An Interview With Rinsen

In honor of the first anniversary of the Drinking Gourd Podcast, Jay Rinsen Chikyo Weik gives an interview at the Toledo Zen Center on October 22, 2008.

"When I finally got to see a full-out Zen monastery, I was hooked. It really helped me by providing a specific way of working on this, and working with this whole contemplative intelligence, that I couldn't find in the Western approach."

Listen Here

Rumi

I have lived on the lip of insanity,
wanting to know reasons,
knocking on a door. It opens.
I've been knocking from the inside!

-Rumi (1207-1273)

Zen Humor

Hey All,

I am on the road these days with a chamber orchestra and I heard some good Zen humor in NYC:

What did the Zen Master say to the hotdog vendor?

Make me one with everything!

There is a kernel of truth in the various sides that statement.
Hope you all are well.

Peace,

The Maestro

Encountering the Ancestors Retreat this Sunday Oct 19th.

"My Mind is like the Autumn moon
shining clean and clear in the green pool.
No, thats not a good comparison.
Tell me, how shall I explain?"

- Han-Shan

Please join us for the monthly retreat day this sunday. We will sit zazen from 9am to noon and then look together at the teachings of Han-Shan from 1:30 to 4:30pm. Everyone is welcome to join us for all or any part of the day.

- Rinsen

Practicing Loving Kindness

Jay Rinsen Chikyo Weik gives a talk and leads discussion at the Toledo Zen Center on May 14, 2008.

"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many people, to want to help everyone and everything is to succumb to violence. The frenzy kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful." -Thomas Martin, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

Listen to this talk HERE.