Crooked River Zen Center

This week, Long time Sangha member Mark (Shinmon) Domann, shares what he is doing now that he has retired, to keep busy and engaged in his Buddhist practice in San Diego CA.

The topic of my talk will be happiness using as a launching point a statement from an essay I read this morning by a retired psychiatrist - "As a psychiatrist, I've seen how chasing happiness leads to misery."

This Thurs. we'll have our usual sitting at 7pm following which the dharma talk will continue our study of Dogen's Bendowa, picking up at pg. 105 of "The Wholehearted Way" with the section that begins "There is a path through which the Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi of all things returns..."

This Sat. at 9:30am we will have our next Jukai class where we are still early on with our study of "The Way of the Bodhisattva." We will pick up here with verse 20 in chapter 1. These classes are open to everyone.

We will have our usual sitting on Thurs. at 7pm when we will continue our study of Dogen's Bendowa

On Sat. we have the second of our current series of Jukai classes where we are beginning to study the classic Mahayana text by Shantideva, "The Way of the Bodhisattva." These classes are being led by Chris. We begin at 9:30am with a 30 minute sitting which is followed by the class. Attendance is open to everyone

The writings of Zen master Dogen are among the highest achievements not only of Japanese literature but of world literature. Dogen's writings are a near-perfect expression of truth, beautifully expressing the best of which the human race is capable. In this volume, Francis Cook presents ten selections from Dogen's masterwork, the Shobogenzo, as well as six of his own essays brilliantly illuminating the mind of this peerless master.

On Sat. we begin our next series of Jukai classes which are open to everyone, even if you're not currently sewing a rakusu in preparation for formally receiving the precepts. These classes will be led by Chris and the text that we'll be studying is "The Way of the Bodhisattva." These classes begin with one 30 minute sitting at 9:30am followed by the class.  

On Thurs. we will have our usual sitting at 7pm when our dharma talk will continue our study of Dogen's Bendowa.

 The dharma talk Thurs. will continue our study of Dogen's "Bendowa."

We have our usual Thurs. evening sitting this week at 7pm when our dharma talk following our sitting will continue to look at the last section of the introduction to "The Wholehearted Way" analyzing the important term which Dogen introduces in this work, jijuyu zanmai. Once we get through that we will begin looking at the Bendowa text itself along with Uchiyama's commentary on it.

Open discussion, We get started out with the subject of aliens and Buddhism.

This week we'll again be following our normal schedule with sittings on Thurs. at 7pm and Sat. at 9:30am. The dharma talk on Thurs. will primarily focus on Shohaku's analysis of Dogen's term "Jijuyu Zanmai" from his introduction to "The Wholehearted Way" which was recently re-published as "Master Dogen's Zazen Meditation Handbook." 

Open discussion, Dean gets started with an article from the Atlantic. Then continues with the environment.

 The service following our second sitting on Thurs. will be the full moon ceremony and the talk following that will be focused primarily on Shohaku Okumura's analysis of the very important terms "Bendowa" and "Jijuyu Zanmai" which is found in his introduction to the text we began studying last week, "Master Dogen's Zazen Meditation Handbook" aka "The Wholehearted Way."  

Open discussion from 7/08/2023

On Sat. we will have our July zazenkai. If you plan to attend any portion of this day of practice and have not yet informed me, please let me know by no later than Wed. to help with our preparation. I'm attaching a copy of the schedule we will be following. The dharma talk that morning will be "Zen, Jazz, and the Creative Art of Everyday Living."

On Sat. we will have our July zazenkai. If you plan to attend any portion of this day of practice and have not yet informed me, please let me know by no later than Wed. to help with our preparation. I'm attaching a copy of the schedule we will be following. The dharma talk that morning will be "Zen, Jazz, and the Creative Art of Everyday Living."

We will have our usual Thurs. evening sitting at 7pm followed by a dharma talk on the final chapter of the Lotus Sutra, chapter 28 "Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue."

Open discussion from the summer sesshin 2023 given by Dean Williams.

The dharma talk on Thurs. will be looking at the final two chapters of the Lotus Sutra, (No. 27 and 28 entitled "The Story of King Resplendent" and "Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue").

One time a monk inquired of him, “Reverend Monk, I have heard you say that the whole universe throughout all its ten directions is one bright pearl. How am I, as a trainee, to understand the meaning of this?”

We will have our usual Thurs. evening sitting this week at 7pm when the dharma talk will be on chapter 24 of the Lotus Sutra, "The Bodhisattva Wonder Sound." 

The dharma talk on Thurs. will look at chapters 22 (The Final Commission) and 23 (The Story of the Bodhisattva Medicine King) of the Lotus Sutra.  

We will be meeting this Thurs. at our usual time of 7pm. The dharma talk will be on chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra, "The Bodhisattva Never Despise."

In this talk Chris Wimmer Soto Zen Priest at Crooked River Zen gives a Dharma talk on Attachment.

This week's Dharma talk is a general discussion on the practice of Zazen.

Open discussion from the CRZ April 2023 Zazenkai.

