Flapping Mouths

Composition

2011-12-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Which is slanted, the clouds or the ocean?

NEW RSS FEED for 'SIT-A-LONG with JUNDO & TAIGU'

2010-11-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Hi,We have a NEW WEB ADDRESS and RSS feed for our 'SIT-A-LONG with JUNDO & TAIGU' video talks and netcast Zazen sittings.URL:http://www.treeleaf.org/sit-a-long/with-jundo-and-taigu/RSS:http://www.treeleaf.org/sit-a-long/with-jundo-and-taigu/atom.xmlIf you would link to our new address, Taigu and I thank you very much for doing so, and thank you again if you have in the past.Editorial changes at

Re-Blogging Brad Warner

2009-10-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well, today could be a big day--or maybe it will be a very dull day where nobody reads this or cares. I'm not sure I care, for that matter.But a blog that I love to post comments on has officially stopped accepting any kind of comments, so I decided to open up a new blog to those of us who would like to continue commenting on Hardcore Zen, Brad Warner's blog where he writes about zen among other

GREAT HEART OF WISDOM

2009-10-05T18:35:00.001-07:00

Another e-mail post please excuse the formatting.On that note, if anyone would like to volunteer to be an unpaid editor of this blog, the position is open… In the Shobogenzo Bendowa there is a line that some people latch on to that goes something like: We no longer need to read or recite Sutras, make prostrations, light incense. There is a lot of this kind of sentiment that arose out of my

WRONG CONCEIT/ SITTING WITHOUT A NET

2009-10-01T13:30:00.001-07:00

E-mail post, kindly forgive formatting.Beginning a sitting practice is tough work, particularly when we areburdened with wrong conceit. Wrong conceit is the view that someone (eitherself or other) is lower, higher or the same. Any of these views can be abig hindrance to practice. I know because I have experienced this firsthand just observing my self. Especially when I hear someone say

Dogen's Bible and Enlightened Teachers

2009-09-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is why I intend to gather together the few experiences Ihad abroad, and to record the secrets of an enlightened teacher, so that theymay be heard by any practitioner who desires to hear them.Shobogenzo Bendowa Nishijima and Cross translationThere has been a bit of scuttlebutt about internet teachers/communities versus real life flesh and blood teachers/communities that I caught wind of

ANNOUNCEMENT: Treeleaf Sangha “ALL ONLINE” JUKAI & ANGO - Coming Up!

2009-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that TREELEAF SANGHA, a Soto Zen Sangha, will soon commence preparations for our “ALL ONLINE ‘JUKAI’ (Undertaking the Precepts Ceremony)” … including Precepts Study readings and discussions, and a Rakusu sewing circle, also all fully Online…. Treeleaf Zendo (Jundo Cohen, teacher) was designed specifically as an online practice place for Zen practitioners who cannot easily

Book Review "Unmasking Buddhism" by Bernard Faure

2009-08-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Lucidly accomplishes its stated aim.Bernard Faure is a renowned Buddhist scholar and the author of a number of excellent Buddhist studies, including the landmark, "Chan Insights and Oversights."This book sets out to present the basic elements of Buddhist history, doctrines, beliefs, and practices. In this slim volume (159 pages), Professor Faure lucidly and succinctly provides readers with a

Book Review: Zongmi on Chan by Jeffrey Broughton

2009-06-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

Zen Buddhism - Book Review: Zongmi on Chan (Translations from the Asian Classics) by Professor Jeffrey Lyle Broughton!!WARNING - BOOK MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO BIAS - WARNING!!Broughton’s “Zongmi on Chan” will be welcomed by Zen practitioners and anyone else interested in the foundational doctrines and techniques of Zen Buddhism.Guifeng Zongmi [Tsung-mi] lived from 780 to 841, right in the thick of the

Book Review: How Zen Became Zen

2009-05-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

Book ReviewHow Zen Became Zen: The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China by Morten Schlütter (Studies in East Asian Buddhism, No. 22Published in association with the Kuroda Institute)In this masterpiece of modern Zen scholarship, Morten Schlutter presents a vastly important and astonishingly thorough account of the historical evidence of How Zen

When will you stop?

