This week, Tesshin Roshi used his Taisho to reflect on his recent experience serving on jury duty. He explained that in 2010, the Violence Against Children Act was passed at the federal level, removing the statute of limitations for child abuse cases. As a result, many long-buried cases are now appearing in the courts. The…

This week, Tesshin Roshi continued our exploration of Dogen’s fascicle on refraining from unwholesome action. He reminded us of some of the more challenging aspects of Dogen’s thought. One striking example is Dogen’s teaching that diligent practice strengthens the practice of the historical buddhas. In other words, the merit we generate today flows backward in…

This week Tesshin Roshi continued our study of Dogen’s fascicle on refraining from unwholesome action. Roshi pointed out that the simple act of refraining is itself the true expression of enlightenment. In refraining there is no judgment, no duality, no “this versus that.” At first, this can sound as if wholesome and unwholesome actions are…