Zen Mountain Monastery Slideshow

A slideshow of candid shots taken at ZMM this past fall.

Each moment…

At each moment do not rely on tomorrow,
Think of this day and this hour only,
and of being faithful to the Way while given a life just for today —
for the next moment is uncertain and unknown.

— Dogen, via Helena IR

Zen Archery

As a master of Zen archery, Kobun was asked to teach a course at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. The target was set up on a beautiful grassy area on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Kobun took his bow, notched the arrow, took careful aim, and shot. The arrow sailed high over the target, went past the railing, beyond the cliff, only to plunge into the ocean far below. Kobun looked happily at the shocked students and shouted, “Bull’s eye!!”

- Kobun Chino, via Hardcore Zen

Inhaling, exhaling
Moving forward, moving back
Living, dying, coming, going —
Like two arrows, let flown each to each,
meet midway and slice
the void in continual flight —
Thus, I return home.

- Gesshu Soko, 1696, via Salon.com

True Meditation

What is this true meditation?
It is to make everything:
coughing, swallowing, waving the arms, motion, stillness,
words, action, the evil and the good, prosperity and shame,
gain and loss, right and wrong,
into one single koan

- Hakuin, via ZenFrog

Do cows have Buddha Nature?

Mu.

The Zen of Batman and Superman

(Or lack thereof.)  An article about the psychology of superheroes.

The world’s dullest blog

 

“My knee had a slight itch.  I reached out my hand and scratched the knee in question. The itch was relieved and I was able to continue with my activities.”
- Dullest Blog

 

Zen and Reincarnation

An article on Zen and reincarnation…

Dissolving

You are pure.
Nothing touches you.
What is there to renounce?

Let it all go,
The body and the mind.

Let yourself dissolve.

Like bubbles in the sea,
All the worlds arise in you.

Know you are the Self.
Know you are one.

Let yourself dissolve.

You see the world.
But like the snake in the rope,
It is not really there.

You are pure.

Let yourself dissolve.

You are one and the same
In joy and sorrow,
Hope and despair,
Life and death.

You are already fulfilled.

Let yourself dissolve.

– Ashtavakra Gita

Words…

Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still.

– T. S. Eliot