2009-04-20T17:41:00.001-07:00

Reposted from My Zen ExperienceAngulimala (literal meaning of this name is garland of fingers) was a bandit who used to cut his victim's pinkie finger and had made a garland for himself. Every one was afraid of him. When Buddha found out, he ventured into Anguliamala's territory by himself. Every one was worried for Buddha's safety. Angulimala saw Buddha moving through his territory and asked

Thought without support - Platform Sutra of Sixth Patriarch

2009-04-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Reposted from My Zen Experience*** Text and commentary from Platform Sutra translated by Buddhist Text Translation Society ****Sutra:Once a customer bought firewood and ordered itdelivered to his shop. When the delivery had been made,and Hui Neng had received the money, he went outsidethe gate, where he noticed a customer reciting a Sutra.Upon once hearing the words of this Sutra: “One

Blue Cliff Monastery

2009-03-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

From My Zen ExperienceHave been meaning to do this for a long time and conditions finally came together for my second visit to Blue Cliff Monastery this weekend. It is in Pine Bush, NY. I had stayed here in February 2008 and have been meaning to come back since then. The monastery is residence to monks and nuns of Order of Interbeing, institution started by dear Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. The

BOOK REVIEW “KINDNESS”

2009-03-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Reposted from: Succession of InsightsBOOK REVIEW “KINDNESS”I picked this one up from Amazon as it was suggested for children.It did not specify age…The subtitle says “A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents”There are many wonderful stories in this book. Quite a few come from Jataka tales and many are similar to ones you may have read in “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” but there were a few

Greed and tendency to hoard

2009-03-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

My Zen ExperienceI have been fascinated with greed lately, to a great extent - with my own greed. The mind easily and happily forgets all that it has and tends to zero in on one thing that it doesn't have and wants desparately (not need, but want). Ah..and once it has that, it just as easily becomes bored with it or takes it for granted and the whole cycle starts again. So, why are we so greedy?

Succession of Insights: BOOK REVIEW: IN BUDDHA’S KITCHEN

2009-03-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Succession of Insights: BOOK REVIEW: IN BUDDHA’S KITCHEN

Are you here to numb your pain or getting high?

2009-03-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

Aah..my friend, so you thought Zen and meditation would enable you to numb your pain or get high and may be you can forget all your worries for sometime at least? You thought it could get you either super normal powers where you can manifest you every desire or raise you above your feelings so all you will feel is pleasure. I know it hurts..it cuts through heart and it never goes away..so many

Book Review Soto Zen in Medieval Japan - William M. Bodiford

2009-02-19T11:24:00.001-08:00

Soto Zen in Medieval Japan (Studies in East Asian Buddhism)by William M. BodifordThe most extensive and informative English language book on the formation and development of Soto Zen to date.William Bodiford’s “Soto Zen in Medieval Japan” (Studies in East Asian Buddhism) paints an extraordinarily clear picture of the history of Soto Zen in Japan.No matter what view you may have of the

Book Review -- Footprints in the Snow: The Autobiography of a Chinese Buddhist Monk

2009-02-18T19:09:00.001-08:00

My Zen Experience

How free are we?

2009-02-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

My Zen Experience - How free are we?

Hill Tribes in Chang Rai, Thailand

2009-02-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

HILL TRIBE, PART IA centipede’s wooden legssupport the bamboo house.Inside, Indian stylesit the opium smokers.The medicine man gathered his herbswhile his son shot an emerald serpentstraight from the treewith a muzzle loading rifle.Now is the time to dream.A rusty oil lamp weaves soft yellow lightin patterns of dark and light.Crickets provide the rhythm for the passing of the pipeand the river

THE THING ABOUT VIEWS

2009-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

Succession of Insights: THE THING ABOUT VIEWS

Succession of Insights: Book Review: Brad Warner's "Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate"

2009-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

Succession of Insights: Book Review: Brad Warner's "Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate"

Wise counsel on Zen koans from reliable masters

2009-01-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

For anyone that is intrigued by “Joshu’s Mu” koan, (A monk asked Joshu, “Does the dog have Buddha nature?” Joshu said, “Mu” [no, does not have, etc]) Dogen’s teacher, Tendo Nyojo, offered some wise counsel on how to work with it. His instruction on how to employ it is similar to that of Mumon’s (the Rinzai master who compiled the Zen classic, Mumonkan), yet its flavor seems, to me anyway, a

Zen Not Seeing Not Seeing

2008-12-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

Not Seeing Not SeeingCase 94 of the Blue Cliff Record consists of a quote from the Surangama Sutra which says:When I do not see, why do you not see my not-seeing? If you did see my not-seeing, that would obviously not be a characteristic of not-seeing. Since you do not see my not-seeing, obviously it is not an outside object—how could it not be you?This saying from the Surangama Sutra is a Dragon

