Gratitude

 

March 6, 2026

 

                Master Dogen Zenji says the most important task is to study the matter of birth and death. While watching some British hospital show last night there was an elderly man, a few years younger than me, who suffered a stroke. Next to him, lay a young baby boy in his mother’s carriage: birth and death. We are each born to grow, flower, and die. It is life’s way. For each of us, this is our path. What we make of it is ours.

 

                There is an old phrase, “Carpe Diem.” In effect, it means having a “live for the moment” attitude. Seize the day for tomorrow may not come and yesterday is gone.  Yes. For us Elders, tomorrow is a hope; each morning I am grateful for the sun to rise, and I am awake to experience it. A sip of coffee, a chat with Shukke, petting our dogs…grateful for it all.  My practice is to live knowing I will die. This is the knowledge of being a human being. I may not be here tomorrow. And so?

 

                The “so what?” is to make each day count by some measure we each bring to our lives. For me, since Vietnam, it has been to be in service to others whether as a psychotherapist or priest. Now, pretty much retired, it is with such writing as this, such kindness as caring for wife and pups. I am grateful for this everyday opportunity.

 

                Be a blessing,

 

                Daiho

 

War Again

 

War Again

 

                Again, we are at war, again without congressional approval. Our dictator just makes a nod, and our war machine goes into action.  This sort of war does not involve ground troops and so seems more sanitary for our side. Jets, guided missiles and drones: pilots rarely see who they kill. But kill they do.  I oppose war unless we have little choice.  The Buddha Way does not oppose self-defense.

 

                Still, it is always a terrible choice to kill. Our dictator has never served, has never had to engage in combat. He dodged the draft multiple times. What does he know but a life of ease and wealthy privilege? Yet he unleashes the most powerful killing machine the world has ever seen without the authority to do so. This, among many things, makes him less a president and more a dangerous dictator.

 

                Plainly, he should be removed from office.

 

                Daiho

Living a Life

 

Living a Life

 

Living a life where all of life is a practice is just living a life with all our senses awake and receptive to the universe around us. I sit here at my desk with fingers wrapped in bandages. My back aches. I settle in.  I notice my breath as it relaxes. Nothing special. Yet it is.

 

We are fortunate to be born a human being. Millions of kalpas have passed with all kinds of beings evolving and here we are. Wow! Moreover, we are very fortunate to have encountered the Buddha Way. I am so grateful for all of my life experiences; the good and the bad, grateful to all of the people in my life over the decades. Sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed with it all.

 

It is the simplest things in my life that humble me: a bird at my feeder, witnessing a white winged dove in her nest with babies.  My loving wife offering me coffee or just checking on me. Maybe just standing up without falling down. Life is miraculous, it’s that simple. Our practice is to enter it completely without reservation.

 

May you be well and free from suffering

 

Daiho

Dokusan Day

 

February 26, 2026

 

Good Day to All,

 

                This morning, I had some growths removed from two of my right-hand fingers. They are bandaged but still numb and bleeding a bit. The thing is I only have use of my right hand, so typing is an interesting practice of mindful attention! Anyway, today is my day to offer dokusan to any who wish to present themselves. I enjoy such moments with students and any others wishing to speak with me.  For an appointment text me at 575-644-7420.

 

                Have a great day!

Daiho

Expectations

 

February 25, 2026

 

Today will be a warm day here in Las Cruces, NM. Maybe near 80 degrees F. This morning, I rode my Trike down to Litas’s and had her sew a few patches onto my cut. She’s a great biker herself; also rides a trike.  We talked about families. She’s Mexican American and owns her own shop. After that I rode over to our local Walmart and greeted people while sitting on the park bench.

 

“Beings are numberless, I vow to free them” our vow goes. So I greet people, ask how they are, and sometimes entertain a conversation. We often discuss our gratitude for waking up in the morning since many are elderly like me. These are small, but not insignificant, musings together. They are connections within our small community. And while most return my greetings return, some don’t, choosing to walk on by. I’ve mentioned this before in other posts. I guess it still bothers me a bit, but then, who am I to have such an expectation. All part of my practice today.

