The Serene Reflections Podcast is a series of Dharma Talks from the Wallowa Buddhist Temple in the mountains of Northeast Oregon in the United States. Reverend Clairissa Beattie, a Zen Buddhist monk and priest, invites you to join in listening from your own place of stillness, from the Heart That Seeks the Way.

Each talk lasts about half an hour or less. Settling down to hear these clear and quiet teachings through the gateway of the ear may serve as a general introduction to Chan or Zen Buddhist practice within your inquiry into Mahayana Buddhism, or as a supportive adjunct to your own unfolding spiritual work.

These gentle, introspective recordings flow from one monk’s personal reflections on the myriad facets of Zen practice. Episodes of the Serene Reflections Podcast are prepared with the help of the monks and congregation of the Wallowa Buddhist Temple, offered throughout the seasons for the benefit of all beings, including you, wherever you may be.

On this final weekend in July, Rev. Clairissa offers “Full Creek, Tall Grass, Bright Sun.” She comments on teachings gleaned over these last five weeks of exploring together the Buddha’s Eightfold Path. She opens to the teaching offered to us by the summer itself in its glorious expression of life – in the roaring high waters, growing grasses, and bright sunlight illuminating all.

Rev. Clairissa completes her series of reflections on the four Bodhisattva Vows with the fourth and final vow, which reads “However infinite the Buddha’s Truth is, I vow to realize it.” Exploring the connection between the four Bodhisattva Vows and the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, her reflections illuminate both sets of four in the process.

For those who are just encountering the Buddha’s teaching as well as for those who have been walking the path for some time, she offers clarification on our purpose for practicing Buddhism. The Bodhisattva Vows:

However innumerable beings may be, I vow to save them all,
However inexhaustible the passions may be, I vow to transform them all,
However limitless the Dharma may be, I vow to comprehend it completely,
However infinite the Buddha’s Truth is, I vow to realize it.

Rev. Clairissa continues to contemplate the teaching of the Bodhisattva Vows, this time referring to the third of the four Bodhisattva Vows. She considers the various meanings of the term “Dharma” which is so central to Buddhism, and the importance of our willingness to continue opening to the teaching as it unfolds throughout a lifetime of spiritual practice.

The Bodhisattva Vows express our true heart’s intention to help beings, especially through the offering of our inner spiritual work. In our tradition of Sōtō Zen, these fundamental vows are recited three times in succession during our regular Renewal of Vows ceremony:   

However innumerable beings may be, I vow to save them all,
However inexhaustible the passions may be, I vow to transform them all,
However limitless the Dharma may be, I vow to comprehend it completely,
However infinite the Buddha’s Truth is, I vow to realize it.

Rev. Clairissa discusses a Buddhist approach to the arising of strong emotions in response to events in the world and in the world inside of us. 

She refers to the second of the Bodhisattva Vows. These four vows are the expression of the wish to help all beings. In our tradition of Sōtō Zen, they are part of our regular Renewal of Vows ceremony, and are read as follows:

However innumerable beings may be, I vow to save them all,
However inexhaustible the passions may be, I vow to transform them all,
However limitless the Dharma may be, I vow to comprehend it completely,
However infinite the Buddha’s Truth is, I vow to realize it.

Contemplating the Kesa verse, Rev. Clairissa offers reflections on our natural pure intention, the wish to help all beings. The Kesa is the monk’s robe which symbolizes the Buddhist Precepts, our vow to cease from harm, to do only good, to do good for others.

The Kesa verse is recited daily in a Sōtō Zen temple when putting on the Kesa at the start of day, and also at home by lay Buddhists when meditating in the morning. This small ceremony is the daily renewal of our vow to follow the Buddha’s path, and the recognition of the Buddha Nature we share with all things.

The Kesa verse reads as follows: How great and wondrous are the clothes of enlightenment, Formless and embracing every treasure; I wish to unfold the Buddha’s teaching That I may help all living things. 