Bodhi - desire to steal, defeat an enemy, embrace a beauty

2008-10-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

Dogen on, "what practice is to be considered most urgent...""As for the description of the essential point to be mindful of, what thing must be concentrated upon, what practice is to be considered most urgent, that is as follows.First is only that the aspiration of joyful longing be earnest. For example, suppose a person has a conscious desire to steal a precious jewel, a desire to defeat an

Sameness and Difference

2008-10-25T02:48:00.000-07:00

Sameness and DifferenceSoto Master Keizan: If you are not greatly enlightened once, you will vainly become mere intellectuals and never arrive at the ground of mind. Because of this you are not yet rid of views of Buddha and Dharma, so when will you ever get out of the bondage of self and others?Thus even if you can remember all the sermons spoken by the Buddha over his forty-nine years of

Dialogues of the Buddha - Digha Nikaya Parts I, II, III

2008-10-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

Dialogues of the Buddha. Translated from the Pali of the Digha Nikaya. Parts I, II, III. THREE VOLUMES (Sacred Books of the Buddhists, Volumes II; III; IV) Translated by T. W. Rhys DavidsThe Dialogues of the Buddha is a three volume collection of the Digha Nikaya (the long dialogues of the Buddha), which belongs to the Suttapitaka (basket of teachings of the Buddha). Consisting of thirty four

Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up

2008-09-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

In his book, Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up, Steven Heine again serves up a tasty treat of information and insight on and about the present circumstances concerning Zen Buddhism communities both East and West.In this book, Professor Heine surveys the overall condition of Zen in the present day from two extreme viewpoints. One extreme, which he calls the "

A genuine Dharma Heir explores the cosmology underlying Dogen's Zen

2008-09-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

A truly unique book on Dogen's Zen."Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dogen and the Lotus Sutra, by Taigen Dan Leighton, is a unique examination of the records of the thirteenth century Zen master, Eihei Dogen.In this book Taigen Dan Leighton, a Soto Zen priest and Dharma heir, reveals how Dogen's teachings are thoroughly grounded in the classic Mahayana Buddhist Sutras, primarily the Lotus

Part of life

2008-09-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Did you make a difference today?Do not waste time.Take care,Jordan

Definitive Zen doctrines, absolute Zen truths...

2008-09-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from The Flatbed Sutra of Louie WingA visiting student said, "It seems to me that your teaching is sometimes contradictory. One time you say, ‘There is nothing to seek.’ Then, at other times you say, ‘Arouse your determination to cease conceptualization.’ I am confused."Louie Wing said, "That is because you are looking for some definitive doctrine in my words. There are no definitive

What does Dogen mean by enlightenment?

2008-09-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

Even if we have not yet given rise to the mind that truly aspires to realize full enlightenment, we should imitate the methods of the Buddhas and Ancestors of the past who gave rise to the mind that seeks enlightenment. This mind is the mind that has resolved to realize enlightenment; it is the manifestation of a sincere heart moment by moment, the mind of previous Buddhas, our everyday mind, and

Dogen, nonduality and practice-realization

2008-09-17T00:27:00.000-07:00

This post is an attempt to address a notion that seems to be prevalent (though NOT exclusive) on a number of blogs as well as contemporary books in regard to Dogen’s teaching on Zazen. This is the notion that the mere act of sitting upright (usually in lotus or half-lotus posture) is the equivalent of enlightenment.I am not suggesting that ALL teachers/students/practitioners and others propagate

Who are we going to trust?

2008-09-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

One of the extraordinary implications of Dogen’s insistence of the inseparability of one's understanding and one’s expressions is his assertion that we can accurately evaluate someone’s understanding simply by examining their expressions. I say "we" to preclude any arguments that Dogen was referring only to the ability of "enlightened" beings. This is clear from Dogen’s own experience. Even

Dogen - A Balanced View

2008-08-22T02:59:00.000-07:00

Keep in mind that delusion is something that has no physical existence, and keep in mind that enlightenment is also something that has no physical existence!Shobogenzo, Yui Butsu Yo Butsu (Trans. Rev. Hubert Nearman)Gassho,Ted Biringer

Dogen on the words and behavior of the Ancestors

2008-08-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

"…abandon contemplation in your own mind of the doctrines you have originally learned, and just gradually shift your mind over to the words and behavior of the Patriarchal teachers which you are now reading. If you do so, your wisdom will advance and your understanding open up.~Dogen - Shobogenzo-Zuimonki, 2:4 (Record of Things Heard, Thomas Cleary)Gassho,Ted Biringer

