February 1, 2026
With Palms Together,
There are times I wish I weren’t a Zen priest. Today is such
a time. I’ve been involved with Zen for around six decades. In that time, I
have not known a period within which there has been no fighting within the
ranks of teachers. This is a very, very sad situation indeed.
I can
understand such within the ranks of students who have not received priesthood
ordination; they are still within training. But fully ordained priests? What is
up with that? Is it simply not possible to let our rumors, inuendo, and lineage
judgements fall away? Apparently not. I
confess a couple decades ago, I myself got into it with the American Zen
Teachers Association over their treatment of my Dharma grandfather Matsuoka
Roshi. Petty, petty squabbles are irrelevant to the practice of Zen. I let that
all fall away and focused my attention on my practice and that of my
students. I believe this is where our
attention should focus and not on whether we believe some teacher is a quack,
from a discredited lineage, or other such things.
At
nearly eighty years old, I am certain Zen will survive and hopefully flourish.
That is my hope anyway. If there is a test, let that test be in our practice
and frankly, in my opinion, that is enough.
Daiho
February 3, 2026
With Palms Together,
Today is Tuesday. This morning, we practiced Zazen at 6:00
AM, and now we are having installed a battery system that runs off our solar
panels. We will effectively be off the grid here in Las Cruces, NM. I teach an Advanced Zen Buddhism class this
evening. Such is my day.
My life
as a Zen priest has been both rich and rewarding, as well as seriously
challenging. Just because one is a priest does not mean one is not still a
human being and as such, fraught with all the strengths and weakness associated
with it. The thing about both the strengths and weaknesses is they are both
teachers: both require humility gained from deep introspection.
When we
approach our everyday lives, such as in my case just now, writing to you, I
must be aware of myself, my message, you as reader, and so on. I must choose
words you will know and ideas you might relate to. I might use words you don’t
know, concepts perhaps alien to you, but with the desire to teach, perhaps
awaken, and at bottom, communicate.
Of
course, it is also on you to choose to read after the first few sentences, on
you to relate, agree, disagree, challenge, and so on. I trust my skill, but
also come to you with humility. Writing and reading are wondrous, ancient means
of coming together as people and societies.
May
your day be filled with wonder,
Daiho
February 4, 2026
With palms together,
The
morning air was brisk today as I sat outside just before dawn. Sitting outside,
as the Buddha did, is a remarkable experience. Silence is thunder, the thunder
of direct experience of the world around me.
There is the occasional sound of a car or truck in the distance, but
nearby, sleeping households with just myself and the moon and stars. Not even
the birds are awake. Just me, myself and
I coalescing together then at some point, falling away.
This
falling away in hindsight seems magical because it is not conscious. There is
no attempt to make it happen. Attention on my breath, yes, a release of my
muscles of sorts yes, a feeling of joining, perhaps. Something like that. In any event, the universe is there
inseparable, complete, just as it is.
I
suggest sitting outside in the open, practicing Zazen, and welcoming the dawn
as it arises in the East.
Be well,
Daiho
February
15, 2026
With
palms together,
When
the world around us seems to be falling apart and threatening, rather than hiding
we must stand upright in the face of it. Standing upright takes courage, it
takes character, moral character. Which is to say, the character of our
precepts, especially that found in the Four Bodhisattva Vows which we recite
each day:
Beings are numberless, I vow to free them
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them
Dharma gates are boundless, I vow to enter them
The buddha way is unsurpassable, I vow to realize it.
There are no greater vows than these. They offer us a
selfless way to address our world. When we take it upon ourselves to free others,
to end our delusions, to enter the Dharma, and to realize our buddha nature, we
are upright warriors facing the darkness that surrounds us. Why? Because we are
the light in that darkness. Be that light.
Daiho