octobre 2013
Back and running the course
Having never left, I'm back again... The itinerary, as Roshi Joan Halifax said recently as a tip to travelers, is always subject to reality. Myself, I let the summer run its course, with many twists [...]
juin 2013
Bloomsday, again and again
Celebrate another (happy) Bloomsday! (tomorrow, June 16) Celebrate your life, the whole and all the parts! We'll be sitting together in Paris, and there's room for you to join wherever you are. “If Socrates leave [...]
Teachings of a whole lifetime
A monk asked Yun Men: "What are the teachings of a whole lifetime?" Yun Men replied: "An appropriate response." Not really anything else to add... Yet there remains the question: What is the "appropriate response"?
mai 2013
Nathaniel Dorsky, « Three Times Silence »
“There is the world that we see, and then there is the world that artists like Mr. Dorsky see and generously share.” — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times Save the date: The experimental San [...]
Nothing like a bad back to get the mind moving
Late afternoon, it’s pouring rain on the worker’s holiday. Haven’t heard whether the usual union marches went forth or if sales of the traditional (here in France, anyway) lilies of the valley were stable. Never [...]
avril 2013
What is a retreat? and other questions
What is a retreat? Retreats are precious opportunities for members of the sangha to come together and share practice. In the Wild Flower Sangha, that practice is radical: The universe is our zendo, the earth [...]
mars 2013
Right where you are
Preparing for a new voyage today: I'll be heading in a few hours for retreat near Lisbon. I'll cross national borders and time zones, shift from one set of cultural habits and ways to another, [...]
One small effort (without fanfare)
Since my last post here... ...life... and spring without fanfare. And meanwhile: Whatever snow there was is now long gone. And the sun is as loyal as ever, behind or before the clouds. And night, [...]
The Next Big Thing: »Here We Are »
Here's my self-interview for the ongoing Next Big Thing project connecting us all and reflecting each of us and our work, gem-to-gem, around the net. Each writer/artist gets the same set of questions to answer [...]
Francis
I'm not a Catholic, nor a Christian for that matter, nor an ardent follower of the Vatican. Among my favorite "pope" moments recently was the terrific Nanni Moretti film "Habeus Papum" starring Michel Piccoli as [...]
Another load of laundry
Something came up yesterday that I just knew was the next entry here. Involved with some other preoccupation at the time, I had no choice but to put off the noting of that brilliant moment. [...]
Filling the silence
During a pause while the dentist was doing work in my mouth today, he was telling me something (I can't now recall what). I asked him why he was telling me this. He replied, to [...]
février 2013
»This Dharma I have reached… »
As I consider where I am at this moment (in light of where I have been since setting out on this Zen path 20 years ago), I came upon this beautiful account from the historic [...]
janvier 2013
Obama’s beginner’s mind moment
A quick note since it's been awhile: For me, one of the finest moments (among many!) of the past week was when Barack Obama, after taking his official oath of office for his second term [...]
Open skies
Having been traveling back and forth across an ocean and continents in past weeks, I've had a good opportunity to expand my direct experience of the world beyond my usual parameters. As ever, all that [...]
2013 wishes as big as the world
With these few modest words, I offer each of you my wishes as big as the world for a bountiful coming year, moment to moment, wherever you go, whatever you do. Ringing in the new [...]
décembre 2012
Where’s the freedom in the land of the free?
A family member in America tells me that the U.S. media is in a frenzy over the country's latest shooting massacre, in which 20 young children were riddled with dozens and dozens of bullets from [...]
Everyone, everywhere in the world
Days are growing shorter and colder here as December deepens. I find myself doing the same, slowing with the slowing down, turning with the turning to the deep that lies inward. A few days ago [...]
Sunday
Second day of a new month, a week after my last post, night falling in Paris: So it goes. I want to officially thank all those who sent me birthday greetings yesterday. You made my [...]
novembre 2012
Retreat in the Heart of Life, Day IV
No time until now to post here a Day IV "vehicle" (or perhaps "container" is a better word?) for today's flow of comments. At first, that seems like a problem: I'm not keeping up with [...]
