The first gathering for discussion and meditation was on Thursday, April 20, 1995. See the newspaper photo below. Shumon and I were in the middle of renovating the main house on the property, now the Kuri (abbot’s residence). The discussion was in the living room with...
The following is a reposting of a Meanderings I wrote in 2018. The piece I originally intended for this month requires more crafting. Please accept this (slightly edited), not as a rehashing, but as a glimpse of how the events that swirl around us seem to be cyclical...
On the first Saturday of each month many of us gather for a deep study into a Buddhist sutra or other important Buddhist work. This started almost thirty years ago, soon after Tendai Buddhist Institute was established. Originally it was called ‘A Survey of Buddhism’...
Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu – (Happy Year). This is the year (2025) of the Wood Snake. According to East Asian astrology 2025 will be a mix of opportunity, difficulties, potential and renewal. Snakes shed their skin and emerge anew. In a similar fashion we should...
According to sutra Shakyamuni saw the morning star at dawn on the 8th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar and attained awakening. This occurred after six years of arduous practices which prepared him for this final period of realization. He embarked on an...
Last month, I was fortunate enough to attain Enryakuji’s Endon Jukai, on Mt Hiei, Japan. This is the formal ceremony of taking the 10 Major and 48 Minor Bodhisattva Precepts as outlined by the Tendai school’s founder Dengyo Daishi Saicho. Though my time on the...
