(BENDOWA XIV) “Mudra” means a spiritual or powerful gesture, often performed with the whole body. In this case, “Zazen“. Uchiyama Roshi explains … “When one displays the buddha mudra with one’s whole body and mind” means with one’s three kinds of actions: physical, verbal and mental. We sit in full lotus with our body, put…

(BENDOWA XIII) We’ll spend a few days with the words of this passage from Bendowa. Here, Master Dogen presents his view that, as you sit Zazen, the stones, grass, trees and stars are sitting Zazen. All the Buddhas and Ancestors sit Zazen in that moment, all sitting Zazen through and as your sitting. And what’s…

.. Almost every day, somebody asks me to judge whether they are making “progress” in their Zen practice … a practice that’s based on dropping all idea of “progress”. Yet, there are some ways to know that there’s been some “progress”, though it’s usually something for the student to confirm for the student, more than…

.. More frequently than ya might think, no kidding … folks ask me for advice on things like what to do in the stock market? HUH? I think the picture below about captures my surprise! Do they ask their stock broker for spiritual guidance? I actually have little if anything to say on the subject…

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