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...
