105 – Dogen’s Shishobo: The Four Ways Bodhisattvas Embrace Living Beings – Part 1

105 – Dogen’s Shishobo: The Four Ways Bodhisattvas Embrace Living Beings – Part 1

by | Jul 6, 2019 | Buddhist Texts

Given the many stressful and sad things happening in the world right now, I thought it would be nice to spend a couple episodes on a beautiful and inspiring essay by 13th century Zen master Dogen called “Bodaisatta-Shishobo,” or the “Four Ways Bodhisattvas Embrace Living Beings.” (I briefly mentioned this Dogen essay in my Nine Fields episode on Opening the Heart, Episode 99).The bodhisattva’s four embracing actions are giving, kind speech, beneficial action, and sharing the same aim. In this episode I’ll briefly introduce the text and define the four actions, and start delving more deeply into Dogen’s essay, section by section.

103 – Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know – Part 3

103 – Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know – Part 3

by | Jun 14, 2019 | Buddhist Texts

This is the third episode of three covering my “Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know,” and I cover the Kalama, Sallatha, Metta, and Maha Parinibbana Suttas. The Pali Canon is a vast collection of the oldest Buddhist texts and teachings, and is a valuable resource for any Buddhist. However, the canon is so large it can be a little overwhelming to approach, and it can be difficult to know where to begin if you want to study it. I worked hard to create a short list of Pali Canon suttas – or discourses – that I recommend you study in order to get a sense of the canon, and exposure to its central teachings.

103 – Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know – Part 3

100 – Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know – Part 2

by | May 17, 2019 | Buddhist Texts

Theravadin and Vipassana Buddhists tend to be familiar with the Pali Canon, particularly the suttas, or discourses of the Buddha. Other Buddhists don’t tend to spend as much time exploring Pali texts. When we aim to do so, it can be a difficult to know where to start – given the printed versions of the suttas end up being about five times the size of the Christian bible! In the interest of encouraging study of the Pali Canon suttas, I’ve come up with a list of twelve I think every Buddhist should know.

103 – Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know – Part 3

97 – Twelve Pali Canon Suttas Every Buddhist Should Know – Part 1

by | Apr 26, 2019 | Buddhist Texts

Theravadin and Vipassana Buddhists tend to be familiar with the Pali Canon, particularly the suttas, or discourses of the Buddha. Other Buddhists don’t tend to spend as much time exploring Pali texts. When we aim to do so, it can be a difficult to know where to start – given the printed versions of the suttas end up being about five times the size of the Christian bible! In the interest of encouraging study of the Pali Canon suttas, I’ve come up with a list of twelve I think every Buddhist should know.

75 – Sekito Kisen’s Sandokai: The Identity of Relative and Absolute – Part 2

75 – Sekito Kisen’s Sandokai: The Identity of Relative and Absolute – Part 2

by | Oct 4, 2018 | Buddhist Texts, Zen Teachings

This my second episode on the Sandokai, an ancient teaching poem composed by Chinese Zen master Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiqian, 700-790). It’s recited daily in Soto Zen temples throughout the world – one of only a handful of Zen or Buddhist scriptures similarly honored. In the first episode I read the whole poem, discussed the “big deal” about absolute and relative (why Zen talks about this topic so much), and started exploring the Sandokai line by line. In this episode I finish up that exploration.

75 – Sekito Kisen’s Sandokai: The Identity of Relative and Absolute – Part 2

74 – Sekito Kisen’s Sandokai: The Identity of Relative and Absolute – Part 1

by | Sep 27, 2018 | Buddhist Texts, Zen Teachings

Sandokai is an ancient teaching poem composed by Chinese Zen master Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiqian, 700-790). It’s recited daily in Soto Zen temples throughout the world. In the next two episodes I’ll explore the meaning of the Sandokai, and why it’s given such a central place in Soto Zen. In this first episode I discuss the “big deal” about absolute and relative (why Zen talks about this topic so much), read you the poem, and then explore it line by line. I only get part way through, so I finish up the exploration in the next episode.

57 – Dogen’s Bendowa Part 1: What’s the Big Deal about Zazen?

57 – Dogen’s Bendowa Part 1: What’s the Big Deal about Zazen?

by | Apr 30, 2018 | Buddhist Texts, Meditation, Zen Teachings

Zen master Dogen wrote Bendowa in 1231 to introduce his Japanese students to Soto Zen. In a sense, then, it’s “Soto Zen in a nutshell.” In this episode I introduce the text and the context in which it was written, and talk about how and why Dogen recommends zazen – seated meditation – above all other Buddhist practices. I also talk about how Soto Zen elevates zazen far above a mere method for achieving awakening to enactment of enlightenment itself.

46 – Dogen’s Genjokoan Part 5: Birds Fly, Fish Swim, a Zen Master Waves a Fan

46 – Dogen’s Genjokoan Part 5: Birds Fly, Fish Swim, a Zen Master Waves a Fan

by | Jan 26, 2018 | Buddhist Texts, Zen Teachings

In this episode we finish up the Genjokoan, focusing first on the rather long passage comparing our path of practice to the way a fish swims in the water, or a bird flies in the sky. Then I’ll talk about the story at the end of the essay, where a monk asks a Zen master why he uses a fan when the nature of wind permeates everywhere, which is really a question about why we practice if reality ultimately lacks nothing.

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