Dogen - On Being Enlightened about Delusion

2008-07-07T00:29:00.000-07:00

Those who are enlightened about delusion are buddhas.~Dogen, Shobogenzo, GenjokoanApparently, in the Shobogenzo, being "enlightened about delusion," means awakening to the reality of delusion. That is, realizing what delusion truly is.Perhaps it is like when, for example, a person is shown the cause of a magician’s illusions: mirrors, wires, hidden compartments and so on. The person can then

Dogen instructing the Tenzo on the word "great"

2008-06-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

If the tenzo had not studied the word great, he would not have awakened senior Fu by laughing at him. If Zen master Guishan had not understood the word great, he would not have blown the unlit firewood three times. If priest Dongshan had not known the word great, he would not have taught a monk by saying, "Three jin of hemp." You should know that these great masters all studied the word great

The depth of the drop is the height of the moon

2008-05-30T03:22:00.000-07:00

In Shobogenzo, Genjokoan Dogen offers an amazingly succinct and profoundly illuminating presentation of the Buddhist doctrine of mutual interpenetration and non-obstruction. Dogen manages to present the very heart of this labyrinthine doctrine with a simple analogy that illustrates what it is like for a human being to embody the entire universe. A person, he says, “contains” the whole universe (

The vast unnamable fathomless void

2008-05-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Louie Wing said, “The vast unnamable fathomless void is not created by some kind of spiritual practice; just cease screening it off through conceptualization. When perceptions, feelings, and thoughts arise, simply act accordingly without attachment or aversion. All of the myriad things are identical to the vast unnamable fathomless void, which is identical to your own mind. There is not a single

Delusion? Conceptualization?

2008-05-26T01:52:00.000-07:00

Ceasing conceptualization frees you from attachment to objects, illumination of wisdom frees you from attachment to no objects. To hold any view of objective reality is delusion based on conceptualization; to hold a view of no objective reality is delusion based on conceptualization.~The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing

Dharma Dollers!

2008-05-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

X posted from here: Slow Zen: Asura Dharma: Tea Pot, Zazen Bamboo?
found at TargetSince I am a fan of tea, bamboo, and ZaZen, I am quite happy to be able to get all three for the low low price of 9.99!

Certification/Transmission of Enlightenment

2008-05-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

Me talk about the "E" word? say it ain't so!Yeah folks I guess it is about time. All of Ted’s talk about transmission has dragged it out of me. I am going to quote an ole dead (maybe not really so dead) guy too. So why am I doing this? To express a certain point of view, and because people are unreliable. The history of transmission in the “Zen” tradition has been corrupt since it began. And

What does Dogen mean? No monks were ever enlightened?

2008-05-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

What was Dogen teaching us when he spoke about transmission?Check this out:"The veteran monk Shugetsu, while he was assigned to the post of head monk on Tendo, showed to Dogen a certificate of succession of Unmon’s lineage… Mahakasyapa, Ananda, and so on, were aligned as if [they belonged to] separate lineages... Dogen asked... "Master, nowadays there are slight differences among the five sects

Unskillful rant on Teaching Zen

2008-05-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

I think there is a lot of arrogance out there in the realm of so called “Zen” teachers.I read words like “Doctrine” and “Transmission” and feel it could easily mislead others.I grow more and more suspicious of some of the “Ideas” I hear on Zen.While I do feel the responsibility of figuring things out ultimately rests with the seeker. There is allot of bad gouge out there. That makes the path a

Teaching Certificates - Dharma, or Priestcraft?

2008-05-07T03:09:00.000-07:00

Mike’s (joke?) about getting a certificate, brings up one of the major difficulties faced by beginning students. This difficulty revolves around propagated distortions concerning the Zen tradition of mind to mind "transmission."Nor is confusion regarding Zen "transmission" relegated to beginners or non-scholars alone; many scholars as well as those within the Zen orthodoxy openly acknowledge

A year later and I still have not been kicked out! Weeeee!!!

2008-05-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

It has now been nearly a year since my first post (on Zen and Idolatry) here at "Flapping Mouths." It has been great ride, and I have made some friends and learned a few things along the way (like not to take myself too seriously—though some might think I have not earned a very high grade in that area). Thank you all!Here, and "in the field" I have met many Zen students and a few teachers that

Nine Full Bows to Flapping Mouths Members

2008-04-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have noted. I have deleted one of my posts. Before explaining why, let me first give my heartfelt thanks to all who shared their thoughts with me. Your words helped me to consider the whole premise from a fresh, new perspective.I have already shared my reasoning concerning my decision via email with another. Part of that email said:To be honest with you, this whole experience

Thank You All for your views on Zen teachings/teachers

2008-04-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank everyone for posting their views concerning my last post here (--deleted--). Everyone has expressed ideas that have been helpful in seeing the issue with freshness.Rather than responding to each comment, I would like to just give my own current thoughts on this issue (I say current because it is bound to change-again).In the early days of my own practice and study, I spent a

Not attaining.

