Clik here to view.
Being the Only Woman in the Room
My teacher proudly says to anyone who will listen that I don't want to practice at his monastery anymore because I don't like the "smell of men." That's definitely not true, and I definitely never said...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is Zen For Old People?
Buddhist HouseLast week the college where I'm taking intensive Japanese had a recess from classes. Most of my friends took the opportunity to travel; some went to Kyoto, or the Sapporo Beer Museum. A...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Intimacy Issues
My mom is sitting a two-month meditation retreat right now at Spirit Rock, the Vipassana Center in Northern California. I got a letter from her asking for the kanji for when Dogen said "To forget the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
(I Hope) Practice is Forever
Today I was waking up from a nap, dozing in that in-between state between sleeping and waking, while Beyonce’s song “Halo” was dripping through my consciousness. I think I watched the youtube video of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Attainments?
Kito Sensei, circa... a long time agoAoyama Roshi once said in a dharma talk that true selflessness is unaware of itself. True selflessness, she said, is like a person in a house up in the mountains...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Death and Taxes
Yesterday I paid my taxes for the first time. Hurray for me!I didn't really need to pay my taxes. My income last year hovered right at the poverty line, and I used most of it to pay for college...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What a Horrible Institution!
I'm going to my monastery today for the next week. My head's shaved and I've got on my black samue and I'm looking forward to being back in the monastery (however, I'm also eating caramel popcorn and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Loving the Mountains
We get into the van, Dojo Roshi in front, Shugetsu-san driving. D. is next to me and two monks are in the back. I'm wearing samue and my robes are folded up in a cloth in the trunk, along with my sutra...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Japanese Is Backwards
In the years I've spent practicing in Japan, I've always assumed that what I am learning here is applicable in the West, because, as they say, the Way has no North or Southern ancestors. But recently...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Like Water
I haven't updated in a while because I've been feeling uninspired and somewhat discouraged. I even went so far as to tell several of my friends and family members that I was "done with Buddhism." I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Carrying the Teacher's Bags
This July, I am going to Europe with my teacher, my dharma sister, and a representative from the Soto Zen headquarters. There's a hossenshiki taking place and they want it to be officially registered...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beggars Can't Be Choosers
Yudofu, traditionally prepared tofu in KyotoWithin groups of foreigners who have come to Japan to study the culture or history, I am often called upon as a representative of Zen Buddhism to vouch for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Help Me!
I just finished a semester of Japanese language classes with a wonderful group of people. In addition to American college students, there were people in my class from Taiwan, the Philippines, Spain,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Zen and Japanese Culture
Japanese meal in a traditional innOryoki meal in a Japanese Zen monasteryZen and Japanese Culture is a book I have not read, written by D.T Suzuki. D.T Suzuki isn't really my jam, but my Buddhist...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Don't Move
A few months ago in the monastery where I ordained I approached my dharma sister, a forty year old Australian nun who, like me, has lived in Japanese monasteries for several years. I forget what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shit's Impossible; Let's Keep Doing It!
佛道無上誓願成: The Buddha Way is unsurpassableI vow to realize itIn my last post I wrote about endurance-- or, more accurately, about when to stop enduring. Interestingly, some people thought I was writing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Is This Practice?
A book entitledThe Practice of Becoming an AdultRecently I started a new Japanese language summer intensive, and since there's no college credit awarded for this shorter program, my Japanese language...
View ArticleClik here to view.
America
When I graduated from college, my one goal was to get out of the United States. September 11th happened when I was a freshman in high school, and soon after that came a series of-- what I viewed as--...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Politics "As A Buddhist"
My teacher often tells his students, “You can’t hold two things with one hand.” He usually says this kind of thing to rebellious students like me who are trying to divide our time and energy between...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Relationships and Cultural Exchange
Members of my Japanese class at Nanzan UniversityI've been living in Asia for almost six years now, but I have only recently begun thinking about the idea of "cultural exchange"-- mostly thanks to one...
View Article
