Saturday, February 25, 2012

New direction, new name

If you're a returning reader, you've probably noticed that I've changed my url and blog name. I've been contemplating this for a while, and finally decided to make the move today. As many of you know, I've been practicing with the Five Mountain Zen Order, and as a result my Zen direction has changed.

I don't feel that "Zen and Back Again" properly captures where I currently am in my Zen practice. "Original Mind," on the other hand--borrowed from my favorite Zen ancestor, the eminent Zen Master Mazu--grabs the bull by the nose. Zen for me at this point is about returning to our true nature so that we can help others. The koan work that I do with Rev. Lynch at Five Mountain constantly comes back to this point--finding and functioning with our original minds. And then how we use that illuminated mind to assist others. Zen Master Seung Sahn often said, "Get Enlightened, then save all sentient beings." 

Zen isn't about building anything new; it's about returning to what we already are and finding our true nature. Our original mind.

My new blog title tries to express that.

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks to Rev. Lynch for constantly reminding me about this.

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