I decided that my talk tomorrow morning will be on a koan, Case No. 39 from the Mumonkan collection. I'm attaching a copy of the koan along with Mumon's commentary and poem. The koan contains the opening line of a poem. Below I'm providing the entire poem this is taken from. I'm sending this to all those who have registered to attend as well as those who may join us via Zoom.The light serenely shines over the whole universe.Ignorant, wise, and living creatures - all are in my abode.When no thought arises, the whole is fully revealed;If the six organs move even a little, it is obstructed by clouds.If you cut off your ignorance, your ailment will increase;If you look for the Truth, you are also in the wrong.Living in accordance with worldly affairs, you will have no obstructions.Nirvana and life-and-death are like colors in a dream.Gassho,Dean

This week's Dharma talk covers chapter 12 DEVADATTA

In this talk Chris Wimmer Soto Zen Priest at Crooked River Zen gives his second talk on the Dharma Seals.All authentic practices of the Buddha carry within them three essential teachings called the Dharma Seals. These three teachings of the Buddha are: impermanence, no self and nirvana.

 The dharma talk on Thurs. will be looking at chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra, "Beholding the Precious Stupa." This is a pivotal chapter in this text, one which marks a major turning point in the dharma teaching being conveyed. I hope you can join us for it.

In this talk Chris Wimmer Soto Zen Priest at Crooked River Zen discusses the Dharma Seals.All authentic practices of the Buddha carry within them three essential teachings called the Dharma Seals. These three teachings of the Buddha are: impermanence, no self and nirvana.

This weeks discussion is generated by readings from the book Dream Conversations, A collection of a renowned Japanese master's written replies to questions about the true nature of Zen. In short, simply worded teachings, Muso Kokushi (1275-1351),

This week we'll return to our normal schedule with sittings on Thurs. at 7pm and Sat. at 9:30am. For the dharma talk Thurs. we will continue our discussion of the Lotus Sutra, looking at chapters 9 & 10.  

Talk 2 of 2 from our Spring Sesshin.Seeing the crimson peach blossoms across a canyon, after seeking for 30 years, a teacher is enlightened. a discussion on John Tarrant's Peach Blossoms.

Talk 1 of 2 from our Spring Sesshin.Seeing the crimson peach blossoms across a canyon, after seeking for 30 years, a teacher is enlightened. a discussion on John Tarrant's Peach Blossoms.

Chapter 4 Take 2...We'll be following a normal schedule this week with sittings on Thurs. at 7pm and Sat. at 9:30am. Last week we finished our look at chapter 4 of the Lotus so we're ready now to move on to Chapter 5, "Parable of the Herbs", which will be of particular interest to the gardeners of our sangha.

This week, Dean opens up the discussion to a topic suggested by a Sangha member. The topic of suggestion is Women's Studies or Women's issues in our society today.

We'll be following a normal schedule this week with sittings on Thurs. at 7pm and Sat. at 9:30am. Last week we finished our look at chapter 4 of the Lotus so we're ready now to move on to Chapter 5, "Parable of the Herbs", which will be of particular interest to the gardeners of our sangha.

On Sat. we will have our last Jukai class before taking a 7 month break. We will be concluding our in-depth study of the Satipatthana Sutra with a talk and discussion on Right Mindfulness from the Noble Eightfold Path which will be led by Sensei Chuck Hutchcraft who will be joining us remotely from Illinois. We expect to have a large 40" monitor which we will be using for this at the zendo for those who join us there that morning. We will begin at 9:30 with a 30 min. sitting with the talk beginning at 10:10. This is open to everyone.

This week we have our usual Thurs. sitting at 7pm. For our service we'll be conducting the full moon ceremony and the talk will be on chapter 4 of the Lotus Sutra, "Faith Discernment."

We have our usual 7 pm sitting on Thurs. this week when we will continue to look at the parable of the burning house from the Lotus Sutra and then move on to chapter 4.  

(January Zazenkai 1.21.23)As all things are buddha-dharma, there are delusion, realization, practice, birth and death, buddhas and sentient beings. As myriad things are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no buddha, no sentient being, no birth and death. The buddha way, in essence, is leaping clear of abundance and lack; thus there are birth and death, delusion and realization, sentient beings and buddhas. Yet in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion weeds spread.

From CRZ January Zazenkai 1/21/2023CaseZhaozhou earnestly asked Nanquan, “What is the Way [the Dao]?”Nanquan said, “The ordinary mind is the Way.”Zhaozhou said, “Should I direct myself toward it or not?”Nanquan said, “If you try to turn toward it, you go against it.”Zhaozhou said, “If I do not try to turn toward it, how can I know that it is the Way?”Nanquan said, “The Way does not belong to knowing or not-knowing. Knowing is delusion; not-knowing is a blank consciousness. When you have really reached the true Way beyond all doubt, you will find it as vast and boundless as the great empty firmament. How can it be talked about on a level of right and wrong?”At these words, Zhaozhou was suddenly enlightened.

This Thurs. we will have our usual sitting at 7pm. The dharma talk will conclude our discussion of chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra and then move on to chapter 3 which includes the first parable in the text, the parable of the burning house. 

For Sat. I'd like to solicit sangha input as to any points of dharma/practice that you'd like to have discussed.  

 The talk on Thurs. will continue our look at chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra titled "Skillful Means" or "Tactfulness" depending on the translation used.

Our monthly Jukai class takes place on Sat. at 9:30am when we will be continuing our study of the Eightfold Path by looking at right concentration. We have looked at this in the recent past when we have talked about the Theravadin approach to this aspect of the path - jhana practice. Consequently, my focus on Sat. will be with our practice of zazen within the context of concentration.  

Thurs. at 7pm when the dharma talk will be on chapter two of the Lotus Sutra entitled "Tactfulness" and for the service we will be doing the full moon ceremony.