Work can be an active form of Zen, bringing our practice “off the mat” and into the world — whether the traditional manual work (such as cooking, cleaning, and gardening) or, these days, at a desk reading, writing, computing, and so on.

A monk once asked Master Kempo, “A sutra says, ‘The Bhagavats in the Ten Directions, one straight road to Nirvana.’ I wonder, where is that road?” Kempo lifted up his stick, drew a line in the air, and said, “Here!”
Later a monk asked Ummon about this. Ummon held up his fan and said ….

An Interview with Rebecca Gilbert The discovery of interconnection, on the stage and in the zendo. Zen Bow: Were you raised in a religious or spiritual tradition? Rebecca Gilbert: My mother had more of an interest than my father in making sure we had a spiritual path, so we were enrolled in a Sunday School…

Lobbying for Climate Legislation How to Persuade Politicians to Do the Right Thing The first time I met with a member of Congress on climate issues was when I went to Washington, DC in November of 2019. I was struck by how different it was from my 20 years of meeting with members of the…

What it’s about: A man named Sean is running in Central Park and collapses under a bridge tunnel, dead of a heart attack. Ten years later, we’re introduced to his widow, Anna (Nicole Kidman). She’s in a cemetery, standing at Sean’s tombstone. She touches the headstone hesitantly and then walks away, as if she’s saying…

When we have made the decision to pick up Mu, calling out Mu and listening to Mu, there’s no use getting entangled in questions “about” Mu.

A new member reflects on his harrowing cancer treatments and the possibility of imminent death

If there had been some kind of answer that Kyosei could give the monk to truly settle his mind, he might have offered it up. We grow into understanding, purifying ourselves all along the way.

This is where Buddhism can have an effect on the West: because Buddhism changes culture, and culture changes Buddhism. The metaphors and philosophical traditions in Buddhism offer another way to talk about these questions of physics.

With the help of a months-long training program, a senior member dedicates himself to volunteer with people struggling with sickness, old, age, and death.