As three of the temple’s congregation get ready to travel in a few days to the monastery, where they will participate in Jukai, Rev. Clairissa offers some thoughts for us all to consider on the joyous occasion of their significant spiritual step of becoming lay Buddhists. 

Jukai is the Japanese term for the five ceremonies of receiving the Precepts in our tradition of Sōtō Zen. During Jukai, a weeklong retreat is held at the monastery for the purpose of searching one’s own heart and committing to follow the Buddhist path. 

Rev. Clairissa explores how our practice of seated meditation means becoming still, flexible, and clear in all conditions. Through this, we help ourselves and all beings to the balance beyond the opposites, joining in the endless flow of all existence.

She begins by reciting Meditation Master Wanshi Shōgaku’s poem “My Friendly Advice for Seated Meditation” from Chapter 26 of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman.

Rev. Clairissa reflects on how sitting in meditation leads to becoming truly seated in our place of meditation, made possible by not letting anything get in the way of our doing the practice of meditating and living the life of the Precepts, in all conditions.

She refers to the teaching of Great Master Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253), specifically Chapter 26 from the Shōbōgenzō, the collection of Dōgen’s lifetime of recorded Dharma talks. This is the chapter titled “On Wanshi’s ‘Kindly Advice for Doing Seated Meditation’” (“Zazen Shin” in Japanese), written down in April of the year 1242 C.E. in Japan. 

Rev. Clairissa describes the ordinary practice within our Sōtō Zen tradition of sweeping pathways clear of debris. Just as we do this and other simple activities with presence and care, so may we clear the way for ourselves to do the spiritual work within the heart – thus helping to clear the way for all beings. 

Rev. Clairissa points out that when we open to being honest with ourselves as to how we may be doing harm, and take refuge in the heart of the Precepts within, the way to true peace and freedom appears naturally. 

In light of our intention to help beings, which is at the heart of the Three Pure Precepts, Rev. Clairissa considers a facet of the first of the Ten Great Precepts, the guideline on not killing. She explores the daily practice of sparing tiny bugs who cross our path. She looks at how to be with ourselves and others when we don’t manage to follow this aspect of the Dharma, and reflects on the benefits to us and all beings when we nurture the habit of not killing our insect friends. 

Rev. Clairissa looks at the Buddha Nature of material things. She invites us to reflect on how we are with the things that surround us in everyday life. It’s wonderful to work for the good of all sentient beings. How might we help non-sentient things, as well? How might the non-sentient help us to see Buddha? This simple, everyday practice of taking care with physical things unlocks the heart of the Precepts, the heart of the Buddha’s teaching. 

“What is Buddha Nature?” Rev. Clairissa responds to this and two other helpful questions that were posed this past week by some of our friends near and far. 

“Why Train?” Rev. Clairissa considers how it can help to ask ourselves this question, at times. When considering taking up a practice, when first setting out on the path, or when the going gets rough, it may be of use to reflect on our motivation for doing our spiritual practice. She offers a glimpse of where the path of Zen Buddhist training may lead those who are willing to follow it. In the talk, Rev. Clairissa describes the shape of the Sōtō Zen “Sumeru” style altar and explains some of its symbolism.  

In this Dharma talk titled “Stories,” Rev. Clairissa reflects on how stories of various kinds may be of benefit in our spiritual training, and how they may also become impediments, depending on what we do with them as they arise. She tells us a story or two, as well. 

Rev. Clairissa explores the offering of great Love in the form of friendship toward oneself and others. Recounting the words of the Buddha to his followers on this topic, she considers how good friendship functions as both the source and fulfillment of our practice. 

In the Dharma talk titled “Other Than They Are” Rev. Clairissa explores the conditional mind frame, the one in which we wish things were somehow not as they are. She reminds us of how we may live from our place of stillness which neither grasps nor pushes away things as they are. 

In “Waiting is Awakening,” Rev. Clairissa looks at what it can be to wait wholeheartedly, and also what the offering of such a way of waiting has to do with our realization of enlightenment.

