Rusty Ring

Though it's generally unknown to Western Buddhists, Russia is one of the formative homelands of our religion. Not only has Buddhis...

So I've been at it again – diving into the Ancestors and the movement that produced them. And once again I've come up with ...

Huike said to Bodhidharma, "My mind is anxious. Please pacify it." Bodhidharma replied, "Bring me your mind, and...

For some years I've enjoyed sporadic correspondence with a fellow Zenner in England. After a few less-than-uplifting experiences with...

So another visit to the annals of early Buddhism has yielded a further bit of provocative trivia: subitism is very old. Possibly as old...

(A meme from Zen Twitter.)

I ran into a Zen axe-grinder on Twitter a few months ago. The experience continues to turn in my thoughts. I didn't know this guy (I ...

Chàn fascinates me. Founded in China during the 6th century CE, it's the parent tradition to the three current national schools of ...

'Way back in March of 2012 CE (how strange to have such a deep vault) I reviewed Zen at War , Brian Daizen Victoria's exposé o...

"When a shepherd goes to kill a wolf, and takes his dog to see the sport, he should take care to avoid mistakes. The dog has c...

(Not as bad as they all say. By the way, I'm totally not doing that Bodhidharma thing on purpose. I'm as taken aback as the r...

Some time ago I surfed into What You Need to Know about Mindfulness Meditation , an article made available to military personnel (an...

My brother Fletcher – formerly an ordained Zen monk, now an ongoing seeker after insight on another path – recently described to me his ...

(Readers who are new to meditation might find How to Meditate useful. More experienced meditators might also appreciate Meditation T...

Pictured: not the Buddha. Ask a random Westerner to describe the Buddha, and you're likely to hear something about a "big fat...

"To dwell in the three realms is to dwell in a burning house." Bodhidharma (Photo of The Blue Fudo – Natio...

In Meditation in the Wild: Buddhism's Origin in the Heart of Nature , Charles S. Fisher writes: "Buddhism was born in the for...

Two days ago I found this teaching in my Twitter feed: "Treat non-useful thoughts like undesirable smells: don't dwell on them...

Candid portrait of my practice: written and recorded teachings;  twine and rings for making fudos;   mat where my bowl rests;  lapto...

This blog brought to you by the Loyal Order of Crazy White Boys. Recently a sangha sister said one of the nicest things I...