You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

-Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 10:42-45 NLT

Practice Meetings

Friday Dec 28, 7:00pm
(NOTE: On Fridays, you may wish to come one hour early and take Tai Chi with Dylan Klempner at 6pm.)

Cancelled this week:

Tuesday Dec 25, 8:30am

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path While Cloud, Chapter 25, “Music’s Lofty Peaks”.

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #42: “A woman comes out of meditation”

The wisest Bodhisattva Manjusuri, who is supposed to be next in order to Shakyamuni Buddha, found that the Buddha’s gathering was adjourned and each was going back to his/her land. Observing one woman still deep in meditation near Shakyamuni, Manjusuri properly bowed and asked Shakyamuni Buddha:

“That woman has been able to reach that state of Enlightenment and why have I not?”

Shakyamuni replied,

“Bring her from the Samadhi and ask her yourself!”

Manjusuri went round the woman three times and snapped his fingers and yet she was undisturbed in meditation. So Manjusuri held her high up in his hand and brought her to the first of three meditative heavens (totally detached from any lust) and exhausted all his mystical powers in vain (to awaken her).

Observing this, Shakyamuni said,

“Even a hundred thousand Manjusris could not awaken her from Samadhi.  There resides Mo-myo (Avidya) Boddhisattva, the lowest of all, below this place past twelve hundred million lands. He alone can raise her from her deep meditation.”

No sooner had the Shakyamuni spoken than that Boddhisattva sprang up out of the earth, bowed and paid his homage to Shakyamuni. By Shakyamuni order, Mo-myo Boddhisattva snapped his fingers. Instantly the woman came out of meditation and stood up.

Mumon’s verse:

Whether the one who could bring her out of meditation, or the other who could not,

Both of them obtained freedom.

The one wore the mask of god, the other, a devil’s mask in that theatre,

Even the failure is artistic indeed.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.

-The Buddha

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Dec 18, 8:30am
Friday Dec 21, 7:00pm
(NOTE: On Fridays, you may wish to come one hour early and take Tai Chi with Dylan Klempner at 6pm.)

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path While Cloud, Chapter 24, “Taking Refuge”.

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #92, Book of Serenity #1:

“The World-Honored One Ascends to the Rostrum”

One day, the World-Honored One ascended to the rostrum. Manjusri struck the

table with the gavel and said,

“Contemplate clearly the Dharma of the Dharma-King! The Dharma of the Dharma-King is like this.”

Thereupon, the World-Honored One descended from the rostrum.

If we can reach the understanding of what we actually are, there is no better remedy for eliminating all suffering. This is the heart of all spiritual practices.

-Kalu Rinpoche, Luminous Mind

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Dec 11, 8:30am
Friday Dec 14, 7:00pm
(NOTE: On Fridays, you may wish to come one hour early and take Tai Chi with Dylan Klempner at 6pm.)

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path While Cloud, Chapter 23, “Dharma Nectar”.

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #32, Blue Cliff Record #65: “A Philosopher asks Buddha”

A philosopher asked Buddha:

“Without words, without the wordless, will you you tell me truth?”

The Buddha kept silence. The philosopher bowed and thanked the Buddha, saying:

“With your loving kindness I have cleared away my delusions and entered the true path.”

After the philosopher had gone, Ananda asked the Buddha what he had attained. The Buddha replied,

“A good horse runs even at the shadow of the whip.”

Mumon’s comment:

   To tread the sharp edge of a sword

   To run on smooth-frozen ice,

   One needs no footsteps to follow.

   Walk over the cliffs with hands free.

The Buddha is as near to you as your own heart.

– Ayya Khema, Being Nobody, Going Nowhere

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Dec 4, 8:30am
Friday Dec 7, 7:00pm
(NOTE: On Fridays, you may wish to come one hour early and take Tai Chi with Dylan Klempner at 6pm.)

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path While Cloud, Chapter 22, “Turning the Wheel of Dharma”.

This Week’s Koan

Book of Serenity #4: “The World-Honored One Points to the Ground”

When the World-Honored One was walking with his assembly, he pointed to the ground with his hand and said,

“This place is good for building a temple.”

Indra took a stalk of grass and stuck it in the ground and said,

“The temple has been built.”

The World-Honored One smiled.