Teachings

 

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