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…

Roshi opened his talk this week by noting how many new students in Zen hit the same challenges in their practice.  At first, they become frustrated because the mind feels scattered and out of control.  They quit because they feel as though they are wasting time.  Then, as practice matures, their minds begin to…

When you see someone cut a tree in a cartoon or movie, they will often saw straight through the trunk of the tree. But that’s now how professionals cut trees. When professionals cut trees, they carve out an indentation on each side of the cut. If you cut a straight line through the trunk,…

Today, Roshi wanted to take a moment to discuss the foundation of our pratice, Zazen itself. Some people say you can either live an authentic, real life and be present; or you can continually be obsessed with distractions and mental creations. It’s an either / or situation. But this is not true, because you…

Rōshi returned from a sesshin at Tetsugyuji, his monastery in Japan. While there, he had the privilege to meet with Aoyama Rōshi, the abbess of the only Buddhist nunnery in Japan. The 30-minute appointment turned into almost two hours, so much did they enjoy each other’s company. He was able to get permission for…