Zazen Notes

The feedback I’ve received on my treatment of Fuxi’s poem is generally positive, although many have questioned my inclusion of so many particulars of anatomy.

The anatomy is an aid to me in relaxation. For me, the feeling is a lot like standing out where the waves break in at the beach, and sorting out the direction and ...  read more

The sixth-century Buddhist monk Fuxi wrote:

The empty hand grasps the hoe handle
Walking along, I ride the ox
The ox crosses the wooden bridge
The bridge is flowing, the water is still

(Fuxi, trans. Andy Ferguson “Zen’s Chinese Heritage”)

The phenomena that Fuxi described in his poem are all phenomena of ...  read more

mf:

I get out of balance sometimes because something’s not quite comfortable in my posture and I’ve somehow become numb to it, and over the years I have formed a habit of checking where I left myself physically when things get weird.

That’s why I wrote:

My own practice in response to any “cutting off” ...  read more