Month: November 2018

Zen is the flavour of our times. In everything from cooking and audio equipment to gardening and interior decorating, “Zen” epitomises the essence of style. We arrange pillows on a sofa, furniture in a bare room, food on a plate — then call it Zen. There are Zen beauty salons and bookstores, Zen designer clothes, Zen lounge suites. “Zen” has even become a brand name: Singapore-based Creative Technology has registered the word “Zen” as a … Louise Southerden-The true meaning of ZenRead more

MY YEAR OF DIRT AND WATER  Journal of a Zen Monk’s Wife in Japan By Tracy Franz 307 pp. Stone Bridge Press. Paper, $16.95. Foreigner-in-Japan narratives have certain consistent themes. They are stories of seeking, of alienation, of awe and disappointment, of tantalized not-quite-understanding. They are often infused with longing for an aesthetic and philosophical ideal that seems always to be vanishing, like fragrant smoke. Their most famous practitioners, from Lafcadio Hearn to Alan Booth and Donald Richie, tend to … Janice P. Nimura-An American in Japan, Leading a Zen Koan of a LifeRead more

If you ignore power, you ignore powerful Buddhist teachings. Pema Khandro Rinpoche says that Buddhism teaches us how to be powerful and compassionate at the same time. A depiction of Siddhartha Gautama subduing the demon king Mara shortly before attaining enlightenment. “Shakyamuni Conquering the Demons,” ca 1888 by Kawanabe Kyōsai. Courtesy of The Met. Fellow Buddhists, we need to talk about power. Discussion of power is largely absent in the American Buddhist community. For some, this … Pema Khandro Rinpoche -The Power of BuddhismRead more