In news, student talks, interviews and personal reflections, members of the Hazy Moon Sangha share the ways practice has transformed every aspect of their lives—at work, at home, in relationships, and in handling the change, pain, loss, and fear that all of us face at times. The consistent message from any serious Zen student is that practice works.
Nate Kojun Hayes’s Jukai
After practicing with Maezen Sensei at retreats around the country, Nate Hayes returned to the Hazy Moon from his home in Athens, Ohio, for his Jukai, receiving the Bodhisattva Precepts and the dharma name Kojun, which means “genuine effort.”
Maezumi’s 3 Admonitions
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.
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…
This Is Where I Am Today
Patrice Taisho Bucher’s poignant talk about caring for her elderly parents in her hometown of New Orleans reminds us that serious Zen practice can sometimes feel like trying to be quiet when you’re caught in a whirlwind. But the rewards are priceless. When she is able to get quiet, Taisho sees that her mother, who […]
Science Gets Personal
A review of Beyond Biocentrism: Rethinking Time, Space, Consciousness, and the Illusion of Death by Robert Lanza, MD with Bob Berman
Is it any wonder that some of us find ourselves uninterested in science that espouses lifeless mechanics and randomness theory? What if science were an exploration of mind? Your mind. How does it work? Where does the world I am living in come from?
Lurleen Honshin Benzian’s Jukai
After several years of practice at the Hazy Moon, Lurleen Benzian took the Buddha precepts and received Jukai from Nyogen Roshi on October 7 with sangha and family members in attendance. She received the Dharma name, Honshin, which means “Mind Only,” an auspicious name which carries particular enthusiasm and appreciation from Roshi. Congratulations, Honshin!
Appreciating Life: A Profile of Bob Berman
You would think that the discovery of potentially habitable planets orbiting a nearby star would excite an astronomer. Bob Berman—a columnist for Astronomy magazine, the astronomy editor of the Old Farmers Almanac and the author of ten popular books—was unimpressed…
Alive in the Mire: Swampland Flowers
A review of Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui translated by J.C. Cleary.
Vimalakirti said, “It’s like this: the high plateau does not produce lotus flowers; it is the mire of the low swamplands that produces these flowers…”
Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary
On August 26, 2017, a full house of members and friends gathered to celebrate the miraculous occasion of our 20th Anniversary. Services, including memorials for departed priests and honorary founder Maezumi Roshi, were followed by informal remembrances by long-time students. Nyogen Roshi’s wholehearted teisho paid tribute to our rare lineage and the tradition we embody […]
Reflections: The First Years
This collection of photographs, gathered in honor of our 20th Anniversary, depict the busy first days of the Hazy Moon Sangha including its inception as an informal group practicing at the home of Mr. Kelly Stevens Sr.; the August 1997 purchase of 1651 S. Gramercy Place, where the zendo was in the living room and […]
Inspiring Transformation
In this Dharma talk which he gave shortly after he returned from a hiking adventure to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, Kelly Doman Stevens Sensei recounts the rewards and challenges of his transforming experience. “It was vast, desolate and awe-inspiring,” he says of the landscape around Mount Everest. “But I wouldn’t call it pretty exactly.” […]
Shuso Hossen, Shosan and Tea Ceremony 2017
Our three-month summer training period ended with a week of dramatic events: Shosan (public exchanges between Nyogen Roshi and individual students), Tea Ceremony (when the koan that our shuso or head trainee has been working on is made public) and Shuso Hossen (an elaborate ritual that allows the shuso or head trainee to demonstrate his […]
