When there’s a question, there’s an answer — a talk by Leland Shields (October 11, 2026)
When there’s a question, there’s an answer Leland Shields – October 11, 2026 Someone once asked Master Yunmen, “Since ancient times, the old worthies have transmitted mind by mind. Today I ask you, master: What method do you use?” The master said, “When there’s a question, there’s an answer.” The questioner continued, “In this case, it isn’t a wasted method.” The master said, “No question, no answer.” App, Urs. Zen Master Yunmen: His Life and Essential Sayings (p. 89). Shambhala. Kindle Edition. The stories of Yunmen are frequently like this one, concise and immediate. In Zen generally, we...
Read MoreTalks from the September, 2026 Sesshin
Talk 1 – Not knowing by Leland Shields – September 13, 2026 Read the transcript Talk 2 – The Dharma Gate of Ease and Joy by Leland Shields – September 14, 2026 Read the transcript Talk 3 – Seek Without Being Attached to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha by Leland Shields – September 15, 2026 Read the transcript Talk 4 – This Midsummer Retreat by Madelon Bolling – September 16, 2026 Read the transcript Talk 5 – Using the Mind to Seek the Mind — Isn’t That a Great Mistake? by Leland Shields – September 17, 2026 Read the transcript Talk 6 – No Words or...
Read MoreNo Words or Phrases — a talk by Leland Shields (September 18, 2026)
No Words or Phrases Leland Shields – September 18, 2026 Musō … went to Yishan and said, “I still have not clarified the matter of self. Master, please, directly point the way.” Yishan answered, “Our school has no words or phrases, and nothing to transmit to anyone.” “That may be so,’ responded Musō, “but be compassionate and at least teach me an expedient means.” “There are no expedient means,” declared Yishan, “nor is there any compassion.” From then on this is all that Yishan would say to Musō. Musō Soseki, trans. Thomas Yūhō Kirchner, Dialogues in a Dream, p. 10 Zen has no words or...
Read MoreUsing the Mind to Seek the Mind — Isn’t That a Great Mistake? — a talk by Leland Shields (September 17, 2026)
Using the Mind to Seek the Mind — Isn’t That a Great Mistake? Leland Shields – September 17, 2026 (This is taken from a passage in…) Verse of the Faith-Mind …Using the mind to seek the mind — isn’t that a great mistake? (Attributed to Chien-Chih Seng-ts’an], d. 606) Case 37 of the Gateless Barrier: The Oak Tree in Front of the Garden A monk asked Chao-Chou in all earnestness, “What is the meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West?” Chao-Chou said, “The oak tree in the front of the garden.” (Robert Aitken, The Gateless Barrier, page 226) Case 43 of the Gateless...
Read MoreThis Midsummer Retreat — a talk by Madelon Bolling (September 16, 2026)
This Midsummer Retreat Madelon Bolling – September 16, 2026 We used to do a midsummer retreat called “Ancient Bones.” They say it was discontinued because fewer and fewer people could attend at all. Even with allowances for our limitations, it had become too arduous for those of us with ancient bones. I bought pre-paid cremation services for my dad about five years ago and we scattered my brother-in-law’s ashes on the Fourth of July that year. We’re all of us facing death from the instant we are born. We can’t face away from it since it is part of life itself. Death is seen...
Read MoreSeek Without Being Attached to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha — a talk by Leland Shields (September 15, 2026)
Seek Without Being Attached to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha Leland Shields – September 15, 2026 When Huangbo went to the buddha hall and made prostrations to the Buddha, [Xuan] the [novice] secretary joined him and said, “Seek without being attached to the buddha. Seek without being attached to the dharma. Seek without being attached to the sangha. Elder, why are you making prostrations?” In response, Huangbo slapped the novice secretary and said, “Seek without being attached to the buddha. Seek without being attached to the dharma. Seek without being attached to the sangha. Therefore, we make...
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