Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253) is one of the most influential figures in Japanese Buddhism, particularly within the Sōtō school of Zen. He is best known for introducing and establishing the practice of zazen (seated meditation) and writing the profound work Shōbōgenzō, a collection of his teachings. Dogen’s life and teachings have shaped the foundation of…
Lo Tresor is the story of someone who entered a cave to practice Zen meditation many years ago. The text is an adaptation of a fragment from a poem by Jacint Verdaguer, and the music is by Chopin. A video created by the Sangha Kannon about meditation in the cave. YouTube “Zen Kannon” The YouTube…
What does it mean to say that difference is essence? One day, Sekito read the phrase: “The true sage is one who becomes all the existences of the Universe.” Sekito wondered: how can one existence become all the existences of the Universe? From that day on, this question illuminated his path. The practice of zazen…
To explain the differences in capacity among his disciples, the Buddha used the simile of the four types of horses. Other masters have also spoken about this. Master Sekito says: “In the ordinary world there are people of different capacities, but in the Way there is no distinction between people from the north and people…
Buddha-nature is, in itself, impermanence and interdependence. An interdependence with all beings in the Universe. Like Indra’s net, in which each being is a many-faceted diamond, and on each facet it reflects the facet of another diamond. In this way, a net is formed in which all the diamonds are connected to one another by…
The Buddha said: “If you want to see Buddha-nature, observe cause and effect intimately. When the moment arrives, Buddha-nature manifests.” To see Buddha-nature is to see our original nature; it is the awakening of consciousness. Awakening from delusion and fixation. Awakening to the fleeting reality of life. To observe cause and effect intimately is seated…
How could a drop of water feel loneliness in the middle of the ocean? Kodo Sawaki used to say that our existence is like a bubble of foam, trembling and ephemeral. Ultimately, we are nothing more than a drop of water in the middle of the ocean, and yet we feel alone. In the midst…
