Left to right, Madelon, Lee
Mahaprajapati and the Philosophers’ Stone, a talk given by Madelon Bolling (May 8, 2016)
To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening. (Dogen: Genjo Koan, Aitken and Tanahashi trans.) Mahaprajapati and the Philosopher’s Stone The first of the women ancestors honored in our dedication chant is Mahaprajapati Gautami, foster mother of Shakyamuni Buddha and founder of the women’s order. In a sense she’s ancestral mother of all who sit and practice here. Today I’ll tell a little of her story—and though the...
read morePang Family Practice – A Talk Given by Madelon Bolling
January 10, 2016 Pang Yun Jushi asked Master Shitou: “Who is the one who is not a companion to the ten-thousand things?” Pang Family Practice: Pang Yun Jushi and Pang Lingzhao Today we continue becoming acquainted with Dharma ancestors honored in our sesshin dedication. Layman Pang (Pang Yun Jushi) and his daughter Lingzhao of the late 8th and early 9th century embodied one way of practicing Zen in the context of family. They showed that non-monastic practice could be done authentically and successfully. But this doesn’t...
read moreMiaodao and the Demon of Doubt — A Talk by Madelon Bolling
Miao-Dao was the first Dharma heir of Dahui, a pivotal teacher of the Linji school. Though she did not establish an enduring lineage of her own, Miao-Dao’s influence on Dahui shapes our Zen practice to this day: she is present in our experience of doubt. If you missed Madelon Bolling’s talk on Miaodao at our one-day Zen retreat in July, you can download it here. Download Miaodao and the Demon of Doubt.
read moreJishou Daojen, the Unknown: A Talk by Madelon Bolling
Madelon Bolling’s talk on Jishou Daojen, the Unknown, which she gave at this month’s zazenkai is now available for download.
read moreInto the Dark of the Year
By Madelon Bolling This piece was originally given by Madelon as a dharma talk at the Three Treasures Sangha zazenkai on December 14, 2014. The days are shorter now. It seems appropriate as we enter the dark of the year that we reflect on the lives of relatively unknown predecessors on the Way. Women and laypersons have always had an interest in seeing into self-nature, and they too influenced the course of Zen study significantly. Yet traditionally only monastics have been remembered and celebrated, and those were predominantly men. Not that...
read moreLay Practice: A Dharma Talk
By Lee Shields We are together involved in a great movement that is very personal to each of us, and is also playing out in countries around the world as we speak. Each of us is experimenting with the adaptation of an ancient monastic tradition to our busy lay lives. Even those of us who live or have lived in retreat settings for periods of time I suspect adapt in the interface with our modern world. Speaking for myself, I have no doubt already that this practice of silent meditation, whether done formally on a cushion here together, at home...
read more“Even prior to heaven and earth”
By Madelon Bolling This piece was originally given by Madelon as a dharma talk at the Three Treasures Sangha zazenkai on June 8, 2014. [Note: Daio Kokushi is a dharma name. Daio means “great Yes,” “great affirmation,” or “great response.” Kokushi is the Japanese version of a Chinese term meaning “national teacher,” pronounced like the English “coke-she.” The middle “u” is silent.] In his verse, “On Zen,” Daio Kokushi (1235-1309) wrote, “There is a reality even prior to heaven and earth.” We often recite this fairly automatically, so today I’d...
read moreUndoing the Usual – Zenkai Talk by Madelon Bolling (Feb 9-10, 2014)
How can we extend the experience of sesshin and bring that settled focus into our workaday life? Right after sesshin, things often seem to go smoothly for awhile. For a few days as we recover from exhaustion and notice the strangeness of our surroundings, meal gathas echo quietly in our minds when we look around the lunchroom at work. Dōgen’s words about practice and enlightenment gentle us into the same directness we had as Cook, Chopper, Dishwasher or Bathroom Cleaner during sesshin. That experience enfolds us as we cook, chop, wash dishes...
read moreJewels 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,...
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...
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