Rev. Clairissa offers an opportunity to reflect on life’s deeper purpose, which may clarify when we let go of the human tendency to judgement and respond to the beckoning of That Which Is.

After the recent experience of a day without electricity at the temple, Rev. Clairissa reflects on what may be gained when in the course of Zen practice we unexpectedly find ourselves prompted to let go of personal individual “power” and respond to conditions as needed.

On the first Sunday of the New Year, Rev. Clairissa points toward reminders of our Original Buddha Nature which reverberates through all beings. She speaks of the various forms of Maitreya, the Buddha Yet to Come, and she invites us to join her in listening to Keizan’s teaching on Kayashata and his teacher Sōgyanandai, two Ancestors in our Sōtō Zen lineage.

As we approach the turning of the year, Rev. Clairissa considers the teaching on keeping vigil which is intrinsic to our practice of meditation, following the Precepts, and being fully present with ourselves.

She explores examples from the spiritual journey of ordinary life, pointing out how our willingness to be resolute links us together with all beings.

In “Finding a Way” Rev. Clairissa explores the bodhisattva attitude of mind available to all by meeting whatever arises with an open heart: responding to conditions, willing to help beings. 

She relates the inspiring examples of three ordinary bodhisattvas who appeared one after the other to help here at the temple on an unexpectedly heavy snow-day in mid-December, when monks had recently emerged from the stillness of a weeklong retreat.

During this season of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, as we enter the dark of winter, Rev. Clairissa illuminates some of the teaching on Great Compassion from our festival offertory. 

Compassion appears in many varying ways in Buddhist iconography, scripture, and practice. Rev. Clairissa reminds us that compassion — however you define it, pronounce it, or spell it in whatever language — is the very root and ground of being, from which even enlightenment originates.

In “The Buddha’s Enlightenment” Rev. Clairissa introduces possibilities for practice and reflections at home during the upcoming weeklong Searching of the Heart retreat, when Buddhists commemorate the Buddha’s Enlightenment from December 1st until the morning of December 8th. 

She speaks of the teaching on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, and of our own inherent Buddha Nature which makes it possible for all beings to realize enlightenment.

In “The Sixteen Buddhist Precepts” Rev. Clairissa reads aloud the late Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy’s expression and commentary on the Precepts as passed down in the Sōtō Zen tradition. It includes the Three Treasures Precept, The Three Pure Precepts, and The Ten Great Precepts. 

These Sixteen Precepts are our deepest Refuge and the Buddha’s practical guidelines for living life in accord with our deepest wish by ceasing from harm, doing only good, doing good for others. It is through formally receiving and living these Precepts wholeheartedly that one may become a Buddhist, if one so wishes. And, as Rev. Master Daizui put it, they are simply a description of how to be a decent human being.

This version of the Precepts was first published in 2001, as one part of Rev. Master Daizui’s small booklet/series of pamphlets titled The Eightfold Path of Buddhism. This recited version with minor edits is gratefully offered here by the Wallowa Buddhist Temple with the kind permission of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives.

Here is a link to download a pdf of this booklet in its entirety: 

https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/pdfviewer/the-8-fold-path-of-buddhism/

In the talk on “Meditating While Unsettled” Rev. Clairissa looks at a feeling not unusual in an established practice, that sense of being unable to come to stillness in meditation. It sometimes seems like a resistance to meditation. What can we do, when the unsettled mind arises? She explores various angles of how to approach this situation, assuring us of our ability to meditate in all conditions.

In “Becoming Buddhist” Rev. Clairissa explores the place of the Buddhist Precepts in practicing Zen meditation, reminding us that Buddhism is not only a meditation practice, but equally the living of an ethical life. 

On the occasion of this 25th anniversary of Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett’s death, among other stories Rev. Clairissa recalls what it was like to take the Precepts from Rev. Master Jiyu at Jukai. She passes on Rev. Master Jiyu’s advice on choosing a single one of the Ten Great Precepts to work on, and where working with the Precepts may lead.

In “Look With Care” Rev. Clairissa looks more closely at this advice from the Kyojūkaimon, and how we might approach spiritual practice without worrying whether we are doing well or doing poorly.