2008-04-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Someone wrote something in a way that just did not wash, and so reluctantly I am fighting an aversion I have to writing about this kind of stuff anymore.Sometimes you just have to say something.So please forgive me if I may dip into “Yoda~Speak” to attempt to make what can not be clear a bit more digestible.The E word. Ugh. I make no qualms about not liking the E word. To say one has it and

Sayings and Doings of Louie Wing

2008-04-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

Louie Wing said, "The unnamable transcends explanation, yet explanations are used to guide you to the unnamable. Words do not reach the vast unnamable fathomless void, yet through words it is revealed."--From the collected Sayings and Doings of Louie WingCopyright Ted Biringer 2008

Dogen Blog Announcement and Invitation

2008-04-04T03:42:00.000-07:00

In Hee-Jin Kim’s landmark book, Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist, Dr. Kim caused many of us to reevaluate some basic assumptions about Dogen’s Zen, and even question some of the fundamental assumptions concerning Zen itself—at least as it was represented in the West.In his most recent book, Dogen on Meditation and Thinking: A Reflection on His View of Zen, Hee-Jin Kim again illumines issues that

Zen? A separate transmission? No....Yes....

2008-02-19T00:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a little contribution given in the hopes of stirring some of you all into sharing your views (or non-views).Though Dogen used the terms "Zen," "Zen sect," "Zen ancestor," etc. he consistently maintained that Zen was not a school or sect of Buddhism, but was the authentic transmission of Buddhism itself. In this sense, Dogen’s use of the word "Zen" ("Zen," "Zen sect," etc.), can be thought

Don’t church it up!

2008-01-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

My wife grew up in Japan, when to a Buddhist pre-school, Had been familiar with Buddhism all of her life. Mainly she has recognized the main purpose of Buddhism as a funeral service. And that is OK! Or at least I have told myself. Buddhism, as far as I know, has never really been about seeking out converts and is more interested in teaching to those truly interested. Now over the course of

Ha Ha Ha! Shameless Band Spam

2008-01-14T04:15:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,Although I appreciate that a blog discussing Buddhist philosophy probably isn't the most approriate place for this, maybe some of you guys might dig it. My new band:http://www.myspace.com/danrobinskihttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=9069256978Enjoy!Feedback always appreciated but not neccessarily listened to

Empty but for one star

2007-11-30T08:39:00.001-08:00

Imagine the following scene:A totally empty universe except for a single star.Read the first comment to see why I find this exercise interesting

RE: From the Wanderling

2007-11-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Flappers, if there ae any of you left out there. This blog dose appear to be dead. So sad as it was once so good but we all wanted to do our own things as well.Anyway... I want to touch on something that I brought up back in March, the last time I thought this forum was dieing. The Wanderling, He actualy contacted me about that post in particular.On March 05, 2007 you responded to an

Free Burma!

2007-10-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Hitchens - Zen is not Great?

2007-09-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Christopher Hitchens' book "God is not Great" and as a scientist and practitioner of Zen I hope the poor scholarship displayed in the following passage isn't throughout the book:"Although many Buddhists now regret that deplorable attempt to prove their own superiority, no Buddhist since then has been able to demonstrate that Buddhism was wrong in its own terms. A faith that

The Universal Religion Part 2: The limits of universalism

2007-09-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

Religion of course can be very divisive. As Richard Dawkins says it can inspire people to murder others because they have a barely distinguishable belief system. I don't agree with Dawkins that religion itself is a primary cause of violence, it is simply one more label by which we define tribal in-groups and out-groups - any ideology or physical difference will do just as well. In religion,

Deshimaru Footage: Deshimaru Chanting

2007-09-03T12:55:00.001-07:00

Also walking around with a rather cool hat on...

Deshimaru Footage: The Ordination of Barbera Kosen

2007-08-24T12:48:00.001-07:00

Someone has been uploading old footage of Master Deshimaru onto YouTube - mostly in French. I think this is the best one - showing a young woman being ordained as a nun. Some cynical people might look at this and think that it;s just a bunch of French hippies, but I think it's beautiful.

