When we receive the precepts we are not given something that exists outside ourselves. To truly receive the precepts is to realize your true nature, revealing your life as the very body, form, and functioning of the enlightened state. — Maezumi Roshi
Ascending the Platform
In a powerful conclusion to the 2018 Summer Ango training period, Head Trainee Rafael Doshin Carrasco presided over the traditional ceremonies of Shosan, or public dokusan, Tea Ceremony and Shuso Hossen, where he defended his presentation of the koan “The World-Honored One Ascends the Platform..”
Kinhin
Kinhin is walking meditation. At the Hazy Moon, we perform kinhin in between periods of zazen, or seated meditation. Kinhin is a continuation of practice that also refreshes your legs after sitting and gives you an opportunity to exit and re-enter the zendo if needed. A period of kinhin lasts 10 minutes. It begins with […]
Stefan Munen Kamph’s Jukai
Combining his commitment to practice with his love of travel, Stefan Munen Kampf has cultivated equal devotion for both the Hazy Moon and its sister temple, the Black Scorpion Zen Center in Mexico…
Statement from Rafael Doshin Carrasco, Head Trainee for Summer Ango 2018
I am from Santiago, Chile and I have been meditating for some years. I do not have a Sangha there, so I usually practice alone. For me, it’s really important to know that I have my teacher and my Sangha here in Hazy Moon…
Ango and Shuso Hossen
The tradition of Ango (which means “peaceful dwelling” in Japanese) began with the original Buddhist sangha that formed around Shakyamuni in the early years of his teaching in northern India.
Pet Blessing
Hazy Moon Priest Laurie Kyoji Anderson’s love of animals and deep respect for ceremony gave birth to our annual Pet Blessing a decade ago. Some Sangha members bring their pets to the outdoor event while others bring photos to place on the altar. By offering chants, incense and flowers, and by reciting the names of our pets, we are acting on their behalf to liberate them from suffering and bring them to great joy.
Hanamatsuri
Hanamatsuri is our annual commemoration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth. The name literally means festival of the flowers. We mark the occasion by creating an altar of fresh flowers and holding a special service…
Chanting Services
If you’d like to include chants in your home practice, scroll down to find links to our complete chant book and Zendo recordings of several of the seminal chants in Zen.
Services introduce the aspect of ritual into our practice. Specifically, a “service” consists of a chant, performed in front of the altar, to transmit the energy, intention and benefit of our practice into the world we inhabit…
Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo
The Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo is a dharani, an exhortation designed to produce specific energy though the articulation of sound. The Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo, or the Ten-Phrase Life Prolonging Kannon, evokes the compassionate and eternal nature of our life. For the words to this chant, see the Hazy Moon Chant Book.
Identity of Relative and Absolute
The Identity of Relative and Absolute is a poem about the enlightened mind written by our Dharma ancestor Shitou (Jap: Sekito Kisen) in the 8th century and chanted in our services. For the words to this chant, see the Hazy Moon Chant Book.
Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra
The most commonly chanted sutra in Mahayana Buddhism, the Heart Sutra expounds the core, or heart, of the Buddha’s teaching. For the words to this chant, see the Hazy Moon Chant Book.
