This week, Roshi continued our exploration of Dogen’s Zuimonki. He reminded us that this text is much less formal than the Shobogenzo. Much of the Zuimonki was recorded by Ejo, who began as a colleague of Dogen and later became his student. Our discussion focused on the beginning of Book 3, where an accomplished nun…

This week, the sangha celebrated Roshi’s birthday by singing “Happy Birthday” and presenting him with a card, sweets, and several small gifts. Roshi graciously acknowledged these expressions of appreciation and reflected on their deeper meaning. He reminded us that while we may direct our gratitude toward him, he is simply a vessel for truths that…

Tesshin Roshi opened his talk by inviting us to consider the term “Garage-ism.” He suggested that American culture has been shaped in part by the post–World War II suburban garage. Not every culture has such a space, but in the United States the garage became a place where creativity and innovation could flourish. Teenagers might…