by SJZC Administrator | May 19, 2026
from Mushin Whenever we chant the full lineage during service, we are formally remembering the ancestors who established and maintained these teachings for our benefit. A list of almost one hundred and fifty Buddha ancestors are named. Considering what the term...
by SJZC Administrator | Apr 29, 2026
From Mushin: In a Dharma Hall Discourse, Dogen Zenji asked, “If pure gold is not refined a hundred times, how will it reveal its radiance?” Relating this to Dharma practice, we can regard it as an apt image for continuous practice. To realize and manifest our own...
by SJZC Administrator | Apr 21, 2026
From Mushin: Myriad drops of rain on the roof, a water glass hitting the floor, breeze riffling leaves on the katsura tree outside the zendo window, allthings speak with their own voice. Voices speaking dharma all around. And yet who hears them? In the up-coming...
by SJZC Administrator | Apr 12, 2026
From Mushin: You may have noticed that we often encourage people who practice at Sangha Jewel Zen Center to take up a service position here as an aspect of a vital zen practice. Zazen is important, yes, but/and there’s more to this practice besides meditation. We...
by SJZC Administrator | Apr 5, 2026
From Mushin: A line emerged during our just-completed retreat, Poetry in Motion, that serves as an apt prompt for considering the reality of interdependence, which marks every moment of our experience. It comes from Wiliam Carlos Williams’s poem, The Red...
by SJZC Administrator | Mar 29, 2026
From Mushin: Words: Instead of encouraging words this week, in honor of our creativity theme, here are some suggestions to stimulate appreciation for the non-worded character of life, highlighting direct experience. You might want to keep a journal as you explore...
by SJZC Administrator | Mar 22, 2026
From Mushin: If we use only language to explore Zen practice we confine ourselves to words. But Zen practice points us towards who we are and how this life is unfolding outside of words and letters. This is the framework for what we are now opening up in this spring...
by SJZC Administrator | Mar 15, 2026
From Mushin: We call these Encouraging Words, a phrase Aitken Roshi used to refer to his short prompts for practice. The most encouraging word that I know is metta, lovingkindness. The practice of metta had become an essential element for practicing in this cultural...
by SJZC Administrator | Mar 8, 2026
From Mushin: In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha says, “The only thing bodhisattvas need to do is to free themselves from all concepts and nurture the aspiration for freedom. When he says this he makes freeing ourselves from all concepts sound so accessible. Is it? Until...
by SJZC Administrator | Mar 1, 2026
From Mushin: One of the recommendations for starting a Zen practice is to include zazen, even for a few minutes in your daily routine. Then as you continue and experience how beneficial daily practice is, most of us find that we increase our meditation to a half or...
