r/zenpractice

I am so very pleased to announce that I have bestowed Dharma Transmission upon a Priest of our Treeleaf Sangha, Kandō Bion Boncutiu (緩道 美音) in Spain. He is now recognized as a Fully Ordained Priest and Teacher in the Soto Zen Tradition and this Lineage. I hope that you will rejoice with us and so welcome him. This Soto Zen Tradition continues from generation to generation in this manner.

Master Dogen wrote ...

>In this way the true ancestral masters of successive generations have each passed on the face-to-face transmission through the disciple regarding the master and the master seeing the disciple. ... When master and disciple have definitely seen each other, have been seen by each other, have given the face-to-face transmission, and have succeeded to the Dharma, that is the realization of the truth which resides in the ancestors’ face-to-face transmission. Thus, master and disciple have directly taken on the brightness of the Tathāgata’s face. In sum, even after thousands of years, or myriad years, or hundreds of kalpas, or koṭis of kalpas, this face-to-face transmission is the appearance of the face of, and the realization of the transmission from, Śākyamuni Buddha. ... Even before a word is comprehended and even before understanding of half a word is transcended, when the master has seen the back of the disciple’s head, and the disciple has regarded the master through the crown of the head, that is the authentic face-to-face transmission.

Nine Bows, Chigen Jundō (知原 純道)

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Hi everyone,

I’m practicing in sesshin this weekend and it got me curious: do you always go into dokusan no matter what? Even if you don’t have much to ask/say? Do you sometimes take a pass? Do you just feel it out in the moment or go by your own policy at every retreat? Has your approach to it changed over the years?

I have my own approach, so not looking for didactics here, just genuinely curious how others approach this, for whoever’s willing to share. It’s kind of personal so it doesn’t come up much at sangha.

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​It takes training to interrupt the tendency to always look elsewhere, and to remind yourself that the essence lies not so much in the circumstances alone, but primarily in how you relate to them.

This practice takes the form of remembrance and habituation or "un-learning," if you will.

​It is much like training my terrible tennis forehand because I originally learned it the wrong way.

Hearing and knowing how it should be done from a teacher is a good start, but it isn’t enough: I must constantly re-mind myself. I then have to practice it endlessly in the game 100, 1,000, 10,000 times, until it is so deeply embedded in the system that it happens almost automatically.

​The mind precedes the matter, but it must be trained.

Gassho,

This coming Sunday, May 17th (available recorded after) Buddhism & Zen historian, the noted specialist on the life and writings of Master Dogen, Prof. Steven Heine will be coming to our Treeleaf Sangha to introduce his latest research on our past ...

>Dr. Heine's new book centers on Wansong Xingxiu (1166–1246), a pivotal figure in Caodong Chan/Sōtō Zen development, and a participant in the compilation of two influential Caodong/Sōtō Koan collections: Tongxuan's 100 Chan Questions (the main focus of Dr. Heine's book) which represents a crucial, although lesser-known, phase of Caodong Chan history centered on northern China, and the Shoyoroku (Book of Serenity) which is better known today and widely cherished by Sōtō Zen folks. Although Wansong lived during the time Dogen was in China, they likely never met in person because in very distant parts of China, and Dogen may not have had direct knowledge of either Koan collection during his lifetime. However, in his talk, Professor Heine will examine the historical and spiritual irony connecting these two pivotal figures in the development of Caodong/Sōtō thought and literature, illustrating his points with several key examples from their respective works.

You can join the event on Zoom LIVE with camera and microphone so that we can see and hear you (however, “one way” live sitters who do not wish to be seen or to speak are encouraged to come into the Zoom sitting either way, even if you leave the camera and microphone turned off or not connect them). The event will also be streamed lived on YouTube for anyone that cannot join the Zoom room.

The festivities will begin at 10am in New York, 7am in California, London 3pm and Paris 4pm, all SUNDAY May 17th, and last for an hour to 90 minutes.

We would love to see many Zen friends there.

More details and access here:

https://www.treeleaf.org/2026/04/event-heine-26/

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Zen's role in politics has been discussed here quite frequently (to the chagrin of many of course), but this just might be a new, unexpected perspective on the topic.

Let me quote the statement that prompted this post, from a Dharma talk by Gendo Roshi*:

"Sitting Zazen is politically the most radical action a person can take"

What may sound counterintuitive on its face becomes more clear as he puts it into the context of our current political climate.

Paraphrasing: when a government deliberately creates chaos and polarization, our mind tends to lose focus and become unable to set priorities, therefore ultimately becoming increasingly passive.

So the more sensationalist information is fed to our monkey minds, the easier we become distracted, and the more likely it is that concerning power grabs or breathtaking corruption by our leaders go unnoticed (e.g. the Trump family quietly making billions off of the Presidency, or government insiders making millions by betting on the oil price). Even worse, we may become completely overwhelmed or even defeatist. And this is precisely what the authoritarian and / or corrupt leader wants.

The calm or — to borrow a term from Takuan Soho — unfettered mind however allows us to see clearly what is going on without getting triggered by emotions or caught up in narratives, and thus to remain firm in our positions and views.

It’s kryptonite to populists and those who seek authoritarian power.

(I can’t help but wonder if this is the very reason buddhism / chan / zen has been often a thorn in the eye of ruling classes throughout history)

So yes, especially in these times and in this media environment, I agree that Zazen may indeed be up there with the most radical political actions a person can take. To be clear though: he specifically talked about daily Zazen, at least once, preferably twice, as a lifelong commitment. Thoughts?

*Great Wave Zen Sangha, Michigan