Dear Friends,In this season of darkness and illumination we have a chance to reflect on our lives, and set intentions for the coming year. Today I’m heading up the Hudson to the Village Zendo’s annual winter retreat for a week of silence. Our group will be collectively reading a 13th century essay by Eihei Dogen, one of the founders of Soho Zen in Japan. As a young monk Dogen traveled from Japan to Song Dynasty China in search of answers to his biggest spiritual question: if we already have a Buddha nature, an enlightened self, why is it that we practice?
I always know I’m going to find something nourishing and fresh in your newsletters, Sal, but something in the talk of greens instructed me in a way I felt (and loved feeling) to the point where I find that Zen has suddenly become a beckoning path for me. I think I may like to try being soup in a Zen pot now.
I always know I’m going to find something nourishing and fresh in your newsletters, Sal, but something in the talk of greens instructed me in a way I felt (and loved feeling) to the point where I find that Zen has suddenly become a beckoning path for me. I think I may like to try being soup in a Zen pot now.
Thank you, Sal. I find your essays on zen deeply useful and inspiring. They make me more present in my life.