Jackalope of the Self – by Sunya Kjolhede: When we cling to the familiar, to this notion of self that we have welded out of thoughts and memories since time immemorial, then we’re identifying with the wrong master. Zen Master Bassui’s essential question was, “Who is the Master?” Who is the one who hears, feels, sees, and talks? Our task in sesshin and in our lives is to put this true master, this “True self that is no-self,” back on the throne. Otherwise all kinds of tricksters and demons break in and take its place. Read more >>
The Cascading Mind – by Sunya Kjolhede: When we first take up a sitting practice and look into our minds, we may be shocked to discover what’s going on in there. As the inner noise quiets down a bit, we start to see how scattered and unruly the thoughts are—how they race and tumble and repeat themselves, compulsively judging, labeling, dissecting. Read more >>
Psychodynamic Zen™, an Introduction – Lawson Sachter and Sunya Kjolhede: This essay grows out of the recognition that unconscious forces can play a hidden, but significant, role in Dharma practice; and that these forces often function in ways unique to the Western psyche. Certainly the unconscious can complement the creative and compassionate sides of practice, but it can also manifest itself through all kinds of self-afflictive mindstates. Read more>>
Mindfulness Practices and Beyond – Lawson Sachter: Meditation practices differ widely, and so do the aspirations of those who practice them. Each tradition has its own strengths and weaknesses, and different forms of meditation work on different levels. Read more>>
Ancerstral line part I: Although we chant it at least once a week, for most people the Abbreviated Ancestral Line is a pretty enigmatic chant – for newcomers not much different from a Dharani, actually. Even if you stick around for a few years you won’t necessarily know that Hakuun Ryoku is Roshi Yasutani, and Daiun Sogaku is Roshi Harada. However, if you make the effort of looking more deeply into the Ancestral Line and getting familiar with those mentioned in it, you may come to feel a real connection with and gratitude to those people who transmitted the Dharma to our times. Read more>>
Ancestral line part II: After about 900 years of teacher-to-student transmission, the practice that was to become what we know as Zen Buddhism moved from India to China. This happened somewhere around the 5th or 6th century CE with Bodhidharma’s arrival. This doesn’t mean, however, that the Dharma was unknown in China before that time. Buddhism in various forms had already been in that country for centuries by the time the Western Barbarian arrived (although that didn’t necessarily make Bodhidharma’s work any easier). Read more>>
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