The Universal Religion: Part 1

2007-08-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

To bring an understanding of Zen to Europe, Master Deshimaru talked as much in terms of 'God' as he talked about 'Buddha'. Yet, this wasn't a belief in a literal creator being or personal God - he was using the concept as a metaphor for 'the universal' or the fundamental principle of reality, not unlike the way that scientists like Einstein and Stephen Hawking use the concept.Zazen is the same

Progressive Buddhism

2007-08-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'm setting up a blog on the topic of modern or progressive Buddhism:- looking at Buddhism in the light of modern knowledge, free from over-attachment to ancient dogmas, - looking at the best ways to integrate Buddhism into Modern/Western societies- discussing and encouraging an empirical or scientific approach- Seeing insight and awakening as a living tradition I'm looking for people to

Planting Trees with Rinzai

2007-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Planting Trees with RinzaiRinzai invited me to go along with him to plant trees on the hillside. As we worked, I asked him if he considered Huangbo or Daiyu to be his teacher.He said, "Yes, and that was where my delusions and preoccupations kept me from testifying to the fact."Thinking he had misunderstood my question, I began to rephrase it, whereupon he struck me three times with a sapling and

Heart Sutra chant in English

2007-07-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Like most Zen groups, at the International Zen Association we chant the Heart Sutra in Japanese - or in archaic Sino-Indo-Japanese to be more accurate. It certainly gives a sense of something significant and exotic, arcane even and the act of chanting itself is good concentration. However, in my humble opinion, the meaning is important and is best understood in the context of practice rather than

Zen Buddhism and Love

2007-07-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

From Alan Watts and D T Suzuki to Brad Warner I got the impression that Zen was harsh and iconclastic. But there are ways in which the actual practice of Zen has surprised my me. One of those ways is just how 'religious' it all is. By this I mean that there is a great deal of ritual, ceremony, chanting, and dressing up in special clothes. I was expecting something more austere and simple. It

Zen Teachings and Idolatry

2007-06-28T13:29:00.001-07:00

For my first (but hopefully, not only) contribution to "Flapping Mouths" I would like to address one of the major barriers to an accurate understanding of Zen Buddhism: attachment to words. In my experience with practitioners, teachers, and scholars I have discovered that Zen teachings seem to be particularly susceptible to something that is often regarded as the very antithesis of Zen Buddhism,

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

My teacher passed his on to me from her teacher, so from the late Jiyu Kennett.Day of remembrance, day of sad recallingOf those who died in battle so appalling;To them we bow remembering their falling;Thanks to our fallen.Proudly they fought upon that day so hateful,Proudly they fell upon that day so fateful,Proudly they died; to them we are so grateful;Thanks to our fallen.Now here they lie;

Sesshin and ordination

2007-05-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Next week I'll be in sesshin for a week - the longest ever for me. Not only that but I'll be taking my 'Bodhisattva ordination' (a fancy name for Jukai /taking the precepts/taking refuge). However, before I can do that I have to finish sewing my rakusu and there's still loads to do! Wish me luck!

Zen , Science, and Religion.

2007-05-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts that seemed worth interrupting zazen for:I finished off the last post of my own blog with this subject - something that's been kicking around in my mind a lot lately:Where will you be in 100 years from now?Not so long, but when I died in a few years, everything will become nothing including me, and I will take a rest forever. - G. NishijimaBasically, it seems that science, and most

Zen Mind and Ordinary Mind

2007-05-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I came across an interesting article on Zen in the Karate discussion website www.24fightingchickens.com . I can't find the article now, but as far as I recall Rob Redmond criticised Zen meditation saying that it was 'just' the reduction of abstract thought, freeing up mental bandwidth for awareness of the present, in other words, it has no deep significance.In a sense, this is

Self and brain

2007-04-30T23:36:00.001-07:00

The last time I did zazen it was really very deep - there was almost no sense of self, only constantly shifting processes of sensation, feeling and thought. At one point the thought appeared that this was an unborn, undying state, neither eternal nor nonexistent, but free from birth and death.I had just been reading a text, which had inspired me. But this wasn't a sutra or the writings of some

ACCEPTANCE without ACCEPTANCE

2007-04-19T15:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Flappers,I'm Jundo "Jimbo" Cohen. Hi. I have been a silent reader for a long time of what goes on here. Usually, very interesting. I already know many or most of you from other places such as Nishijima Roshi's blog.You know, Dogen Sangha is something like the "Island of Misfit Toys" (for those who remember the old Rudolf the Reindeer animation they showed each year ... the one with Burl Ives

Empty of what?

