I gave this talk on April 22, 2023, at the Greater Boston Zen Center‘s Spring Sesshin held at the Providence Zen Center. A recording follows the text. Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you ..read more

I gave this talk on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at the Greater Boston Zen Center.   I am of the nature to grow old; There is no way to escape growing old.  I am of the nature to have ill health; There is no way to escape having ill health.  I am of the nature to die; There is no way to escape death.  All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature of change; There is no way to escape being separated from them.  My deeds are my closest companions. I am born of my deeds; and I am their heir. My deeds are the ground on which I stand. I’ve reread The ..read more

I gave this talk on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at the Greater Boston Zen Center Rohatsu Sesshin.  A recording will be available here. This is a version of the Rohatsu story, the story of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment: The story of the Buddha’s enlightenment is not told exactly the same way in all schools of Buddhism, and all include elements of folk history and fable. Raised in a life of privilege and luxury and protected from all knowledge of pain and suffering, young Prince Siddhartha Gautama at the age of 29 is said to have left the family palace to meet his subjects, a ..read more

I gave this talk on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at the Greater Boston Zen Center. A recording is available here. I want to speak briefly about the Verse of the Kesa tonight.  This is the short verse people are chanting silently to themselves before our sits when you see them kneeling at their cushions with their rakusus on their heads.  I’ve recently started using an alternate version of this verse, which I prefer to the one I was taught.   The version I learned, and which most of us here chant, goes like this: Vast is the Robe of Liberat ..read more

I gave this talk on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at the Greater Boston Zen Center. This is Case 6 in The Gateless Gate, The World-Honored One Twirls a Flower: Once, in ancient times, when the World-Honored One was at Mount Grdhrakūta, he twirled a flower before his assembled disciples. All were silent. Only Mahākāśyapa broke into a smile. The World-Honored One said, “I have the eye of the treasury of right Dharma, the subtle mind of nirvana, the true form of no-form, and the flawless gate of the teaching. It is not established upon words and phrases. It is a special transmission outside tr ..read more

I gave this talk on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at the Greater Boston Zen Center. A recording is available here. This is from the Record Dongshan (who I spoke about in my last talk, using Tung-shan, another way his name is translated to English): When Dongshan was ready to leave his teacher Yunyan, Dongshan asked, “Later on, if someone asks me if I can depict your reality, or your teaching, how shall I reply?” Yunyan paused, and then said, “Just this is it.” When he heard that, Dongshan sank into thought. And Yunyan said, “You are in charge of this great matter. You must be ..read more

I gave this talk on Saturday, September 3, 2022, at the Greater Boston Zen Center. A recording follows at the end of this post. This is from the Record of Tung-shan: [Tung-shan asked Yün-yen why he could not hear nonsentient beings expound the Dharma. Yün-yen raised his fly whisk and said, “Can you hear it yet?” Tung-shan replied, “No, I can’t.” Yün-yen said, “You can’t even hear it when I expound the Dharma; how do you expect to hear when a nonsentient being expounds the Dharma?” Tung-shan asked, “In which sutra is it taught that nonsentient beings expound the Dharma?” Yün-yen replied ..read more

I gave this talk on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at the Greater Boston Zen Center. This is the final verse of the Five Ranks, Dongshan’s great poem about the spiritual journey: Who would presume to join their voice with someone who has surpassed “there is” and “there is not”? Everyone longs to leave the mundane stream, yet finally you return to sit in the charcoal heap. My thoughts drifted to The Wizard of Oz earlier this week, shortly after meditating.  I’d just returned from sesshin, during which our talks and discussions took up the topic of spiritual authority, i ..read more

I gave this brief encouragement talk on Saturday, July 30, 2022, during our Greater Boston Zen Center summer sesshin ..read more

I gave this talk on Friday, July 29, 2022, during our Greater Boston Zen Center summer sesshin. You’ll find a recording of the talk at the end of this post. This is the koan “Dr. Doctor Rides the Bus” from the Book of Householder Koans, a new collection of contemporary koans—koans from our time and place—assembled by Zen Roshis Eve Myonen Marko and Wendy Egokyu Nakao: Dr. Doctor has a common cold, but he still rode the bus to work. He began to cough and sneeze into his handkerchief. Every time he coughed, all the people on the bus tried to cough. Every time he sneezed, all the people on ..read more