Dharma Blog
Zen in words and pictures
Zen is an experience beyond words or images, they say. And yet Jikishin Sensei writes on the Dharma Blog in the Kanzeon Magazine about the teaching of the Buddha - the Dharma - and its appearance and manifestation in our Western life.
What can be said at all can be said clearly. We'll keep quiet about the rest.
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Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 6
Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 6 Preview: 6:00 am: Does the Roshi know the answer? / 6:04 am: How did I get here? / 6:05 am: I taste my hunger... / 6:09 am: ...hunger for the posture / 6:11 am: This is how the Buddha sits / 6:14 am: Breath counting and bodybuilding / 6:19 am: »Find my mind« ...
What is Dharma in Buddhism?
We use the terms „Dharma“ and „Buddha Dharma“ regularly on this website. In the article „What is Dharma“, we talked about the term Dharma in various religious and secular contexts. Today we are going to talk about the term „Dharma“ in Buddhism. We can memorize ...
Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 5
That's why I crept onto my pillow this morning, even though I'm in pain and often despondent: I want to do what Buddhas do: sit and shine into myself.
In memory of Martha Ekyo Maezumi
Ekyo-San Maezumi died peacefully on Sunday, April 10, 2022, at her home in California. Ekyo was the wife of our late esteemed teacher and founder of the White Plum Zen lineage, Taizan Maezumi Roshi. They had been married since 1975 and have three children: Kyrie, Yoshi and Yuri, and one grandchild.
Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 4
The first morning zazen has just begun and we are already hungry - hungry for the posture. Now, shortly after six, I can taste Buddha's posture. This posture has been handed down for two and a half thousand years...
What is Kanzeon?
In Buddhism, Kanzeon is the name for the embodiment of compassion. Kanzeon is compassion and belongs to the family of bodhisattvas. But what is a bodhisattva?
„She was sitting on top of a cupboard. I put my hands on the window like blinders so that I could see into the salesroom better in the dark. A store for incense, Asian goods and fine fabrics in Düsseldorf's old town.“
Appreciate your life...
Venerable Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi, who had a significant influence on the growth of Zen Buddhism in the United States, was ordained as a Soto Zen monk at the age of eleven. He received degrees in oriental literature and philosophy from Komazawa University and studied at Sojiji, one of the two most important Soto monasteries in Japan.
Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 3
The first morning zazen has just started and I remember: so far we have entered the zendo, before six o'clock in the morning; we have settled on our cushions, the Roshi has greeted us with Kentan and now the first 40 minutes of zazen have begun...
Guided meditation 18-March-2020
On March 18, 2020 - in the wake of the coronavirus crisis - Kanzeon Sangha moved physical meditation from the Düsseldorf Zen Center to the internet. This „online“ meditation was a first for Kanzeon Sangha. Participants asked Jikishin Sensei to also include a guided meditation. This audio file is an edited version of Wednesday's guided meditation.
Traditional line in the West - Europe
Zen has also taken root in Europe since 1967. The Soto School has portrayed the most important European temples in a short video.
The 7 stages of the Zen way
Behind the stove, we happy people are cozy and elegant. In our happiness, this thought arises: „I hope it always stays this cozy!“ We happy people slide back and forth on our pillow. Although we are blessed with such happiness, questions arise within us...
Traditional line in the West - USA
In the last century, the seeds were sown for Zen in the West. The Soto School has portrayed the events in a video. Taizan Maezumi Roshi, one of these protagonists, is the „grandfather“ of our Zen lineage in Germany.
The 10 Sorrows of Siddhartha
Jikishin Sensei follows Siddharta on his path to liberation from suffering. We meet the demons of the later Buddha - and the suffering he caused.
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths Show Your Wound Click. A soft crackling sound hits my tense body. Dr. Thiele leans over me with her mask on and says: „Let's see“... I'm lying in the dentist's chair, sweating, and the dentist has switched on the lamp and is leaning over me, the lamp humming softly ...
Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 2
In 1998, I wrote down some of the experiences of my first ten years of Zen practice. At that time, I imagined the events of a morning sitting during a sesshin and recounted them. So far we have entered the zendo before six o'clock in the morning; we have settled on our cushions and now we are waiting for zazen to begin...
Enlightenment
A flame, once lit, illuminates a room that was previously dark. Now that I can see something, I can find my way around the room. I can move around without constantly bumping into tables or benches. Once I've got my bearings, I can start to get to know the things in the room and then use them as I wish. If I was blind before, I can now see...
Streets, Zen and bodybuilding 1
In 1998, I wrote down some of the experiences of my first ten years of Zen practice. At the time, I imagined the events of a morning sitting during a sesshin and recounted them. If you like, follow me, the narrator, into the meditation room: we enter the zendo together, find our place and sit down on the meditation cushion...
Sitting
To understand Zen and to feel comfortable in Zen, it is good to sit in zazen every day. To sit zazen, choose a place that you like and where you can stay undisturbed for more than 20 minutes. Make sure the temperature and light are comfortable. Don't waste time looking for or setting up the place: you can sit anywhere.
What is Dharma?
The terms „dharma” and „budda-dharma” appear frequently on this website. Jikishin Sensei explains how he understands the historical development of the terms.
Beyond Zen and non-Zen
Warm sand under the soles of your feet. A green shard cuts into the blood. The scream is brief. No plaster with me.
