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Old Age is a Boon

Remembrance of Aging The Four Boons of Aging. My hope is to pull the door open, even if it is just a crack, on what is beneficial in the truth of aging. I’ll begin by… 

Welcome Our New Member

A Single Thread, The Zen Contemplative Order of Hsu Yun Welcomes Old Heart Mountain, 老心山, Lǎo xīn shān shakya aka Arakawa Mitsugi to our Order. Old Mountain, as he likes to be called, is previously… 

The Arthur Sermon

Escape from Hell We named him Arthur which is a name derived from the word bear. In Medieval Latin Arthurus/Arturus, usually said to be from Welsh arth means “bear.” In sanskrit, artha means wealth, the… 

Exhibitionist Politics by Ming Zhen Shakya, OHY

This piece, although written in 2003, is quite up-to-date on what happens when protests become terror and when breaking the rules of law and order enter as trickery and outrageous. Our dear teacher, the late Ming Zhen uplifts us to remember the more things change the more they remain the same…to some degree or another. It’s worth reading!

Take Care of Your Mind by Lao Di Zhi Shakya

Dogen’s Awarenesses – Having Few Desires, Being Content, Quietude, Diligence, Unfailing Recollection are not commandments or rules to be memorized and slavishly followed. They are qualities to be lived not just something to think about or observe in other people.  These awarenesses are like seeds in our minds, when we water them with practice they can break through our ignorance, like seedlings breaking through the dirt to become plants.

Friendship, Sickness, Aging and Death

Friendship, Sickness, Aging and Death is common to us all. Especially during this worldwide pandemic. Venerable Lao Huo Shakya offers us a personal and traditional Buddhist response to those who lose a loved one. The tradition asks us to write a letter – one for each week of the period of grief. Venerable Lao Hue’s generosity is a boon to us all.

Om Om Om Peace, Peace, Peace

Dogen’s Fifth Awareness: Unfailing Recollection

Dogen’s Fifth Awareness: Unfailing Recollection Unfailing: without error or fault; reliable or constant Recollection: action of remembering something Ah…but what are we to remember without error or fault? Our Social Security number? Our birth date?.… 

Work and the 4th Awareness of Dogen

As Freud said, “Love and work..work and love.. what else is there really?” He also was overwrought about death. “Why am I looking at Freud?” Because we are living in a heightened awareness of the… 

Who is in Charge?

Spiritual life is a battlefield.  Over time, the battle worsens for the serious spiritual adept – threats along the path are more ominous. The path narrows. The dangers more perilous. Hazards multiply. The demons of… 

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