Rev. Clairissa looks at what it means to undertake the spiritual journey, outwardly and inwardly, as we open to setting out into the unknown and following the path as it unfolds before us – a “Pilgrimage of the Heart.” She refers to the teaching of Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett on the purpose of meditation, and to the Rules for Meditation set out for us by Great Master Eihei Dōgen, founder of Sōtō Zen Buddhist practice in medieval Japan.

“Silence Beckons” – We consider together this central aspect of our Zen Buddhist practice. In a mix of musings, stories, and invited silent reflections, Rev. Clairissa explores in some depth how we experience silence in spiritual life, in the abstract and in the actual.

In “Deciding” Rev. Clairissa looks at The Scripture of Great Wisdom (also known as the Prajñaparamita or Heart Sutra), which points us toward the heart of Buddhism. She considers how this scripture’s teaching can help us in making the difficult choices inherent in living, finding our refuge in the Great Wisdom beyond our habitual human ways of thinking.

Nearing the Autumnal Equinox, which is also the time of the Festival of Avalokiteshwara, Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, Rev. Clairissa reflects on the compassionate nature within the inevitable truth of impermanence in “Transitions.”

“How Do I Feel?” This episode explores the role of emotions in Sōtō Zen Buddhist meditation and practice. In response to a question from someone who has been practicing for many years, Rev. Clairissa reflects on Dōgen’s teachings on the arising of feelings. She considers how our deep feelings about the state of the world can be a gateway to the Dharma, opening us to our own pure wish to help all beings from the heart of Compassion, Love, and Wisdom.

“Walking Through” includes instructions on how to do walking meditation in the Sōtō Zen tradition, and also offers much more. Beginning with the opening words from Keizan’s Instructions on How to Do Pure Meditation, Rev. Clairissa reflects on how the mind of meditation may transcend the position in which we do it, permeating everything, as we walk through life and everything that arises.

In “A Brush with Impermanence” Rev. Clairissa tells the sobering story of her close encounter with wildfire on her journey to attend a funeral at the monastery, and explores the compassionate teaching offered by this example of a clear and present reminder of the truth of impermanence.  (She was fortunate to come through unscathed; later news reports indicated that the people she mentions in her story were okay as well.)

Rev. Clairissa offers a glimpse into the compassionate intention at the heart of Sōtō Zen Buddhist ceremonial for one who has died, in this discussion of “The Buddhist Funeral Ceremony.” She clarifies how taking the opportunity to “pay our respects” – in whatever way we do it – can point us all toward the Buddha Nature within all things, including the newly dead one, each other, and ourselves. 

A friend came to the temple this week to ask a question about how to meditate while scattered thoughts are arising. This sincere question prompted a number of useful reflections on our practice, which began as we explored the topic together on the temple’s front porch and continued to clarify into this week’s recorded Dharma for you.

Rev. Clairissa begins “The Scattered Mind” with a line from Dōgen’s Rules for Meditation (in Japanese, Fukanzazengi 普勧坐禅儀), which is recited daily in Sōtō Zen temples. It is a foundational guide for both our formal seated meditation and our practice in ordinary daily life. Rules for Meditation is available for download on the Wallowa Buddhist Temple website: https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/pdfviewer/rules-for-meditation/

Rev. Clairissa has a good look at what regrets really are, and how we may benefit from the arising of regrets over our past actions, which can help motivate us to change harmful patterns of behavior. In “Regrets,” she begins with a passage from Keizan’s Denkōroku on The Sainted Barishiba, a monk who entered monastic training late in life and excelled in practice despite skepticism from others based on his late entry.

In “Coming and Going” Rev. Clairissa considers the teaching offered by all that comes and goes in life, inseparable from That Which Is. She considers how, in realizing fully that all that arises passes away, our grief itself may help us to open to our own True Nature and that of all existence. In the talk, Rev. Clairissa refers to Immo, Chapter 28 of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō, translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman as “On That Which Comes Like This.”

