Hi Folks, For the last 7 days, as I had COVID, Dan Gulliford covered for me and facilitated our regular practice sessions. The good news is I am over having COVID and tested negative. The practice continues on our regular schedule at our Zendo. A special thanks to Dan for facilitating while I was recuping. I hope to see you soon. All the best,
Category Archives: Weekly Dharma Study
Calendar Update: Regular Practice Schedule
Join us tonight for our Wednesday Evening Practice Session, on July 3, 2024. Ordinary Zen Sangha practice sessions continue after a month off in June 2024. OZS is secular in its approach, no experience is necessary, and all are welcome. We practice at our Zendo on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. We chant the Heart Sutra, practice sitting meditation for 25 minutes, walking meditation for 5 minutes, and another sitting meditation for 25 minutes, followed by a Dharma talk and discussion […]
Hauling Away the Shit Pail
“It is foolish to use the verb “to appear” in describing the manifestation of the buddhas. We simply use the expression “a buddha appears in the world” to make it easier for sentient beings to understand. “Picks up a shit pail and hauls away all the shit of conceptual proliferation” means that a buddha removes all traces of various types of ignorant thoughts. If you do not depart from the original true reality of the middle way, then whatever words […]
Huangbo -Transmission Of The Mind – Intro
Dear Friends, Welcome to the New Year and our study series on the Teachings of Huangbo. The text we will be exploring is a record of a series of talks given by Huangbo in the fall of 842. The talks were recorded by an official named Pei Xiu. There are two translations that you may use for our study series. The first is The Zen Teaching Of Huang Po On The Transmission Of Mind by John Blofeld. The second can be […]
The Basis for Giving
Cultivate an attitude of all-pervading loving kindness. Directed not just to humans but to all sentient beings, with this attitude, we give freely of what we have without any regret. The three types of giving: The first is to give through your understanding of the Dharma. This means to devote yourself to the service of others by realizing, for their sake, the emptiness of yourself and your desires. The second is to give away material possessions without any reluctance. Giving that […]
Exploring The Transmission of Mind with Huangbo
Good Friends, In the New Year, I will share a series of posts on the ‘Transmission of Mind’ by Master Huangbo (Similar to the series we did in August of the ‘Platform Sutra of Hui-neng‘). This series will primarily use the Book ‘Zen Roots – The First Thousand Years‘ by Red Pine as its main study text (There is a link to purchase the book on the website). Another good translation is ‘The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the […]
News and updates – 10/1/23
Good Friends, Our ‘Silent Retreat in Nature‘ is getting closer and if you haven’t registered yet, I encourage you to do so! I want to especially congratulate those who have signed up for the precepts ceremony. The ceremony will be at the end of the retreat and I will be interviewing each participant during the day. When your time comes, someone will let you know. Nothing scary about the interview, just want to have a moment with each of the […]
Sunday Practice Session
I am happy to be back after a month off and looking forward to sitting together! Please join me this Sunday, 9-03-2023 at our Zendo or online for our practice session. After our practice session, I would like to invite sangha members to join me for an Indian buffet at the Royal Peacock Indian Kitchen. They are just up the road from our Sangha at 5445 Fruitville Rd (near Publix).
Coming Back To Practice
All is calm for now, yet the Gulf of Mexico might have a surprise for us with Idalia strengthening as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida! Right now we are planning to get together on Sunday, September 3, 2023, at the Zendo for Zen Meditation and a Dharma Talk. That might change, so please check the calendar and stay safe! Looking forward to our fall sessions and seeing you all again! Abbot Will Rauschenberger
Platform Sutra Study- Part 3 – Sections 15-19
Dear Good Friends, We continue to explore the Platform Sutra of Hui-neng. If you are following along with me, I recommend that you go directly to the Platform Sutra and skip the introduction and the sections with commentary by Red Pine. Read sections (15-19) of the Platform Sutra, notice your reaction to this reading, sit with it, and comment below. I will respond to your comments (privately) as necessary. During the month of August, we will continue each part of […]