That we refer to it as a mudra does not imbue it with any magical associations. Any hand posture is a mudra, though in Buddha's India apparently a kind of gestural or sign language, having symbolic significance in iconography, the painted images and statues of various Buddhist figures of bodhisattvas and buddhas. But that is neither here nor there, one of my favorite English expressions. The hand position in zazen may be interpreted as rife with mystical meaning, but I want to consider it as a physical experience instead.We are encouraged to place the hands palm up, one on top of the other, thumbs lightly touched forming a symmetrical, jewel-like ellipse. The wrists are rested on the thighs with the hands against the lower abdomen, and no stress or strain on the arms, so we do shoulder rolls and flap the elbows out like a chicken flapping its wings, to relax the arms.Next time you try this, I suggest a kind of mini-koan that you may present to yourself. In principle, the hands and arms should come into balance with gravity, like the rest of the body in zazen. The effort required to sit upright in zazen segues from fidgeting and resistance in the beginning to a kind of equilibrium, or equipoise, or physical samadhi. So the question naturally arises, are my hands already in samadhi, complete balance with gravity, or not? In other words, how heavy are they, actually?The same query made be made of your head, as you rest it on your pillow at night to sleep. The only way to come to some resolution of this question is to experiment. Try pushing your hands (or your head) down as hard as you can, pressing into the flesh of your thighs (or your pillow). Then lift your hands gently to see where you can definitely tell that you are holding them up, ever so slightly, with muscular support from your forearms. Do this again and again until you can find the midpoint at which you are definitely not holding them up, but also not pushing them down, either. Extend to the rest of your body.While this may seem another monkey-mind distraction from just sitting, it illustrates the principle, again, that we may think we are sitting still, in perfect balance, when all unbeknownst to us (another favorite), we are actually tensed up, here and there in the posture. This was illustrated dramatically one day at the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago, in the 1960s when I had started my tutelage under Matsuoka Roshi. One day in zazen he was doing his rounds checking our postures, when he placed his forefinger, I assume, just under the bump at the back bottom of my skull — called an inion for anyone who cares — and lifted slightly. It was very subtle, but exactly what was needed, what was missing in my posture. He would often say that you “have to work your way through every bone in your body.” And of course, there are a lot of bones in the human body, at last count 206. So get to work.* * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Kyōsaku Jon Mitchell

