Left to right, Madelon, Lee
The Three Marks of Existence — a talk by Madelon Bolling (March 13, 2022)
In Buddhism, the three marks of existence are Anicca (impermanence: everything changes, nothing lasts), Anatta (non-self: there is no permanent self in living beings and no abiding essence in phenomena), and Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness). It’s hard to wrap our usual mind around this pervasive statement of fact. But it’s no joke: all of existence is marked by Anicca (impermanence), Anatta (no self or abiding essence), and Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness). Anicca, Anatta, and Dukkha walked into a bar. They didn’t stay for long, had...
read moreJack Duffy talks on the works of Dogen; Steep Mountain Retreat
During the Steep Mountain Retreat, Jack gave 3 talks on the works of Dogen. Two talks on Dogen’s One Bright Pearl, which was actually a saying of Xuan-sha, and a talk on Xuan-sha’s Drainage Stream – that is, “Where can I enter practice? Do you hear the sound of the drainage stream? Yes. Enter right there.” For audio records of the talks, click on these links below: One Bright Pearl – The Drainage Stream Part 1 One Bright Pearl – The Drainage Stream Part 2 One Bright Pearl – The Drainage Stream Part 3...
read moreDo Nothing – a talk by Leland Shields – February 13, 2022
Master Yunmen mentioned the following anecdote: When Yunyan was sweeping the floor, Daowu said to him: “What good is so much petty effort? Yunyan replied: “You ought to know that there is one who doesn’t [make such a useless effort]!” Daowu said: “Well, that’s already a second moon!” Yunyan held up his broom and said: “Which moon is this?” Dauwu shook his sleeves and went out. Master Yunmen remarked: “When a slave meets his peer, they commiserate each other.” Yunmen, trans. Urs App, Master Yunmen, p. 195-6 Yunyan was engaged in...
read moreA Reality Even Prior . . . A Talk by Madelon Bolling
Blue Cliff Record, case 43 A monk asked Dongshan, “When cold and heat visit us, how should we avoid them?” Dongshan said, “Why not go where there is neither cold nor heat?” The monk asked, “Where is there neither cold nor heat?” Dongshan said, “When it is cold, the cold kills you. When it is hot, the heat kills you.” This is the start of a new year, our first zenkai in 2022. It’s so strange that even here, in this gathering dedicated to seeing through delusion, our most casual language...
read moreUsing the Mind to Seek the Mind — Isn’t That a Great Mistake? A Talk by Leland Shields – November 14, 2021
(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 Barrier: Shou-shan’s Short Bamboo Staff The priest...
read moreTaking Refuge in the Dharma a talk by Leland Shields – October 10, 2021
In our sutra service, we chant: I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha. In June I spoke of taking refuge in the Buddha – taken from the chant in our sutra book titled, “Ti-Sarana,” Pali for “three refuges.” As I said in June, the refuges or jewels are used in the initiation ceremonies of the various Buddhist traditions. Thus, they are an expression of participation in, and application of the way that we have come to call Buddhism. Today I’d like to talk about taking refuge in the Dharma. The...
read moreRefuge In the Buddha – a Talk by Leland Shields, June 13, 2021
In our sutra service, we chant: I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha. And in Pali as: Buddham saranam gacchami; dhammam saranam gacchami; sangham saranam gacchami. In our sutra book this chant is titled, “Ti-Sarana,” Pali for “three refuges.” The same chant can be found with the title, “Ratanattaya,” Pali for the three jewels, or three treasures.[1] The refuges or jewels are used in the initiation ceremonies of the various Buddhist traditions. In that context, I take them to be an expression of...
read moreNothing to Attain – a talk by Madelon Bolling
Case 19, The Gateless Barrier Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, “What is the Dao?” Nanquan said, “Ordinary mind is the Dao.” Zhaozhou asked, “Should I direct myself toward it or not?” Nanquan said, “If you try to direct yourself you turn against it.” Zhaozhou asked, “How can I know the Dao if I do not direct myself?” Nanquan said, “The Dao is not subject to knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blankness. When you really reach the Dao beyond doubt, it is as vast and boundless as space. How could affirmation and negation persist?”...
read moreTung-shan’s Crossed Swords – a talk by Leland Shields, March 7, 2021
Within Tung-shan’s Five Ranks is this verse titled, “Proceeding Within Phenomena”: Like two crossed swords, neither permitting retreat;dexterously wielded, like the lotus in the midst of fire -a natural imperative to assail heaven itself. Robert Aitken, The Morning Star, p. 139. Tung-shan Liang-chieh (also translated as Dongshan Liangjie) was a Tang dynasty teacher recognized as the founder of the Ts’ao-tung, Soto, line of Zen. He left us two series of 5 verses each. The first set of verses expresses modes of the fundamental world we share....
read morehands and eyes – a talk by Madelon Bolling
The Blue Cliff Record, case 89: Yunyan asked Daowu, “How does the Bodhisattva Guanyin use those many hands and eyes?” Daowu answered, “It is like someone in the middle of the night reaching behind her head for the pillow.” Yunyan said, “I understand.” Daowu asked, “How do you understand it?” Yunyan said, “All over the body are hands and eyes.” Daowu said, “That is very well expressed, but it is only eight-tenths of the answer.” Yunyan said, “How would you say it, Elder Brother?” Daowu said, “Throughout the body are hands and eyes.” “How does...
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