In “What is a kōan?” Rev. Clairissa clarifies the gift of the arising of the kōan, the spiritual question that each of us carries through life, and reflects on how we train with the kōan in Sōtō Zen practice. She relates a kōan story from Dōgen, in which a monk and Zen master explore the spiritual question together. In this practice that we share, she says, “this work with the kōan is gentle work, persistent, kind, compassionate work, the work of a lifetime.”

During this week’s extreme heat wave, Rev. Clairissa explores the teaching of Great Master Tōzan Ryōkai on finding the place beyond heat or cold, in “Give Yourself Up.” 

Tōzan Ryōkai (in Chinese: Dongshan Liangjie, 807-869) was the founder of the Caodong Chan way of practice in China, later known as Sōtō Zen when brought by Dōgen to Japan. Rev. Clairissa begins her talk with a story from Tōzan’s teaching as relayed by Dōgen in 1244 in his talk Shunjū, now Chapter 64 of the Shōbōgenzō, translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman.

Rev. Clairissa explores the deeper meaning of this word, “Serenity.” She looks at the idea of stillness, at how we seek peace of heart, and at how all may come to know true Serenity within the conditions of everyday life.

To view the 1989 archive documentary video mentioned in the talk, here is its link on the website of our Order’s monastery in Northern England:

https://throssel.org.uk/throssel-blog/soto-zen-buddhism-archive-video/

Rev. Clairissa digs a little deeper into the meaning of the well-known saying “Chop Wood, Carry Water,” which is attributed to the eighth-century Chinese Zen Buddhist practitioner Layman Pang (740-808), in a poem he composed and recited for a master in our ancestral lineage. She looks at how a willingness to roll up our sleeves and get to work can serve us well as we practice Zen, encouraging us all to continue to “persevere brightly.”

In “Think Deeply,” Rev. Clairissa considers the opportunity open to us for reflection when we take up the practice of reciting the Five Thoughts of the mealtime verse each time we eat, especially how the first thought (on thinking deeply of the ways and means by which the food has come) reminds us of our very real connection with all beings.

At the start of the talk, Rev. Clairissa recites the mealtime verse as used in our tradition of Serene Reflection Meditation, or Sōtō Zen. (Please note that here the word “must” means “Oh, let us take care.”) Here are the Five Thoughts:

We must think deeply of the ways and means by which this food has come.
We must consider our merit when accepting it.
We must protect ourselves from error by excluding greed from our minds.
We will eat lest we become lean and die.
We accept this food so that we may become enlightened.

We are near the time of Wesak, the yearly celebration which honors the birth, enlightenment, teaching and death of the historical Buddha. Rev. Clairissa offers a perspective on the life story of Prince Siddhartha Gautama and those close to him. In the telling, she gently beckons us to consider what the example of their lives together may offer us today, in our own awakening to Nirvana within this very world of Samsara in which we live. 

On this Memorial Day weekend, Rev. Clairissa invites us to reflect on the offering we may receive through remembrance of those who have gone before us, and what we in turn may offer in the living of our lives. In “Remembrance” she refers to Adoration of the Buddha’s Relics, a daily scripture also often recited at Buddhist funerals and memorials, as well as the yearly Festival of Remembrance on Memorial Day.

How may I come to know the peace and strength of will to meet whatever arise, and live with a heart free of fear? On this May day when rain has softly soaked the earth, Rev. Clairissa reflects on the opening lines of our evening office scripture to Kanzeon, The Litany of the Great Compassionate One, as well as other teachings on becoming “the One Who leaps beyond all fear.”

In “Beyond Heaven”Rev. Clairissa considers the importance of remembering what matters whatever the conditions, even when we find ourselves caught up in the heavenly world of fleeting pleasures, as can happen in the realm of the devas (heavenly beings), in the Buddhist teaching on the Six Worlds. 

She refers to the teaching of Great Master Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253) in the Shōbōgenzō, translated by Rev. Master Hubert Nearman, Chapter 8 Keisei Sanshoku – On 'The Rippling of a Valley Stream, The Contour of a Mountain.'

