This week, Tesshin Roshi continued our exploration of Dogen’s fascicle on refraining from unwholesome action. He reminded us of some of the more challenging aspects of Dogen’s thought. One striking example is Dogen’s teaching that diligent practice strengthens the practice of the historical buddhas. In other words, the merit we generate today flows backward…

This week Tesshin Roshi continued our study of Dogen’s fascicle on refraining from unwholesome action. Roshi pointed out that the simple act of refraining is itself the true expression of enlightenment. In refraining there is no judgment, no duality, no “this versus that.” At first, this can sound as if wholesome and unwholesome actions…

Roshi began his talk this week by acknowledging the troubling news and challenging events of recent days. He mentioned the remembrance of September 11th, ongoing wars around the world, and political violence within our own country. Roshi observed how easily “unskillful” opinions can form around such events, shaped by our karma and conditioning. In…

Roshi devoted his talk this week to the Jewish concept of Slichot. He noted that this time of year is especially rich with Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. For his talk, however, Roshi focused on the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Ten Days of Awe—a time…