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15 Reasons to Become a Vine of Obstacles Zen Student

If you are inclined to be put through the paces of a highly structured program designed for householders, you might find that Vine of Obstacles Zen is just the right place to find "no quarter for escape."

Tetsugan Osho, Dosho Port

• 6 min read
15 Reasons to Become a Vine of Obstacles Zen Student
Some of the Vine sangha at sesshin in North Carolina

Welcome 2026!

It looks like it could be an another difficult year in the human realm. Is it time yet to devote yourself to Zen practice? If you are doing so already, are you looking for teachers and a community? If so, you might consider becoming a student in the Vine of Obstacles.

It's true that there are hurdles to pass over before becoming a Vine of Obstacles Zen student (see the section below, "What to do if most of the above apply to you"). And once you enter the Vine gate, there are additional day-to-day challenges that arise in terms of following through with commitments to zazen, study, and engagement. That's by design (more about the design here).

Although it is unusual these days, it used to be the Zen norm for students to first demonstrate their sincerity in taking up the Buddha Way. Like Shodhin Geiman Sensei put it in his recent interview, "No Quarter for Escape:"

"There are so many things that tell you you’re fine and tell you that you’re okay. And on some level, sure, we want to have a healthy, functional disposition to get through the day. But on the other hand, I knew that there was a lot that I didn’t know and a lot that I was bringing to the world that wasn’t terribly great. There was a recognition that I needed and wanted to be put through the paces. The structure of the practice gives us no quarter for escape.”
“No Quarter for Escape” an Interview with Shodhin Geiman Sensei
Record of Going Easy, Case 5: “Qīngyuán’s Price of Rice”
Dosho’s SubstackShake Out Your Sleeves And Go

If you are inclined to be put through the paces of a highly structured program designed for householders, you might find that Vine of Obstacles Zen is just the right place to find "no quarter for escape."

Katagiri Roshi expressed the spirit of undergoing Zen training well in Each Moment is the Universe:

"If you are interested in Zen Buddhism, you are free to decide what to do. You can go to a Zen center for practice and study. Then if you don’t like that place, that’s okay, go someplace else. That is a choice you make with your own free will. But if you choose to stay and practice at a Zen center, there are limitations, rules, and regulations. So with your freedom you can make a choice, but after making the choice you should throw away your freedom and practice according to the rules and regulations. Then you can create your destiny, the new life you are interested in, because your deeds are causes and your future life is the result.

Given our nonconforming approach—nonconforming to the "do whatever you feel like" approach that's common nowadays (especially online)—why would anyone (e.g., you) want to do Zen training with the Vine group and with our guidance? Here are 15 reasons in no particular order. The more that apply to you, the more likely that becoming a Vine student would be a fit.

Share the Vine with a dharma friend
  1. You understand that the world is a near-if-not-total shit-show, and unless you thoroughly awaken so you can function freely with great compassion, whatever you do to "help" will most likely become part of the problem (and that's one of the most difficult things about aspiring-bodhisattva work; i.e., you feel the pain of the world but know that the problem [aka, greed, anger, and ignorance] can't be fully resolved at the political or social-welfare level).
  2. You are looking for intensive householder training and aspire to live a life based on the intention to awaken fully, knowing that you can't do it alone. The Vine sangha is comprised of two experienced teachers, and mature and maturing practitioners who are dedicated to studying and realizing the Buddha Way together.
  3. You aspire to support others in their process of awakening.
  4. You are clear that training is necessary for you to go deeply (i.e., trying to do Zen your way is a contributor to your lack of peace and joy).
  5. You aspire to apply the great truth of the triple treasure to the nitty gritty of daily life.
  6. You feel affinity with Tetsugan Sensei and Dosho Roshi.
  7. You resonate with our combination of ancient teachings (Zhiyi, Dogen, Wansong, Linji, Dahui, Hakuin, et al) and modern methods (e.g., online work) in the One School Buddhadharma. For a partial list of what we've studied over the past several years, see the bottom of this post.
  8. You are enlivened by the possibility of playing synergistically with zazen, study, and engagement.
  9. You are ready to experience a Vine sesshin–the coming together of a group of students from the four quarters, who dive in to train together with vigor, harmony, and intimacy. If you've had some sesshin experience, perhaps you are ready to take it to the next level and challenge your self-imposed limitations.
  10. You're ready to learn how to practice zazen-awakening, informed by the perspectives and methods like The Six Dharma Gates to the Sublime, The Nine Stages for Calming the Body-Mind, and The Harada-Yasutani Koan Curriculum.
  11. You want to learn more about how to make the great teachers and teachings of the past a model for the present.
  12. You're not interested in the passive/viewer role available in most online Zen programs–instead, you want to be actively engaged.
  13. You yearn to go deeply into Zen with a group of like-minded people (aka, a bunch of weirdos who put the dharma first).
  14. You're looking for a teacher-student relationship with teachers who see and understand your patterns and attachments (and will point out the gaps between your aspiration and your actualization).
  15. You simply love the buddhadharma and want to realize the depths of it as much as possible in this lifetime.

What to do if most of the above apply to you

  1. If you aren't already, become a paid subscriber (starting at only $9/month).
  2. Show up for some Sunday talks.
  3. Attend the Day of Retreat, Sunday, Jan 18, 5:50am - 4:00 pm CT. Registration information will be posted here soon for paid subscribers.
  4. After you've attend a few Sunday sessions and are still undeterred, contact us (here) and request an application for the Vine. After we review your application, if it seems you might fit with us and the group, we'll schedule a time to talk via Zoom.
  5. You might also become a Vine Supporter ($18/month) and attend some group zazen sessions (Monday-Thursday AM: 6:00-7:00am CT; PM: 7:00-8:00pm CT).
Become a paid subscriber

Study topics in recent years

  • The Disruptive Point of Zazen—Dogen’s Zazenshin
  • Essential Buddhadharma: Dogen Zenji (8 texts)
  • The Platform Sutra
  • The Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts
  • The Essential Teaching of Hakuin
  • Dogen's Genjokoan
  • Denkoroku: Record of the Transmission of Illumination (8 selections)
  • The Awakening Mahayana Faith
  • A Blueprint of Enlightenment: A Contemporary Commentary on Dōgen Zenji’s Gakudō Yōjinshū “Guidelines for Studying the Way”
  • Manzan’s Secrets of the Zen Precepts
  • Asanga’s Chapter on Ethics
  • The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans by Xutang
  • The Diamond Sutra
  • Letters of Chan Master Dàhuì Pǔjué

Recent sesshin topics

  • Blue Cliff Record, "Case 44: Knowing How to Beat the Drum;" Nine Stages for Calming the Body-Mind
  • Blue Cliff Record, "Case 86: Yunmen’s Radiant Light;" Zhiyi’s Four Types of Breath; Five Hindrances
  • Record of Going Easy, "Case 96: Jiufeng Does Not Agree;" Zhiyi Six Dharma Gates to the Sublime; Four Kinds of People
  • Dogen’s Dragon’s Song; Hakuin’s Rohatsu Exhortations
  • The Record of Going Easy, "Case 16: Mágǔ Shakes the Staff"
  • Turning the light around
  • Dogen's Bendowa (Q&A); Nine Stages for Calming the Body-Mind; Fenyang's 18 Questions

    Note: Recordings of Sesshin dharma talks are available for Vine students.

Coming soon here at Vine of Obstacles Zen

Invitation to paid subscribers for the first Sunday Practice Session of the new year on Jan 11, 2026 and the first Day of Retreat on Jan 18, 2026.