Luckily for me, my teacher Nyogen Roshi keeps repeating the same thing over and over again. (I’m beginning to realize that’s what teachers do.) In nearly every one of his weekly dharma talks he ends up reciting a set of instructions given to him by his teacher Maezumi Roshi in the early days of his training…
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The Courage of Humility
I am a Hazy Moon student living on the east coast. Along with daily practice at home, I attend two extended training periods a year with our Los Angeles sangha. Traveling to the Hazy Moon, I’m on pilgrimage to a place far away from everything familiar—a place where I can try again and again to let go and simply sit…
Fusatsu (Atonement Ceremony)
Fusatsu is the ceremony of atonement in the Zen tradition. In doing Fusatsu, we acknowledge the suffering caused by our own ignorant view of ourselves as separate from the world we inhabit. In this video, students at the Hazy Moon Zen Center share appreciation for Fusatsu and the role it plays in their practice.
Hey Daddy, Relax
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!
If I Don’t Do It Now . . .
Lailah Dainin Shima will sit as head trainee during Summer Ango 2019 at the Hazy Moon. In this video statement, Dainin talks about the life-and-death concerns behind her desire to sit as head trainee, as well as her growing appreciation for the Hazy Moon’s lineage of practice…
When Family is Sangha
It’s not unusual to find couples that practice together, or see friends accompany one another to a retreat. But it might seem a bit strange that the Dewdrop Sangha includes me, my adult daughter and my sister. For the three of us, sharing this practice has not only proven that sangha is family, but that family is sangha too…
Aidan and the Mummy Girl Save the Universe
My first novel, Aidan and the Dragon Girl Save the World, was borne of my love of history and an interest in how dragons are viewed in the east—not as fire-breathing reptiles but as shape-shifting water spirits and protectors of the Dharma.
Now I’ve written a second Aidan novel, inspired by my interest in early Buddhism and the cosmology of ancient Egypt. It’s called Aidan and the Mummy Girl Save the Universe…
Losing My Misery
My name is Honmei and my practice is counting my breath. I’ve been practicing at Hazy Moon for 11 years.
When I started practicing, I did it because I felt like I should. Practice is good for you, like exercise, and I felt a connection to Buddhism…
Flowers Fall
“The ambulance took the old man away because he wasn’t feeling good,” my daughter tells me excitedly as I walk through the door from work. I plaster myself against the window to see if this is true. She’s speaking about my neighbor, my friend, a man who has been so kind and attentive to my daughter since the day we brought her home from the hospital…
A Buddha Knows How to Talk
Nyogen Roshi tells us that when he used to resist giving talks, Maezumi Roshi would say: A buddha knows how to talk. My work as an assistant professor requires me to give many presentations on topics related to social development, which is a subject I feel very connected to. However, as long as I can remember, I have been terrified of speaking publicly—especially when I have to say something personal…
Forgetting Oneself
Nothing is more difficult for me than sitting in front of my computer to write this. Countless words are running through my head, leaving me unable to settle on the right ones. I’m not a creative writer, and I can’t remember the last time I read a novel. So this is intimidating in an all-encompassing way. When I read beautiful essays written by members of the sangha, it doesn’t only terrify me; it leaves my lips tight and my mouth dry. I don’t how to do this…
The 49th Day
On this, the 49th day of your passing.
I’ve had a few people ask me, “How do Buddhists grieve?” Of course, the answer is simple. Like everyone else…