 

                Take care all,

                Daiho

Sacred?

 

February 24, 2026

 

Sacred?

 

                This morning early, before Zen Service and after, I sat outside with my wild birds and the sounds of the small city of Las Cruces, NM waking up. It is a delicious experience to go from silence to the sounds of traffic in the distance, knowing that other human beings are getting up and going about their business. This is followed by our two Shih Tzus and Shukke poking their heads out the door letting me know its time to come in, drink our morning espresso coffees, exchange stories about our night, plans for the day, and of course, the Webster and Oxford “Words of the Day.”

 

                I want to say this is a sacred ritual, but it is just what it is: nothing special. It is just everyday life. Theologians often talk about experiences or places as “Sacred” or “Profane.”  These come about in discussions of the “holy.”  From a Zen perspective these distinctions are problematic as they seem to create a distinction of experience. Yet even we Zen people hold some such distinctions when we talk about the Two Truths: Absolute and Relative.

 

                However, In Zen, the Absolute and the Relative are not separate, but seamlessly inter-are to borrow from Thich Nhat Hahn. They are neither sacred or profane in particular. We simply practice being fully here and now regardless of place or type of experience. But as human beings we too often seek to make something special out of these. We do this through developing a sense of reverence.  We approach an altar or zafu with a sense of reverence. For some reason it is important for us to make somethings and experiences “special.”

 

                What does this do for us? For one thing it can prepare us for something, perhaps opening us to something we may experience as special, differing from ordinary experience.  Frankly it is a serious mistake to do so as it maintains the duality of our existence. From a Zen point of view, we might say all experience and all places are “sacred.”  This would be the Zen of everyday.  Feeding birds, sipping coffee; these are no different from sitting Zazen or bowing at our altars. As such they are none special in themselves. What may be special is how present we are in each.

 

Be well,

Daiho

The Way Less Travelled

 

The Way of Zen is a Way Less Travelled

This morning Shukke and I sat together sipping espresso coffee, exchanging stories about our night, enjoying our two Shih Tzus, exploring the words of today, and laughing.  She is now in Retreat, and I am writing to you. Before we each retired, such mornings were uncommon.  We would dress for work, eat a hurried breakfast and leave home, not unlike the rest of the world of people our age.  Yet there was something different about us.

                We were both on so-called “spiritual” paths. We took time to meditate. We took time to reflect, look deeply inwardly, and take risks. The risk of doing something different than most, the risk of leaving a secure job, moving to a different state, and building new lives. Such risk taking is not uncommon in the world of Zen.  We are an independent lot.

                When someone joins us for a Zen service, I tell them they are free to recite the vows, chant the sutra, or not. I simply ask them to sit quietly in the posture taught by Master Dogen Zenji. Zazen is our practice. After tea and dharma talk each is offered an opportunity to ask questions, challenge the teaching, offer an alternative, etc. For religious practice this is uncommon, but I believe it is healthy for the establishment of something that will deepen a participant as they continue along their way.

                There are risks in such practice. There is no way to predict what will come up in the heart and mind of someone beginning to take on Zen. A long-ago trauma may arise, feelings of being harmed, being vulnerability.  On the other hand, a beginner may become completely bored, find the teachings irrelevant in their lives and after a few weeks, leave the practice. Some few may actually take on the practice in earnest, engage the teacher and others, and more importantly, take the risk of a deep dive into themselves.  This will be their way less travelled. They may find themselves alone as others (including their family) may be unable to relate. There certainly are risks here. My teacher told me early on in my practice with him I would likely divorce as my wife at the time was against me taking up Zen. As it happens, I divorced.

The way less travelled always comes at a cost. Yet the benefits are truly a treasure. Learning to be upright, knowing we will often fail, violate a precept, but get back up again the stronger for it. These are the lessons of being human, the lessons learned along the way.  I invite all to sit Zazen in the morning and evening. I invite all to take the path less traveled and, in the process, become a far more authentic human being.

Be well.