One Bright Pearl

the wind murmurs
ghosts
through gnarled limbs
this old pine
feels like home

There was a time when I was doing the ‘done in a city of broken dreams filled with the sound of coming down. So I kinda like this song in a “just like me” way.  Just like me, you don’t wish to suffer, or be the cause of another’s suffering. Just like me, you wish [...]

My teacher, Shohaku Okumura-roshi, gave me the name Kozan when I received Jukai earlier this month. He said that this “Ko” was the same kanji as in Sawaki Roshi’s Dharma name, Kodo. The meaning of this ko, is - raise up, support. The other kanji, “zan”, stands for mountain. So Kozan means to hold up [...]