by Mushin Crisman | Jan 24, 2023 | Dharma Discourse
In a previous essay space was considered as a factor in “place”, the impermanent now-here. This essay provisionally presents space as the Dharma-gate to another core Zen tenet…emptiness. Early Buddhism categorized all ‘things’ into two categories: compounded and...
by Mushin Crisman | Jan 16, 2023 | Dharma Discourse
Sometimes the big questions are just too big. Things like, “why am I here”, “what’s the meaning of life”, “who am I”, seem so big that finding a beginning, an entry, is impossible. So let us step back from the really big questions, and consider less big questions,...
by Mushin Crisman | Jan 9, 2023 | Dharma Discourse
The word ‘thing’ holds a special place in Zen practice. What is ‘thing’? Whether it is something (some-thing) or nothing (no-thing) it conveys the sense of, well, of “thingness”. When we say “please pick up that thing” to someone, they see where we are pointing, they...
by Mushin Crisman | Jan 2, 2023 | Dharma Discourse
Discussing Zen Buddhism, it is easy to take a reductionist stance: “Zen is all about this”, “that is not at all Zen”. These mental postures do have their place, but as with all Buddhist teachings, they are provisional. Provisionally speaking, Zen practice is all about...
by Mushin Crisman | Dec 19, 2022 | Dharma Discourse
One of the most common guidelines for participating in Zen practice with others is “follow the schedule”or “let the schedule be the teacher”. Underlying both these admonitions is one of the Zen Buddhism’smany openly hidden teachings: just show up. Just show up....
