Jewels in Our Sutras – Talk by Lee Shields
In recent months I’ve found myself particularly struck by passages in the sutras we chant. So for the talk today, I decided to do something different. Rather than starting with a single koan, or a single sutra, I will talk today about a few key perspectives that run through the sutras. My hope is that we can deepen our consideration by looking at the same perspective expressed by different ancestors. As if we were looking at the same jewel through different facets. Over the course of the talk I want to recognize three different jewels. One, that we are already Buddha, two, if so, why do we...
Read MoreOn The Middle Way — Talk by Madelon Bolling
Something caught my attention that has intrigued me for a long time. Maybe it intrigues you too, and we can start walking through it here. In the Coincidence of Opposites we recite: In the very midst of light, there is darkness; don’t meet another in the darkness. In the very midst of darkness, there is light; don’t observe another in the light. This doesn’t mean that we should all become hermits so we won’t see other people. Rather, our way of seeing and being in the world needs a slightly radical tune-up. In writing on Buddha-nature in the Shōbōgenzō, Dōgen...
Read MoreIntroduction to Zen Meditation
Talk given by Lee Shields – May 12, 2013 Welcome to those of you new to Three Treasures (TTS), to Zen, and welcome to all my old friends in the dharma, joining again for a day of Zazen – Zen meditation. In my talk today I wanted to specifically offer an introduction to this practice of Zen that has meant much to me in my life. While my remarks are intended for people new to our group or new to Zen, I will leave it to old friends to see if you can find anything of use to you as well. I think there is some value to sometimes reflect on things we’ve done for a long time to note the...
Read MoreBranching Moon Sesshin Haiku
Amidst the downpour, Sitting drenched and solitary– The red umbrella –written by Larry Keil, 2013
Read MoreFailure is a Friend by Madelon Bolling
Hakuin Zenji said, “They translated prajna as wisdom. All people have it. No one’s excepted. It’s faultlessly perfect in each one of us…” [Dokugyo Shingyo: Acid comments on the Heart Sutra] We go to extraordinary lengths to arrange our lives around this practice. We come to the zendo and sit, hear the Dharma as recorded and passed down for centuries. But it all comes down to this: this inexplicable thing we are looking for – It… is… here. Not just in this building or this room or in the presence of this group, but wherever you are, at any time of day or night,...
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