Book of Equanimity Case 67 Attention! In the Avatamsaka Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha says: “As I now see all sentient beings everywhere, they’re endowed with the Tathagata’s wisdom and virtue. But because of deluded thoughts and attachments, they do not realize it.”  Dream the other night: I am in conversation with a Being of great wisdom and compassion. We are talking about carbon-based life forms and the interplay/interpenetration of oxygen and carbon and carbon dioxide. This “makes sense” to me. And then we come to water, H2O, and I’m baffled. I have a sense of carbon and oxygen comi ..read more

The Ten Grave Precepts conclude with (10) I take up the way of not slandering the Three Treasures. (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) I ask you, “Why is this the culminating precept?” _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Case 33 of The Book of Equanimty Sansheng said to Xuefebg “The golden carp is out of the net! Tell me, what will it feed on? Xuefeng said, “When you have got out of the net, I will tell you.” Sansheng said, “The renowned teacher of fifteen hundred monks cannot find even one word to say about this topic.” Xuefeng said, “I a ..read more

The Perfection of Wisdom Mother of All Buddhas Happy Mother’s Day! Prajnaparamita means the (paramita) perfection of (prajna) wisdom. The manifestation of parajnaparamita is the Goddess known as the Mother Of All Buddhas. In Mahayana Buddhism, wisdom is considered the supreme paramita. The ancient and volumonous Prajnaparamita Sutra dates back to 100BCE. The Diamond Sutra was excerpted from this immense volume of writing. There are endless variations of the manifestation of the Goddess in the human psyche and heart. She is regarded as mother, lover, protector, compassionate helper and embodie ..read more

Tuesday May 9, 2023, is the third anniversary of Jitsudo Roshi’s death. I can’t possibly express my gratitude and love for my dear friend and guide in a Blog post. So I won’t try. There will be a memorial service on Tuesday morning at 6:30. Two periods of sitting, followed by Identity of Relative and Absolute Service. Please join. 8 Deep Bows, Zenho and Issan __________________________________________________________________________________________ Jitsudo’s Smile Battered butterscotch-smooth Antelope leather suitcase Lined with Celtic shearling,  Clasps of antler worn and grooved The go ..read more

When I came out of my hotel on Monday morning at 4:30 AM at the Wyndham Garden Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio to drive back to Albuquerque I went out to the parking lot to my car and there it was, gone. It’s the first time my car had ever been stolen. I even got to watch the instant replay of it happening on the hotel parking lot security video. I felt mostly disappointed because I had gotten out of bed so early to have an easy escape from the awful San Antonio morning commuter traffic. Guess not. Went to the airport and while waiting for my flight the SAPD called to tell me they had found my ..read more

Earth day earth Day Earth I went for a hike today with the Sandias at the ski area. No one but me and Dobby (my house elf doggie) and trees and sky and grasses and rocks and sparrow and Sun and hawk and a deer that Dobby caught scent of before me and chased into the depths of the woods. Hiking after him, snow cascading into my boots, cold and sharp. Inhaling every step of uneven rock and rolling fallen branches and thigh deep snow playing the game of “support you here and here and not here ahhhhh” until Dobby returns empty jawed and winded and smiling, rewarded with a cricket treat for having ..read more

Out on the river the past two Sundays. Feeling the roll and flow beneath me in the boat, breathing in the pristine blue sky. The heat -driven scent of water and mud. Burbling and tickling sounds of the flowing water’s riffles and eddies. Feeling the silky water, cool and soothing. Staring in awe at the mountains, the bosque, the new leaves, lime green on the trees and bushes, the birds and intense light reflected off the water. Aliveness. The exuberance of IT ALL. Have you ever felt that whatever it is you’re doing that you’re somehow watching yourself? A discomfort in this, a disconnect? Min ..read more

Blue Cliff Record, Case 52 A monastic said to Zhaozhou, “The stone bridge of Zhaozhou is widely renowned, but coming here I find only a set of steppingstones.” Zhaozhou said, “You see only the steppingstones and do not see the stone bridge.” The monastic said, “What is the stone bridge?” Zhaozhou said, “It lets horses cross over and donkeys cross over.” Happy Easter. Happy Easter. This story of birth death rebirth is really wonderful. We are all experiencing birth death rebirth death all the time. Now this is all well and good as an idea. What does it feel like?! The agony of the cross. Swall ..read more

Emptiness<– –>  Potency “He’s back on that!” There is something going on here within this blog space. I’ve written. You’re reading. Some spark of energy is flashing. I’m with a guy. The guy goes into a room; he may be being bound or is binding himself. The guy apparently has difficulty with intimacy, especially being touched. 3 other guys come into the room and they are licking him. The first guy is in agony. When finished, he is now suing the three guys for inflicting trauma on him. I am feeling sympathetic towards the first guy’s trauma. I go to bed for the night, and one of ..read more

“The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down You can’t let go and you can’t hold on You can’t go back and you can’t stand still If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will“ ~Robert Hunter Congratulations to Sokukai & Ryūdo, turning the dharma wheel! I was thinking about what it means to practice this Way. There are so many teachers and teachings, so many schools of Buddhist practice and ideas about what to study, how to study and what the interpretation of the teachings might mean. Without a doubt, it is beneficial to read and study Buddhist thought and look into the myriad opi ..read more