CHOSEI ZEN BLOG
Cooking Sesshin: A Look Behind the Stove
What sustains training isn’t just the teachings, or the schedule, or even the ability to sit for long periods of time. It’s the whole container—the care we offer each other, the food in our bowls, the floors we clean, the walls we repair. It’s the way we show up, again and again, not just for ourselves and our community, but for the world.
Sharpening the Axe: On Zen Training and Support
At Chosei Zen, whether in-person at Daikozen-ji or online around the world, we are engaged in a kind of sharpening. It may not always feel like progress. But something deep is being formed: the conditions for insight, for transformation, for clarity.
No Easy Answers
Being jiki, or stepping into any role, invites a deeper experience of our life together as practitioners. Even online, the “I” questions begin to dissolve.
Roots that Sustain
I have two ways to describe the roots of Chosei Zen: “a relentless pursuit of excellence,” and “our community of support.” These both are powerful forces, the roots that sustain both our current Zen training as well as the push to create all the more opportunities for Zen training.
Selfless Service
Genuine service, or selfless service in whatever form, is never a choice.
Clarity is the ability to see things as exactly as they are - when there is clarity, there is no need to exercise will or choice.