2007-04-09T15:19:00.001-07:00

One of the more difficult concepts in Buddhism - one of the most fundamental as well as perhaps the most widely misunderstood - is rendered in English as emptiness. In Zen it is taught with the Japanese word Ku. Many people misunderstand emptiness as complete non-existence. When I first came across this idea as an undergraduate, I imagined it was teaching that the phenomenal world was a sort of

Enlightenment On the Night Shift

2007-03-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Dan wrote the following to me on this site: "btw, minus 3 million zen points for trying to say that you're enlightened without actually saying it."I didn't respond to it then because, quite frankly, I didn't know how to respond to it. It led to what follows below.Enlightenment.......being enlightened..... are terms bandied about a lot in the spiritual game. They may, in fact, be

Row, Row Redux

2007-03-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Has anyone here ever noticed what a beautiful little Zen koan "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is? Often thought of as an innocuous little children's poem, it's got some potent truths in it. Just about all of them, in fact! (potent truths, that is.)I think even the fact that it's written to be repeated, over and over and over and over withno end is surprisingly Buddhist, it's like a mantra or a

Suffering

2007-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Suffering is, quite simply, the sense that things should be other than they are.That's all that suffering is, plain and simple.If there is a genuine acceptance the way things are, then there is no suffering. In its place is what some Christians call "the peace that passeth understanding." It is not a "peace" where one is always placid, non-reactive, calm. That's more like brain-dead. :-))There

It will be gone with the other

2007-03-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

I think it's a mistake to regard Rinzai and Soto Zen as opposing schools or even as teaching something different. Sometimes it seems to be a mistake to think that other religions are teaching something different from Zen. I've been listening to audio downloads from an American Rinzai Zen temple called Cho Bo Ji. You can hear these on the RSS feed on the right hand column of my blog, but the best

Bodhidharma & the 2nd Zen Patriarch (Eka)

2007-03-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have always found this pivotal conversation between Bodhidharma and Eka to be instructive.After Eka repeatedly implores Bodhidharma to give him the "true teachings," the first zen patriarch roars back at Eka,"The incomparable truth of the Buddhas can only realized by constant struggle, practicing what can not be practiced, bearing the unbearable. How can you, with your small virtue and your

2 Explanations of Meditation

2007-03-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

A classic, from the 6th Patriarch of Buddhism, Hui Neng:Sitting means with any obstructions anywhere, outwardly and under all circumstances, not to activate thoughts. Meditation is internally to see the original nature and not become confused.My take: I like the "under all circumstances." Makes it more global and all-encompassing. I would, however, change "not to activate thoughts" to "not to

Meditation & J. Krishnamurti

2007-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Since meditation is a common theme here, and since there has been some interest in Krishnamurti, here are a few of the dude's comments on the practice. It should be noted that K used "meditation" to mean something entirely different from the practice of any system or method to control the mind and/or body, to escape reality, or to "achieve" a loftier state. “Man, in order to escape his conflicts

Choiceless Awareness & J. Krishnamurti

2007-03-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Mudderpugger talked a bit about Jiddu Krishnamurti and formal sitting in a recent post. What follows is therefore all his fault. :-))If you know K's teachings and don't like 'em, hit the DEL key immediately.If you don't know K's teachings, and there is curiosity, read on.Although not a Buddhist (Krishnamurti steadfastly refused to align himself with any formal group), K's teachings, nonetheless,

The Sense of Separation

2007-03-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Something you might consider...If you're here, reading (and perhaps posting), you are surely familiar with the notion that All is One, or we are One. This is the basic tenet of all teachings founded on nonduality (and zen is one of these teachings).And yet, I don't feel the hunger of a starving child halfway across the world in South Asia. I don't feel the post-chemotherapy sickness of a cancer

Lagniappe

2007-03-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

What doyou guys think of this?

