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    Brooklyn, NY 11215
    718-701-1083

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  • Andy Ferguson on Bodhidharma and His Legacy

    Published May 19th, 2008

    Andy Ferguson will be giving a talk at the Village Zendo this Thursday evening, May 22, 2008 between 7:45 pm and 9:00 pm.

    Bodhidharma is a primary figure in the history of Buddhism and traditionally known as the First Ancestor in Zen. Informed by new information uncovered during his recent trips to China, Andy Ferguson will talk about the legendary Indian monk: his burial place, his life, and his impact on China today.

    Andy Ferguson is the author of Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings, and founder of South Mountain China Tours . He frequently leads special trips to visit and practice at famous Zen monasteries in China, and was the first American to attend the annual ceremony honoring Bodhidharma at his burial temple.

    Awareness Test

    Published May 16th, 2008

    A sangha member showed this to us. We thought you might find it a fun way to play with awareness.

    SFZC Three Week Summer Intensive Practice Period

    Published May 15th, 2008

    For those who might be interested in traveling to the west coast this summer, San Francisco Zen Center will be having their three week summer intensive practice period from July 11th through July 31st. The practice period will be led by Abbott Ryushin Paul Haller. To get more information or download an application, click here to go to the summer intensive web page.

    The Dalai Lama Teaching in New York

    Published May 15th, 2008

    Sangha member, Monica Rose, sent me an email, reminding us that the Dalai Lama is speaking at Radio City Music Hall on July 17th. Tickets go on sale today. For those interested, you can find out more information and purchase tickets here. Following is information from the Radio City Music Hall site:

    His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama returns to Radio City Music Hall for a 2 hour teaching on “The Four Noble Truths”, hosted by the Himalayan Buddhist Community USA. The teaching is about The Four Noble Truths, first introduced by Siddartha Gautama, who later became Lord Buddha after obtaining enlightenment, broadly encompasses four aspects of human suffering, namely, the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path to the cessation of suffering. To meet a broader audience, the teaching will be broadcasted in FM simultaneously, in a few other languages. Should you have any questions, please visit www.dalailamanyc2008.org.

    The Neural Buddhists

    Published May 13th, 2008

    Ian Case sent me this interesting op-ed piece by David Brooks of the New York Times on the current “scientific revolution,” which supports many of the insights of Buddhist practice. Those who follow the dialog between cognitive science and Buddhism know that this kind of research has been developing for sometime now. Brooks proposes here that these insights within the scientific community are a distinct paradigm shift running counter to the former materialist perspective and will consequently have broad, even revolutionary implications for society as a whole. The following text, excerpted from the column, enumerates several of its positions:

    First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is.

    In their arguments with Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, the faithful have been defending the existence of God. That was the easy debate. The real challenge is going to come from people who feel the existence of the sacred, but who think that particular religions are just cultural artifacts built on top of universal human traits. It’s going to come from scientists whose beliefs overlap a bit with Buddhism.

    Jill Bolte Taylor Discusses Her Stroke

    Published May 13th, 2008

    Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor talks about the insights she gained around the nature of self while experiencing her own stroke. Text from source:

    Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

    If you are interested in hearing more from Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, you can find interviews with her both here and here.

    Buddha’s Birthday

    Published May 12th, 2008

    Though Japan annually recognizes the Buddha’s birthday on April 8th with the celebration of Hana Matsuri (Flower Festival), the majority of East Asia traditionally honors the Tathagata’s birthday on the eighth day of the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. That day falls on May 12th this year, which is today. The Theravada tradition that is predominate in Southeast Asia follows the Buddhist lunisolar calendar and will be celebrating the Buddha’s birthday in eight days on May 20th.

    Cultivating Mindfulness and the Land

    Published May 8th, 2008

    Environmental activist, organic agriculturalist, and dharma teacher, Wendy Johnson, has recently published her book, Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate. Wendy has worked in the organic fields of San Francisco Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farms for thirty years. In this New York Times article published just yesterday, the writer notes that,

    Long before Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver wrote best-selling books about eating foods grown locally, Ms. Johnson, with a long-necked English watering can perpetually in hand, was cultivating an awareness of how lettuce grown au naturel can also feed the soul.

    As a wife and mother of two, Wendy combines her 30-year training in organic agriculture with a commitment to teaching meditation engaged with the life of the world. She leads meditations, walks, lectures, and workshops, and has written a regular column in Tricycle magazine for the last eight years. In this San Francisco Chronicle article, Wendy’s new book is described as sharing a lifetime of wisdom on the relationship between the land and those who must learn to live on it.

    Sangha, Thank You for the Move!

    Published May 6th, 2008

    I want to thank the sangha for all of your help with the move. With all of the hands that pitched in, we were able to move the entire zendo in less than an hour and a half before sitting down for pizza (seen in photo to the left).

    And thank you to those who gave donations to cover some of the expenses of the move, who loaned us your cars for the move, and who pitched in on food and drinks. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

    Finally, I want to thank Claudia and Grady again for all of the years we spent in our original zendo. Without our first zendo, there would be no Brooklyn Zen Center.

    A deep bow to all of you.

    How to Cook Your Life

    Published May 5th, 2008

    The documentary, How to Cook Your Life, with Zen Buddhist chef, Edward Espe Brown, is released on DVD tomorrow, May 6th. The following description is from the web site:

    Filmmaker Doris Dörrie turns her attention to Buddhism and that age-old saying, you are what you eat. In How To Cook Your Life, Dörrie enlists the help of the charismatic Zen Master Edward Espe Brown to explain the guiding principles of Zen Buddhism as they apply to the preparation of food as well as life itself. “How a person goes about dealing with the ingredients for his meals” explains Dörrie “says a lot about him. How To Cook Your Life teaches us to be attentive in our everyday dealings with the most mundane things and also open our eyes to one of the most beautiful occupations: cooking.”