Mar 1 - 7

Winter, week 11

"The transformation to forgiveness, which is closely related to compassion, can take place because the dualistic world of the small mind and its thoughts has been deserted for the nondual, nonpersonal experiencing that alone can lead us out of our hellhole of nonforgiveness." --Joko Beck

Saturday Zen. Our next Zen service is Sat Mar 3, 10:00 - 11:45am, room 24
Community UU, 468 Rosedale Ave, White Plains, NY.
Practice to be led by Meredith.

Chants for Thu Mar 1 - Wed Mar 7:

• Song of the Jeweled-Mirror Samadhi, p. 25
• The Way of Tenderness, p. 66

See Boundless Way Zen Sutra Book, 4th ed. and
BoWZ Westchester Chant Schedule

Reading this week: Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special: Chap. 9, "Forgiveness," pp. 55-56.

Question. Who is it you cannot forgive? Joko quotes Kierkegaard: "Perfect love means to love the one through whom one became unhappy." Can you love that one while nevertheless separating and breaking off contact? Is there an important distinction between simply letting go of grudge or anger and forgiving?

At Boundless Way Temple, 1030 Pleasant St, Worcester, MA:

• Sat Mar 10, 9:00-17:00. "Buddhism 101." INFO HERE.
• Thu Mar 15, 19:00 - Sun Mar 18, 12:00. Spring Sesshin. INFO HERE

Raven Tale: The Good of Practice

The thing, missed --
A tree, a ritual, a song, a shot at love --
Leaves a vacuum
Which the question
Of its good
Fills, or partly.

Koan Post: Blue Cliff Record #74: Jinniu and the Rice Pail

Every day, the same thing.
Every day, it's a fresh, spontaneous,
Gesture of total freedom.
Like a spouse to spouse saying, "I love you":
Deadly.

KOAN INDEX