Rev. Clairissa considers what it means to give rise to the intention to realize enlightenment – the awakening of our Buddha Heart – amidst all conditions. She approaches through discussion of the term Bodhicitta, which is Sanskrit for “the mind (and/or heart) that seeks the Way.”

This encouraging reminder to “Remember Bodhicitta” is inspired by teachings offered by Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253), founder of Sōtō Zen in Japan, and by the Thirtieth Ancestor Chien-chih Seng-ts’an/Kanshi Sōsan (d. 606, in China).

For those who may be drawn to look further into Dōgen’s and Seng-ts’an’s teachings:

Dōgen’s recorded Dharma talks, from which Rev. Clairissa reads selections, are translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman in Shōbōgenzō: The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teaching (Shasta Abbey Press, 2007). The chapters mentioned here are: Chapter 6 Soku Shin Ze Butsu “On ‘Your Very Mind Is Buddha’” and Chapter 85 Hotsu Bodai Shin “On Giving Rise to the Enlightened Mind.”

Verses offered from Seng-ts’an/Sōsan’s Dharma poem That Which Is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal (C. Hsin Hsin Ming; J. Shinjinmei) are also translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman. The full poem is in the book Buddhist Writings on Meditation and Daily Practice: The Serene Reflection Meditation Tradition (Shasta Abbey Press, 1994).

In “Sympathy is As the Sea” Rev. Clairissa concludes our exploration of the Four Wisdoms from the Shushōgi chapter “Awakening to the Mind of the Bodhisattva.” She reflects on ways to cultivate our natural sympathetic connection with others in our daily life and practice, and on the meaning of this expression of the Buddha Nature inherent within all of us.

Fourth in a series of four talks by Rev. Clairissa on the Four Wisdoms: charity, tenderness, benevolence, and sympathy.

From the Shushōgi: “If one can identify oneself with that which is not oneself, one can understand the true meaning of sympathy…There are times when the self is infinite and times when this is true of others: sympathy is as the sea in that it never refuses water from whatsoever source it may come; all waters may gather and form only one sea.”

The Shushōgi (What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment) is the distillation of the essential teachings of Dōgen and the Sōtō Zen tradition, compiled in the late 1800s in Japan. The text in English can be found in the book Zen is Eternal Life by Rōshi P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett (Shasta Abbey Press, 1999).

In “Benevolence Helps Everyone” Rev. Clairissa speaks further on the Four Wisdoms from “Awakening to the Mind of the Bodhisattva” in the Shushōgi, this week on benevolence. She reflects on many of the ways we may come to live from the fundamental goodness at the heart of all being – which is not separate from benevolent intention within our own good heart.

Third in a series of four talks by Rev. Clairissa on the Four Wisdoms: charity, tenderness, benevolence, and sympathy.

From the Shushōgi: “If one creates wise ways of helping beings, whether they be in high places or lowly stations, one exhibits benevolence: no reward was sought by those who rescued the helpless tortoise and the sick sparrow, these acts being utterly benevolent. The stupid believe that they will lose something if they give help to others, but this is completely untrue for benevolence helps everyone, including oneself, being a law of the universe.”

The Shushōgi (What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment) is the distillation of the essential teachings of Dōgen and the Sōtō Zen tradition, compiled in the late 1800s in Japan. The text in English can be found in the book Zen is Eternal Life by Rōshi P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett (Shasta Abbey Press, 1999).

In “The Power of Tenderness” Rev. Clairissa continues to reflect on the Four Wisdoms from “Awakening to the Mind of the Bodhisattva” in the Shushōgi, this time in the passage on tenderness. She considers what it means to offer friendship to all beings, especially those beings we encounter in the course of ordinary daily life.

Second in a series of four talks by Rev. Clairissa on the Four Wisdoms: charity, tenderness, benevolence, and sympathy.