Talia Lugacy (writer/director of indie film This is Not a War Story which is nominated for a Spirit Award) and Chad Galster (editor of the acclaimed series Yellowstone and 1883) share their different experiences of how film school influenced their current careers and remind us there's no right way to filmmaking… In this episode, we talk about… Watching a Clockwork Orange obsessively and loving a certain level of excellence  Going to film school at NYU and showing up to film sets vs. film classes  Talia's experience of moving to LA as a PA and why she went back to NYC  How attending acting school as a teenager eventually led to the film Descent  Working through trauma and staying at a monastery to practice Rinzai Zen   How Talia accelerated her writing practice and where This Is Not a War Story came from  Why it's best to focus on your craft vs. what's out of your control as a filmmaker  Chad's decision to leave science and pursue his childhood dream of making movies The benefits of USC's film program and spending hours getting work experience as a student   Becoming the guy known for editing and getting his first credit  Advice to work hard, follow your passion, and be willing to pivot   How Chad's music background influences his work as an editor  Experimenting with sound and being careful not to spoon feed the audience    How larger aspects of editing decisions impact the overall story and lessons Committing to authenticity to help with audience engagement    Links to Resources:  https://www.nofilmschool.com/money-survey Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web https://nofilmschool.com/   Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool   Twitter  https://twitter.com/nofilmschool   YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool   Get your questions answered on the podcast by emailing editor@nofilmschool.com!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the problem?Is there a real solution?We have a method.* * *Last episode we promised a closer look at what we mean by “the problem,” and suggested that you might take another look at what you would define as your particular case example. What did you come up with? While it is true that the fundamental problem of existence is a shape-shifter, it seems to cycle through permutations back to its original form. Its iterations turn out to be variations on a theme.One of the problems in writing is that we take the words we use for granted. A handy method for taking a look at them in greater depth is by referring to the universal definitive tool, the humble dictionary. This is not in itself a solution, of course. How each case is resolved depends upon the writer using the tool.“Problem” is a word we use so often and so broadly that it becomes almost meaningless, if unexamined. You may have heard the expression, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” If you are like me you do not know whence it came. Another ubiquitous tool we have available today, much like a massively expanded dictionary, or its bigger sibling the encyclopedia, is Google. The generic for any search engine, having taken first position in the category some time ago. Like Kleenex is for facial tissue. Or Xerox once was for copiers. Looking it up, or “googling” it (which has become so vernacular that the word processor does not underline it in red), it turns out to be the coinage of Socrates. The very first entry on the internet “page” (incidentally defined as “one side of a sheet of paper” irony not lost on me) states that “Socrates believed that living a life where you live under the rules of others, in a continuous routine without examining what you actually want out of it is not worth living.”It is worth noting that Socrates specifying “living under the rules of others… in a continuous routine” as aggravating conditions of the unexamined life, probably reflects his assessment of actual fellow citizens. These are the definitive characteristics of a state of slavery, which was widely practiced in ancient Greece. Googling further, we find that Socrates did indeed inveigh against the practice. Slavery as a societal problem has probably been with us since the dawn of so-called civilization, all the way back to prehistoric times. But that doesn't make it acceptable, even in its many current disguises.Getting back to the thread of this episode, a problem is generically defined as “a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome; a thing that is difficult to achieve or accomplish.” Or, as a modifier: “denoting or relating to people whose behavior causes difficulties to themselves and others.” And, as specifically related to physics and mathematics: “an inquiry starting from given conditions to investigate or demonstrate a fact, result, or law.” And more specifically to geometry: “a proposition in which something has to be constructed.”A term's etymology often sheds an interesting light on its original meanings. “Problem” derives from late Middle English: “originally denoting a riddle or a question for academic discussion.” Even earlier from Old French, via Latin, from the Greek, meaning “put forth” or “to throw before.” Coming full circle back to Socrates.There's a lot to unpack here, amplified by connections to Zen and Design disciplines. The “matter or situation” of life itself, as a problem, cannot be considered “unwelcome” exactly, though its salient characteristics as defined by Buddha — aging, sickness, and death — may certainly be regarded as harmful or undesirable to the living. In early Buddhism the Hinayana view of self-salvation regarded human existence as a kind of test “needing to be dealt with and overcome,” as do most religions. In Zen, the test is not simply a pass-fail. And we do not imagine a more perfect world to be found after death.Design likewise regards certain aspects of human life as unwelcome and harmful, on both personal and social levels. As an application of artful, semi-scientific problem-solving, the definitions related to physics and mathematics may be more apropos. Design proceeds from “an inquiry starting from given conditions” as in science, but is intended “to… demonstrate a… result,” such as a new product or program, rather than to prove a fact or law.Applied Design usually entails something that “has to be constructed.” In Design, the old must often be demolished to make room for the new and improved. The construction phase in architectural design is often preceded by demolition or “creative destruction.” Likewise in Zen as well. We may justifiably regard zazen practice as a process of actively deconstructing our own mind, to rebuild on a sounder foundation.Buddhism certainly defines the problem of human existence as “relating to people whose behavior causes difficulties to themselves and to others,” as do most religious and philosophical systems. Zen, however, goes beyond the diagnosis of ignorance afflicting people, to the prognosis of meditation — as the most dependable approach to thoroughly defining the central problem. The natural process of contemplation, not overthinking, reveals potential solutions to life's problems, in general and in detail. What we learn directly through observation on the cushion can modify our attitude and approach off the cushion, if we allow it to. This amounts to the purposeful actualization of the bodhisattva vow. We are not likely to be able to help others, if we are not even able to help ourselves.Both Zen and Design encourage us to go beyond conventional definitions of the many problems of life, as well as the pat approaches and existing solutions on offer from others, notably in the “self-help” niche of modern publishing. This “going beyond” was a favorite expression of one of my formative teachers, when a student transcended the parameters of an assigned classroom problem. A most comprehensive example of going beyond is found in Hsinhsinming, Trust in Mind, by Master Sengcan, third patriarch in China. Toward the end he begins to summarize:Emptiness here emptiness there but the infinite universe stands always before your eyesInfinitely large infinitely small no difference because definitions have vanished and no boundaries are seenDefinitions we may hold for such terms as “emptiness” and “infinity” come into question. We must go beyond them. “No boundaries” is an expression that Matsuoka Roshi used to explain the aspirational aspect of my first dharma name, Great Cloud, in Japanese, Taiun. Like a cloud flying in the sky, “no barriers anywhere.” Of course, every time I turn around, I run into another barrier. So, I have something rather concrete to aspire to, if I am to live up to my Zen name. It is a recurring problem.The process of innovation in Design, as well as Zen, typically begins with self-study, evaluating our own personal needs and streamlining our efforts to meet them, before addressing similar problems as general conditions of society. This is broadly true of any process of invention. If we solve our personal problems of satisfying Maslow's hierarchy of physiological needs for food, water, clothing, sleep and shelter, we are in a better position to help others do the same. The airplane oxygen mask syndrome. Same for safety and security. The higher needs of love and belonging, self-esteem and, finally self-actualization, take a little longer, and may require not a little creativity. Maslow may have been a closet Zen master.It should be possible to aspire to satisfying higher needs while lacking the wherewithal on a subsistence level, you may argue. But this is the stuff of saints. It is not reasonable to expect this level of transcendence over circumstance from others, though you may demand it from yourself.The Middle English derivation of “problem” as: “denoting a riddle or a question for academic discussion” sounds a lot like the koan practice of Rinzai Zen. But Rinzai himself would push back against the idea that koan training is designed to foster “academic discussion.” The endpoint of koan study is the same as that of zazen in Soto circles: to penetrate beyond the problem as framed, to the mystery at the core of existence. In other words, redefining the core problem.Putting forth the proposition, or throwing the Great Matter before the assembly in dharma combat, however, is part and parcel of all Zen pedagogy. The question behind the questions put forth in Zen may be reduced to: What is the problem, exactly? And we are back, full circle, to problem definition.Interchanges between masters and students as recorded in the Buddhist lineage often comprise the content of classic koan collections. But rather than functioning as a simple Q&A, where one party knows the answer and the other keeps trying until finally getting it right, these dialogs may more usefully be regarded as collaborative exercises in defining and redefining the fundamental problem in Zen. The student's response to the probe posed by the master redefines the meaning of the exchange, furthering the dialog rather than bringing it to a conclusion. As Matsuoka Roshi would often say, “We teach each other Buddhism.” And what we are trying to grasp is “round and rolling, slippery and slick.” Ungraspable.We might say that the Zen Problem, capital P, and the internal processes leading to its Solution, capital S, are not fundamentally different, whether the approach is Rinzai or Soto. Both are pointing at the same insight, while recognizing that such insight will necessarily be different for each individual. The external methodology is where we find the most obvious differences. Like any subject of education, the end result may be equally accurate and useful, but different schools stress differing methods in getting from here to there. But as Master Tozan says in Hokyo Zammai, Precious Mirror Samadhi:Whether teachings and approaches are mastered or not, reality constantly flowsThis constantly flowing reality is captured in glowing terms by the ancestors of Zen in their poems of enlightenment, which we recite as liturgy. The implication is that the solution to the problem of existence in Zen comes not as an intellectual conclusion or mathematical formula, but as revelatory manifestation, an alteration in consciousness itself. Nothing actually changes, but everything is completely changed.In our next episode we will focus more specifically on the method leading to the solution, the approach Zen prescribes to foster this change in awareness and attitude, and some of the techniques and subroutines that we find helpful. As a pedagogy, zazen has been refined over centuries and redesigned by hundreds of skillful masters in the lineage. We are fortunate to be the heirs of this model of simplicity directed toward defining and solving the most complex problem of all.* * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Kyōsaku Jon Mitchell

