This week, Roshi’s aim was to bring provisional closure—to “put a period,” as he put it—on our exploration of Wholesomeness before we enter Sesshin. Those of us who have gone through Jukai have already wrestled with this concept. At first, we tend to think we understand it: wholesomeness is good; unwholesomeness is bad. Simple enough—or…

This week, Roshi reminded us that we are just two weeks away from our annual Sesshin. To help us prepare, he turned our attention to a fascicle near the end of Shobogenzo titled “On the Mind’s Search for Truth” (Doshin). (see text below) Roshi explained that Do means “Way,” and Shin means “heart” or “mind.”…

This past week, Roshi attended a conference hosted by the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists of North America (AZBA). All teachers were asked to summarize the gathering in their next taisho (dharma talk). Roshi began by offering some historical context. Soto Zen first took root in America through Japanese immigrants, but during the 1950s and…