Being a parent is something that has to be experienced to be understood, and the profundity of parenthood can’t possibly be conveyed in words. Nyogen Roshi told me before my daughter was born, “Your joys will be amplified and your pain will be amplified.” This has proven to be an accurate statement!
Shuso Hossen 2019
Shuso Hossen ceremony for Lailah Dainin Shima and the culmination of Summer Ango 2019.
Pain Versus Suffering
In this excerpt, Hogen points to the power we have to reduce our own suffering. When we entertain fantasies of something “other” than what exists right now—no matter how painful or difficult the situation—our desire to escape from who and where we are actually creates more suffering for ourselves.
How Buddhas Are Born
We observe the traditional Zen ceremony of Hanamatsuri, or flower festival, to commemorate the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha on April 8. Born standing up, he took seven steps, raised his right hand and declared, “Above the heavens, below the earth, I alone am the World Honored One.” By the action of offering flowers and bathing […]
New Year’s Eve Service
At our ceremony to usher in 2017, Karen Maezen Miller Sensei revolved the sutras while GE SoTetsugen Stinson rocked the zendo on the drum. The next morning we visited Evergreen Cemetery, in a tradition begun by Maezumi Roshi, to honor the ancestors who brought Zen to the U.S. Our annual New Year’s Day pilgrimage ends […]
Shuso Hossen 2016
In this slideshow, Ari Sanmai Robles concludes the Summer Ango 2016 training period and defends her case before the Sangha as Head Trainee.
