Rusty Ring

I've been gratified over the years to encounter a small but steady circle of fellow hermits on social media. It's always encour...

Enlightenment is the stated goal of Buddhism, possibly the only doctrine all denominations share, though variously defined. As ...

"Here’s my new year’s wish to all those of genuine good will and decency: "May you have the strength and the courage ...

Long ago, in the first years of my Zen practice, I encountered a teaching that's remained in my mind through the intervening year...

This Sunday, 29 October, is National Hermit Day. (I have no idea which nation declared this. The day commemorates an Irish saint, so I...

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 few years ago I read a Brad Warner post about getting others into Zen. Brad was typically circumspect on the notion, but he did ad...

« Il n'y a rien de plus heureux qu'un être humain qui est devenu ce qu'il était déjà. » Le si regretté Serge Bouchard. (E...

"We mustn’t forget that today’s science and culture have only developed out of the lowest levels of consciousness." Sawaki K...

It's about time I shared a John Prine song. The guy's catalogue is replete with complex, insightful meditations on th...

The hermit Hyung asked, "How do you find something that isn't lost?" Wu Ya's commentary: " Go to the last pla...

Life is an incurable disease, from which we all eventually heal. (Photo courtesy of Frank Gualtieri and Wikimedia Commmons.)

After a recent very pleasant afternoon spent in the companionship of a beloved sangha-mate, I've fallen to contemplating the bl...

It's happening, droogies! This Tuesday the time comes again to emulate Mr. Rogers and throw down for Bodhisattva Day . So: AL...

(The following is a passage from Rough Around the Edges , a manuscript I began 20 years ago. Though my Zen practice was still about si...

"Until the sleeper is aroused from his slumber, everything that transpires inside the dream makes perfect sen...

"Popping a wheelie just meant pulling the front wheel off the ground for a moment, but riding a wheelie was the me...

Why chatter about enlightenment? Listening to the night rain on my roof, I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out. Ryokan ...

This is a long post. It needs to be. If you're a Buddhist, or just a fan of the Buddha, please read patiently; the topic is of importa...

Every so often a host name in my blog stats provokes a moment of reflection. Certain ISPs are a given: schools and universities; Zen cen...