Bassui: ‘The Way is a fundamental part of everybody
Arthur Braverman
Dokusan: The Great Matter, by Kodo Sawaki
‘Yours? If it’s yours alone, does it really matter?
Living in the Mountains
Neither seeking fame nor grieving my poverty
Our bodies are the great universal life
Put your body in order. It will follow naturally that the mind will improve. Mind—body—mind—body—mind . . . Mind and body will always be in harmony.
A Monk and a Zendo, by Arthur Braverman
The Japanese worship tragic heroes, and I’m afraid some of that romanticism has rubbed off on me. He had a quiet dignity, even in difficult times, that I always admired. Though he may not have been a confident teacher, he persevered when others would have thrown in the towel. I think that even his lack of confidence appealed to me; having seen so many teachers over the years whose confidence seemed to be nothing more than self-deception…
Moss grows
Zen Poem: In front of the Patriarch’s room the road is smooth…
The Community, by Arthur Braverman
These intensive meditation retreats, though somewhat mechanical themselves, seem to be designed to awaken you from mechanical, unaware existence. Long and consecutive days of intensive zazen require new ways of dealing with physical and mental pain, boredom, and fear…
Motoko Ikebe, by Arthur Braverman
Historically, the Japanese have considered women to be the proper interpreters of the teaching of the gods. In fact, the first spiritual and political leader of Japan on record was Himiko (or Pimiko), a queen whose authority was based on her religious or magical powers. She was a Shaman who the Chinese chronicles describe as unmarried with a thousand women attendants and one man, and who spent her time with magic and sorcery. She was a mediator between the people and their gods…
