One Bright Pearl

My life is not theoretical. It is real. In this life, at all times, all things are possible. Only I can obstruct myself. I have met many students of Zen over the years, and one thing that seems to be common, is the lack of belief in their own innate wisdom. As if what the [...]

the smell of miso
reminds me of that time
in the zendo
when we were still friends

I have always loved the poems of Han Shan. One of my favorite is number 26 -

Since I came to Cold Mountain
how many thousand years have passed?
Accepting my fate I fled to the woods,
to dwell and gaze in freedom.
No one visits the cliffs
forever hidden by clouds.
Soft grass serves as a mattress,
my quilt is the dark [...]

In response to a visitor’s comment, I felt compelled to expound a little of what has been shared with me.
It is all Buddha Nature… or is it? It is indeed. Buddha Nature pervades the entire universe, right here, right now. The pure lotus land unrolls moment by moment. But do we know that in our [...]

Let people think whatever they may think. Let them even call you crazy. If you spend your whole life practicing in accordance with the Buddha-Way and refrain from what goes against the buddha-dharma, you needn’t worry about what people think of you. Tonsei, retreat from the world, means being free from the sentiments of worldly [...]

“You must understand that we practice within delusions and attain realization before enlightenment.“  Dogen Zenji - Chapter 3: Gakudo Yojinshu

What does it mean to have a practice?
Practice is not done in isolation, and at the same time isolation is not what you think it is. The Buddha proclaimed, “I, alone, am the only one!”
What is [...]

not arriving, here and now
a crossroad
here and now, no direction found
this no direction is only a crossroad

in just this no direction
gaining is lost
a Way is found
as a crossroad, here and now

never arriving, never departing
is only a crossroad’s no direction
is only a Way’s pulling and turning of an old monk
is only this old monk returning home

The Samadhi of the Self accepting the Self as only the Self is known as Jijuyu Zanmai. Old Buddha Eihei presents this self fulfilling truth in his treatise Bendowa or Talk on Whole Hearted Practice of the Way. As an instruction for practice of the Way, it is supreme.
To actualize Jijuyu Zanmai, one must practice [...]

Truly there is one root to pivot from, here and now. It is not found in yesterday or tomorrow, it is never coming to be,  it is never leaving a trace behind; turn back and face yourself, immediately.
Thinking of the source, it is missed and yet it is the source itself, manifested momentarily. Sequentialality is [...]