At the heart of religious life is a kōan. How, as an individual, we can realize that which is greater than ourselves? Although we are individuals, when we define ourselves as such, we leave out the most important dimension … Continue reading →
A transcript of a talk given during a meditation period at the Segaki retreat at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in October 2019. Today, I invite you all to sit together with me and all beings, forget time as … Continue reading →
A transcript of a Dharma talk given during the 2018 August Sesshin at Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, inspired by re-reading Zen Master Dōgen’s fascicle from the Shōbōgenzō: Ikka Myōju (One Bright Pearl). We all are One Bright Pearl. … Continue reading →
This is a transcript of a Dharma talk given following the Festival of Great Master Dōgen at Throssel in October. To celebrate Eihei Dōgen today, the talk is going to be about morality… That probably sounds terribly dry for a … Continue reading →
I have been thinking about the idea of ‘guest’ and ‘host’ in Buddhism and how it plays out in our daily lives. This is a concept I come across occasionally, and it hasn’t always been clear to me what … Continue reading →
This is an edited transcript of a talk given at the temple in October 2021. I’d like to take a look at the chapter in Roar of the Tigress, Volume Two called Beyond the Dream1. And since this … Continue reading →
Adapted from a talk given at Throssel on Wesak day 2022. Thank you for coming to join us to celebrate the Festival of the Buddha’s Birth, it’s good to have you all with us. A joyful festival like this, or … Continue reading →
This writing was adapted from a Dharma talk offered at Shasta Abbey on 1 September 2019, available at https://shastaabbey.org/audio/rmoswinASoftAndFlexibleMind.mp3 I want to talk this morning about ‘a soft & flexible mind’. This phrase is said to have been coined by … Continue reading →
Often in our practice it is helpful to go back to basics, to see what it is we are doing in meditation. The aspect I’d like to draw out is ‘deliberate thought’. I imagine that these words will remind you … Continue reading →
Taken from the Booklet ‘How to Meditate’, a transcription of a series of talks offered in 2016. It was transcribed and edited by Tracy Kitagawa, Michelle Feist, Pierre Kohl and Rev. Master Aurelian, with minor revisions for ease of reading. … Continue reading →