Hazy Moon – A Talk by Madelon Bolling
July 14, 2019 Case #6 of the Denkoroku is the story of the sixth patriarch in India, named Micchaka. Keizan’s closing verse to this story goes like this: Though we find clear waters raging to the vast blue sky in autumn; How can it compare with the hazy moon on a spring night? Most people want to have it pure white, But sweep as you will, you cannot empty the mind. (Aitken & Yamada translation) “Clear waters” here refers to purity. And in this translation, the third line is Most people want to have it pure white. Pure white is a metaphor for emptiness or formlessness. But sweep as...
Read MoreCart without Wheels – A Talk by Leland Shields
July 13, 2019 Hsi-chung Builds Carts The priest Yueh-an said to a monk, Hsi-chung made a hundred carts. If you take off both wheels and the axle, what would be vividly apparent? Wu-men’s comment: If you realize this directly, your eye is like a shooting star and your act is like snatching a bolt of lightning. Where the wheel revolves Even a master cannot follow it; The four cardinal half points, above, below, North, south, east west. (Case 8, The Gateless Barrier, Robert Aitken, p 60) I thank Larry for bringing this koan came to my attention recently. He referenced it as speaking to him in...
Read MoreZenkai (August 11, 2019) with Leland Shields
Beginners who are interested in Zen and experienced Zen students are welcome. Schedule 8:15am Work period 9:00am Opening, Five Remembrances, Zazen 9:35am Zazen 10:00am Dharma talk 11:00am Zazen 12:00pm Informal lunch (Soup will be provided. Please bring food to share.) 1:00pm Sutras 1:30pm Zazen, Interviews 2:50pm Closing, Great Vows
Read MoreSeven-Day Zen Retreat (Sesshin) with Jack Duffy (September 8-15, 2018)
Three Treasures Sangha holds two, seven-day meditation retreats (Sesshins) each year at Mountain Lamp, a rural practice center near Bellingham, Washington. See our Sesshin page for more information.
Read MoreIn-City Supported Personal Retreat (July 12-14, 2019)
With Madelon Bolling and Lee Shields Many of us have regimented lives, with infrequent opportunities to ask, with an open mind, how we might deepen practice. Traditionally, Zen training included disciplined training periods alternating with periods of greater free time or travel, even as the spirit and dedication of practice continued. A personal retreat has potential for profound richness that can be taken home thereafter. And a personal retreat has its own practice challenges: how will you express your practice if you are released from aspects of form? Separate from good and bad student,...
Read More