Organ Mountain Zen
Saturday, November 21, 2020
Monday, October 26, 2020
Courage
With palms together, Good Morning All,
“You cannot be a hero unless you are prepared to give up
everything; there is no ascent to the heights without prior descent into
darkness, no new life without some form of death.”
Armstrong, “A Short History of Myth,” P.37
There is no shortage of this mythic truth. Gilgamesh, Jacob,
the Hebrews, Buddha, and Jesus all descended into darkness, wrestled with that
darkness and emerged changed in dramatic ways. It is no different today with
each of us. We are struggling in the
darkness of a pandemic, a world threatening ecological disaster, and a threat
to our democracy. Some of us put our heads in the sand, some of us hold up
signs, some of us do nothing but get through our day. What we do reveals our character.
The Three Pure Zen Buddhist precepts teach us we are to be
responsible human beings. We are to
cease doing evil. We are to do good. And
we are to bring about abundant good for all beings. Let these resonate for a
bit. Let them arise from within us. Let
us each, then, explore the meanings.
What is evil? What is good? How can we assist others by bringing about abundant
good?
I am not here to answer these questions for you. They are yours to answer for yourself. What I can say is that to address these
questions with integrity requires us to struggle with our own moral foundations
and it is in this struggle that we gain strength, clarify our understanding,
and are able then to set forth on the Eightfold Noble Path. We die to ourselves and are born anew; we become
bodhisattvas.
May we each establish a daily intention to step into our
darkness and rise into the light.
Daiho
Monday, October 12, 2020
Sunday, September 13, 2020
OBON Zazenkai
(Note:
In service to Hungry Ghosts)
Order of Clear Mind Zen Obon Service
(Needed: Sweat Cakes wrapped in plain white paper)
Remembering Our Ancestors
We dedicate this service to the
successive generations of buddhas who transmitted the flame that we may do the
same.
mShakamuni Butsu Dai
Osho
mBodaiharuma Dai Osho
mDaikan Enô Dai Osho
mEihei Dôgen Dai
Osho
mZengaku Sôyû Matsuoka Dai Osho
Kannon
Sutra
(5) Kanzeon
Praise to Buddha
All are one with Buddha
All awake to Buddha
Buddha Dharma Sangha
Eternal joyous selfless pure
Through the day
Kanzeon
Through the night
Kanzeon
This (7) moment arises from Mind
This (7) moment itself is Mind
(x7)
mThe Great Compassionate Dharani
Adoration to the three
treasures, buddha, dharma, and sangha!
Adoration to Kannon, the bodhisattva mahasattva,
the bodhisattva of compassion!
Adoration to the one who removes all fear and suffering!
Having adored Kannon
bodhisattva, may we now recite this glorious dharani which purifies all beings,
which fulfills the wishes of all beings.
Hail to the bodhisattva
mahasattva who embodies the trikaya,
who has the transcendental wisdom.
Hail to bodhisattva
mahasattva who continues to save all beings
without defilement in his mind.
Hail to bodhisattva
mahasattva who sustains the highest, the most complete wisdom and who is free
from all impediments.
Hail to bodhisattva
mahasattva whose deeds reveal the
fundamental purity of all beings.
Hail to bodhisattva
mahasattva, who wipes away
the three evil delusions - greed, anger, and folly.
Quick, quick! Come, come!
Here, here!
A joy springs up in us. Help us to enter into the realm of great realization.
Kannon bodhisattva,
bodhisattva of compassion,
guide us to spiritual contentment.
Accomplishment, accomplishment!
Having testified to the
freedom and compassion of the mind of Kannon, Having purified our own body and
mind,
Having become as brave as a lion,
Having become manifest into all beings,
Having attained to the wheel of dharma and the lotus flower,
we can now save all beings without hindrance.
May the understanding of the mysterious nature of Kannon
prevail forever, ever and ever.
Adoration to the three
treasures, buddha, dharma, and sangha!
Adoration to Kannon, the bodhisattva mahasattva,
the bodhisattva of compassion!
May this dharani be effective. Hail!
Sweet
Cakes Offering to Hungry Ghosts
Incense
Offering
Fu - e
- ko
May this merit extend
universally to all,
So that we, together with all
beings,
realize
the Buddha way.
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Change
A lot on my mind today. And as a result a few changes.
I have decided to withdraw from public life. I have stepped away from the radio show and will only use social media to show art work and offer teachings in the Zen tradition. I will continue training my current students but will not accept new students.
Fundamentally, I am retiring to focus my attention on my practice and life as a priest. Treating my residence as my monastery, containing myself to my zendo and library with occasional use of the kitchen and living room.
May you each be a blessing in the universe.