A Mindful Moment

by | Dec 2, 2023

While some of us are sitting sesshin this coming week, whenever you think of us, please stop for a moment and take a mindful breath, or several. Look around and appreciate the blessings that you are receiving this very moment. And reflect on what you are offering this...

Fusatsu

by | Nov 25, 2023

Monday is a full moon. This day is set aside traditionally for the Fusatsu ceremony, where we contemplate our basic life intention. We’ll be celebrating this on Sunday. We look at what ways we continue to be led by our habits of mind and activities that are...

Time

by | Nov 18, 2023

Dogen offers his unique guidance for awakening when he instructs: “See the Buddha’s golden light in every hour of your day, cultivate doubt about your view of time and being, investigate how it is that particular being-time co-exists with all being-time, and know that...

Generosity

by | Nov 11, 2023

The first of the perfections is dana, the Sanskrit word for generosity. Dana is a natural expression of an open heart and spacious mind. Nothing material need be added necessarily. We give things, time, attention, Dharma. And most fundamentally this refers to how we...

Planting Seeds

by | Oct 28, 2023

It’s not always possible to know what will result from our actions. Our practice is to recognize when we are distracted by our own mind states, that are colored in holding extreme views, being caught in thinking and in rigid categories. When we fall into habitual...

The Brave Little Parrot

by | Oct 21, 2023

I’d like to share with you words from my fellow teacher, Rafe Martin. He is the author of several translations of the Jataka Tales, mythic stories of the Buddha’s previous lives. We live in a reciprocal universe. No one and nothing is ultimately isolated or alone in...