A simple yet profound guide to establishing a transformative and sustaining Zen meditation practice. Zen master Julian Daizan Skinner guides the listener through a sequence of meditation techniques that can safely lead even a complete novice through to advanced levels. Based on his own long experience of the Rinzai Zen tradition, as taught by the great 17th-century masters Hakuin and Bankei, Daizan highlights the key points for success and addresses the pitfalls. Structured around a traditional teaching framework called 'The two wings of a bird', Daizan clearly lays-out how these methods build and combine to create a transformative and sustaining practice. The work of a master, the audiobook speaks at a deep level, with utmost simplicity.

In this episode, we talk with Meido Moore Roshi about the big picture, goals, and advanced stages of the meditation and inner exploration journey; ways to advance our practice; navigation of a variety of traditions/methods; teacher selection; extension of practice into daily life, Meido's own practice at his current stage, and more. Meido is the abbot of Korinji, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monastery in Wisconsin, and the guiding teacher of the international Korinji Rinzai Zen Community. Meido Roshi began Zen practice in 1988 and trained under three teachers in the line of the great 20th century Rinzai master Omori Sogen Roshi. He has completed the koan curriculum of this lineage, and in 2008 received inka shomei: recognition as an 86th-generation Zen lineage holder empowered to transmit the full range of Rinzai Zen practices. Aside from Zen, Meido is also ordained in the Mt. Koshikidake tradition of Shugendo. He is the author of two books: The Rinzai Zen Way: A Guide to Practice and Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization.

Leadership strengths are best when we lead through effortless effort  What leadership skills do you get when you cross a NASA scientist with a Zen Master? Amazing, novel strategies for better leadership effectiveness. Ginny Whitelaw is a remarkable human being with fabulous insights from her latest book, Resonate: Zen and the Way of Making a Difference. Enjoy! Why you should listen: leadership responsibilities start with the self first How the human body is an energetic instrument of leadership effectiveness Using the breath as the first step to deep resonance and leadership empathy Wu Way: the path of effortless effort - a peaceful leadership framework We explore leadership principles founded in Zen and energy practice How actions feed the field of energy and are critical for leadership effectiveness How to take action regardless of one's own personal resistance and struggle How to be a big change agent: a practical leadership model

Join me for a most stimulating conversation on the origins and nature of genuine change with Kritee, climate scientist, socioecological community activist, Zen priest, original, integrative thinker, and inspiring presence. Sensei Kritee Kanko, PhD is a climate scientist, educator-activist, grief-ritual leader and a Zen priest. She is a Sensei in the Rinzai Zen lineage of Cold Mountain, a founding dharma teacher of Boundless in Motion and a co-founder of Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center. She has served as an Ecodharma teacher for Earth-Love-Go (Lama Foundation), One Earth Sangha, Impermanent Sangha and Shogaku Zen Institute. As a senior scientist in the Global Climate Program at Environmental Defense Fund she helps implement climate-smart farming at scale in India. She was trained as a microbiologist and isotope biogeochemist at Rutgers and Princeton Universities. Website: www.BoundlessinMotion.org Recent blog post: https://bit.ly/2COwPgG