Falling in love and starting a new job

2007-03-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Seeing my name on the small list of contributors to the right, I felt a pang of guilt at not having contributed to or read Flapping Mouths for quite some time. I've just started a new job and fallen in love...Falling in love and starting a new job are 2 great ways to learn stuff about oneself, I've found. Even though I've been doing Zazen for a while now and foolishly thought I was 'pretty sorted

I Don't Know What's Best

2007-03-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

I’m going to be rambling here.I was in the shower last night (yeah I shower at night, so what??) and I was realizing how MUCH I want to KNOW something. I mean, at the core I have a sense how little I really know, but it doesn’t stop me from trying to prove my points, arguing, getting upset when people disagree with me…And it hit me yet again, that there’s no particular issue with living my life

Real Buddhism

2007-03-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

This is my personal take on what counts as a real buddhist school.A real buddhist school will emphasise the importance of regular sincere daily meditation/zazen.it wil not promise that with very little effort you will be magically gain deep wisdom/understanding/enlightenment in a short space of time but instead assure you that it takes a lot of discipline and patience to sincerely practice

Bowing

2007-03-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

When we bow to open up the ego to the whole universe we are ordinary students practicing Zen. When the universe expresses itself through the body as a bow, that is the awakened perspective. - Shunryu SuzukiMost of us, most of the time, go around with our heads full of thoughts and intentions, desires and plans, which take us away from the reality of the present. Even when we're walking to the

Whats Flapping?

2007-03-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

When I was invited to contribute to Flapping Mouths I was pretty excited.Someone thought I could write!This surprised me because in High school I was horrible in English class.Culminating my High School experience by repeating 11th grade English in my 12th grade year.Now that I am here I have had a problem coming up with something decent to put up here that has not already been said. Previous

Why I Never Became A Zen Master

2007-02-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

I’ve already had a few incarnations on this board. First, as a loudmouthed troll, next as a…shit…still a loudmouthed troll.Whatever, I think full disclosure (as much as possible) is actually important when discussing the realm of the so-called spiritual.So now you know that I’m full of shit. Not just a little bit, but utterly and entirely full of it.And of course, I like you to know that I’m

The unsatisfactory use of language and labels

2007-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Labeling is the basis of language is the basis of communication between humans.The label does not describe reality, but rather identifies an element the individual's subjective experience of reality so that it can be referenced when communicating with others. It is a mistake to believe that just because we agree on a word to describe something, that we are speaking about the same experience.This

Buddha Quote: "This sh*t's depressing!"

2007-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Lots of talk about depression and medication on Hardcore Zen, Gangsta Zen, and Suicide Girls. On Suicide Girls, Brad created quite a stir with his comments that were taken to mean that he was anti-medication.{As an aside, should Brad be surprised that members of a site called "Suicide Girls" would have strong opinions on the topic of depression?}The discussion of depression and antidepressants is

Administrative Note

2007-02-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

This blog was started back in the day by our friend Jules, as a collaborative forum, with 30 folks signing up as contributors. Since that time, change has proven to be the only constant, and very few of those original 30 still contribute, or even post comments.Bowing to the impermanent nature of the universe and the principal of dependent origination, I am about to clean out the contributor

All you need is Dharma is all you need

2007-02-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

Brad made an interesting post over at Hardcore Zen, in which he stated, "the word Dharma is getting so over-used, it's become almost worthless anymore."As an aside, he wrote the post "off the cuff" and I really liked the sponteneity of the resulting content, so I'm doing the same - that is, not preparing content in advance and then editing, and not really thinking about the result, but just

Airport Security: Getting Slap-Happy?

2007-01-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately, and this includes standing in long security lines at the airport. These days, they make you remove your shoes in addition to any metallic objects you may be wearing or carrying. And then there is the whole restriction on liquids and gels. You cannot bring liquids or gels onto the plane, with the exception of specific medicines, makeup or somesuch. Those

Everyone is Dying

2007-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone is dying. This is a thought that has been on my mind lately.In the past year, many of my parents' generation have passed on. This includes parents, aunts and uncles of close friends, as well as in-laws. And of course Brad's mother, may she rest in peace. And then there are more that are either terminally ill or close to it. This makes sense, of course, since I am 40 years old, and my

KODO SAWAKI: WAR CRIMINAL?

2006-12-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

"The Lotus Sutra states that ‘the Three Worlds [of desire, form, and formlessness] are my existence and all sentient beings therein are my children.’ From this point of view, everything, including friend and foe, are my children. Superior officers are my existence as are their subordinates. The same can be said of both Japan and the world. Given this, it is just to punish those who disturb the

Courage by Anne Sexton

2006-12-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

It is in the small things we see it.The child's first step,as awesome as an earthquake.The first time you rode a bike,wallowing up the sidewalk.The first spanking when your heartwent on a journey all alone.When they called you crybabyor poor or fatty or crazyand made you into an alien,you drank their acidand concealed it. Later,if you faced the death of bombs and bulletsyou did not do it with a