“It seemed impossible or at least foolish—maybe even a little crazy—to try. I had previously lived in at Chozen-ji twice, so I had some idea of how difficult three months of live-in training would be.”
Read MoreIn these turbulent times, Zen Art can help you become clear and tranquil—bringing peace to a busy city, or clarity to your environment and state of mind. As a vibrant force, Zen Art influences your vibration, helping you to accord with the flow and rhythm of the Universe, which is unmoved even by today's chaos.
Read More“To receive and let flow away.” —Tanouye Tenshin Rotaishi
This phrase is found in Master Takuan Soho’s letters to swordmaster Yagyu Munenori on the Immovable Mind in fencing. It refers to a technique in which the opponent’s attack is received and returned against him.
For example, the opponent cuts for your head. Receiving the strike with your sword, you let its momentum initiate your cut to his body. Tanouye Rotaishi used to say, “Here’s the secret to life.” Receive and let flow away.
Read MoreWe made the call a few weeks before this summer’s sesshin to go ahead with it, albeit with serious precautions. With safety rules in place, we had an extremely sharp and efficient sesshin, ending with the firing of the wood-fired kiln.
Read MoreEven in late March—as the COVID-19 pandemic began—we saw an increasing number of requests from new students to begin Zen training. We decided to offer beginning zazen instruction online for the first time, even as Chozen-ji monks sheltered in place and Dojo members were asked to stay at home and shelter in place.
Read MoreReconstruction of the wood-fired ceramics kiln was completed in January after more than a year of discussions, design, deconstruction, and construction.
At the time of this newsletter, it has now been fired twice, producing wood-fired ceramics for the Art Show that will hopefully take place in November.
Read MoreThe rapid spread of the Coronavirus has had me thinking about patient zeros and what it takes for something to spread quickly throughout the world. This doesn’t only apply to viruses and pathogens, of course. Stephen Kow Roshi’s Mu-I Tai Chi (sometimes referred to as 10-step Tai Chi or Mu-I Taiji Zen) is one example of something good that has made its way quickly around the world.
Read MoreThe second to last chant (okyo) in the choka sequence is Shiku Sei Gan Mon—The Four Vows. It is chanted three times at a pace slower than any other and has a vibe of seriousness and focused determination consistent with this chant, which comes as close to prayer as a Buddhist may have.
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Download our most recent newsletter as a PDF—or browse all our Winter 2019 newsletter articles on our blog, linked here in this post.
Read MoreIn the late 1980’s, Tanouye Roshi was determined to spread the lessons of the Aloha Spirit. He felt that a deeper understanding and cultivation of Aloha would give students a more tangible sense of the Buddhist principle of compassion. Four Aloha Spirit posters were made, one of them featuring Native Hawaiian spiritual leader Pilahi Paki’s definition of Aloha. Thousands were distributed. Alvin Shim also succeeded in passing the Aloha Spirit Bill, putting this definition into law.
Read MoreThis year’s annual Zen Art Show & Sale was held November 8-10. Following coverage in The Hawaii Herald and The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, attendance far exceeded our expectations. We estimate as many as 1,000 people came through.
Read MoreOn October 12, master percussionist and taiko performer Kenny Endo collaborated with the teachers and students of Chozen-ji in a performance called The Rhythm of the Universe. Kenny provided taiko, flute, hand drum and voice accompaniment for various Chozen-ji arts—Karate, Shakuhachi, Chado, Okyo, Kendo and Hojo—and zazen.
Read MoreAt Chozen-ji, it has been a longstanding goal to use Zen training for the betterment of society. Zen training and the skills it cultivates—kan (intuition), compassion, strength and sensitivity—are critical to developing public leaders in Hawaiʻi and throughout the world.
Read MoreAt a recent intensive in Chaska, Minnesota, I spoke about seasons. All around us, the evidence of nature’s transition played out, day by day, and sometimes hour by hour.
What does a person from Hawai`i know about seasons? It is a legitimate question. After all, we’re likely to have no more than a ten degree shift from the ‘coldest’ to the ‘warmest’ part of any day. Paradoxically, many Hawai`i-born folk are especially sensitive to minute changes: the direction of the wind, moisture in the air, whether the rains will be brief or torrential, the difference in winter’s sun. We sense the weather, the evolution of climate. We notice.
Read MoreSometimes I am asked for the business plan for Chozen-ji. When I was young, I futilely tried many times to come up with something but Zen training at Chozen-ji is a hard sell. Now I say I’m following the Bodhidharma method, or as Honda Roshi says, “Train hard. The rest is up to Heaven.” The results are better.
Read MoreGuided by the lunar calendar in February, which dictates the ideal time for planting, 16 members of Chozen-ji accessed the island of Kaho’olawe for environmental and cultural restoration over three days.
Read MoreTanouye Roshi was determined to literally spread lessons of the Aloha Spirit—the genuine stuff beyond the tourist greeting. He believed a deeper understanding and cultivation of aloha would allow us to have a more tangible sense of the Buddhist principle of compassion.
Read MoreDownload our most recent newsletter as a PDF—or browse all our Summer 2019 newsletter articles on our blog, linked here in this post.
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The arrow releases from the string and “Thwack!” A true hit! I take the next arrow and again the draw feels impossibly perfect. It’s as if the bow no longer exists and the arrow is already in the target. “Thwack!” Another true hit. How did that happen?
Read MoreSomewhere in my 2-year journey into meditation, I found Chozen-Ji on Instagram. A few weeks later, Chozen-Ji posted about the Live-In Intensive in April and I felt a sense of urgency to see where it might lead. I emailed them and a week later I was forwarding my flight itinerary for Honolulu. It was like winning some cosmic lottery.
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