Vine of Obstacles Zen

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The Difficulties of Being a Zen Student (EK V8.14.3)

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Wandering Destitute into a Demon Pit (EK V8.14.2)

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The Central Importance of Inquiring of a Teacher (EK V14.8.1)

Eagles

Ice and Eagles

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The Lotus Flowers In This Pond Are So Fragrant (EK V8.14.9)

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Round and Smooth Like a Pearl (EK V8.14.8)

Going Through the Mystery

The Intimate Friend: Where is Enlightenment’s Exquisite Flowering?

Eagles

Bald Eagles!

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Dōgen: Find a Good Teacher, Ask For a Koan, Break Through (EK V8.14.5)

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery 1: What Place is Smooth

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Blue Cliff Record

Blue Cliff Record, Case 86: Yúnmén's Radiant Light

Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Zennies

Lars and the loon a tick pickers mommas don t let your babies grow up to be zennies 20:00/4:511× An old Waylon and Willie tune that an old Zen buddy, Larry Anderson, adapted. I had some minor input on the lyrics. Larry and I studied together with

Old Year, New Year

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Dogen

Great Doubt is Intimate

Dogen

Cultivating Verification in One School Zen: A New Shushōgi for Now

I recently wrote a piece titled, The "Soto Zen" of the PMSO: A New Religion Whose Time Has Passed, wherein I call out a text titled "Shushōgi" ("The Meaning of Practice Enlightenment"), a late-19th century summary of the teaching of Dōgen Zenji that has served as a fairly succinct synopsis

Dogen

Everyone Has the Potential to Become Buddha

The Avalokiteshvara above is by the wonderful contemporary artist, Mayumi Oda. "Many people say that even though they have an aspiration to study the Way, it is the final age and they are at a low level of learning. It is impossible for them to practice in accord with the

Going Through the Mystery

Going Through the Mystery's One Hundred Questions Introduction Part 1

They Can Fish It!

Greetings, Next week we'll be on a break/retreat here at the hermitage and the following week we'll be in sesshin, so it'll be quiet here for the last week of December and the first week of January. This week, though, I've got a lot planned. In addition to a

The Storm and Afterwards

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Dogen

The Pivotal Linji Master Xutang and his Profuse Praise for Sōtō Master Dōgen

Dahui

Smashing Mu to Smithereens

Today I'll share another important passage about the one Zen way and the keyword that Chinul, the great Korean Master included in his Excerpts on Zen Practice, one of four core texts in the Korean Sŏn (Zen) monastic curriculum. The phrase "smashing mu..." also comes up in Going Through the

Book Launch Video and BTT Podcast Now Available

I'm happy to share the Going Through the Mystery news that both the the Book Launch Dharma Talk from December 4, 2022, and a Buddhist Temple of Toledo podcast are now available on the Going Through the Mystery page of the Vine of Obstacles Zen website. Click here. In the

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The One Word "Awareness" is the Gateway to All Calamities

A Wild Morning at the Hermitage

On the Adverse Effects of Meditation

Meditation can have adverse effects.* Just look at the above image of Bodhidharma - does his face give you the impression that there's nothing adverse going on here? Now, if you've practiced meditation in any form (with the possible exception of soaking-in-a-hot-tub zazen) for more than about ten minutes, you'll