From the Shushōgi: “To behold all beings with the eye of compassion, and to speak kindly to them, is the meaning of tenderness. If one would understand tenderness, one must speak to others whilst thinking that one loves all living things as if they were one’s own children…”

The Shushōgi (What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment) is the distillation of the essential teachings of Dōgen and the Sōtō Zen tradition, compiled in the late 1800s in Japan. The text in English can be found in the book Zen is Eternal Life by Rōshi P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett (Shasta Abbey Press, 1999).

In “Blades of Grass” Rev. Clairissa reflects on how we all may meet the unknown and unfamiliar as it arises, going beyond the mind of the opposites, helping ourselves as well as others, from the heart of generosity (also called “charity”) which all beings share.

She looks in particular at the chapter “Awakening to the Mind of the Bodhisattva” in the Shushōgi (What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment).

First in a series of four talks by Rev. Clairissa on the Four Wisdoms: charity, tenderness, benevolence, and sympathy.

From the Shushōgi: “Charity is the opposite of covetousness; we make offerings although we ourselves get nothing whatsoever. There is no need to be concerned about how small the gift may be so long as it brings True results for, even if it is only a single phrase or verse of teaching, it may be a seed to bring forth good fruit both now and hereafter. Similarly, the offering of only one coin or a blade of grass can cause the arising of good, for the teaching itself is the True Treasure…”

The Shushōgi is the distillation of the essential teachings of Dōgen and the Sōtō Zen tradition, compiled in the late 1800s in Japan. The text in English can be found in the book Zen is Eternal Life by Rōshi P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett (Shasta Abbey Press, 1999).

This Sunday is both the Festival of Manjusri Bodhisattva and the 18th anniversary of the death of Reverend Master Daizui MacPhillamy.

In “Great Wisdom From Within” Rev. Clairissa considers the bright mind of meditation, as reflected in the figure of Manjusri (embodiment of Great Wisdom), together with a tribute to the example and teaching of Rev. Master Daizui, who offered so many of us the benefit of his own bright mind and heart. 

Rev. Clairissa reflects on nurturing a soft and flexible heart in response to conditions as they arise. In “Flexibility” she considers examples of flow and flexibility in the natural world around us, such as the gradual transition at each day’s dawning, the innate ability of human beings to adapt, and the qualities of bamboo.

It is the occasion of the Spring Equinox, when light and dark are near balance – a good time to let go of past opinions. Rev. Clairissa looks at the Buddha’s teaching on the balanced attitude of mind known as equanimity, and how it relates to being successful in our life of practice, in this talk on true “Success.”

In “Bright Silence” Rev. Clairissa considers what it may be that draws us to sit still in meditation, and the value of nurturing a habit of silent reflection in ordinary daily life without insisting on conditions of internal or external quiet.

In “Practice” Rev. Clairissa explores some of what it is we actually do that we refer to as our practice of Sōtō Zen Buddhism, as we seek to know our true nature and purpose.

As we near the Festival of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Rev. Clairissa explores the importance of the aspect of Universal Great Love reflected in every heart, symbolized by the goodhearted elephant bearing the one who sits – the embodiment of our benevolent practice of meditation for the benefit of all beings.

In “Great Love” she asks: how may Samantabhadra’s example remind us of what brings us to do our practice, and help us to keep going?

What does “letting go of the world” really mean, deep within the heart that seeks true peace?

Taking the form of a monk is only one way of responding to the call within the heart. As the winter Festival of the Buddha’s Renunciation approaches, Rev. Clairissa invites us to explore “The Value of Renunciation,” whatever the outward form it may take.

Rev. Clairissa reflects on the subject of “Habits.” What are my customary thoughts, my ways of speaking, and my usual manner of acting? In this life of mine, ever subject to impermanence, how may my own habitual ways align with the Great Way which leads to liberation from suffering?

She begins with a quote from Great Master Dōgen’s “On Seeking One’s Master Far and Wide” (Henzan) from the Shōbōgenzō, a Dharma talk originally offered at Dōgen’s mountain hermitage, in 1244.

In “This Opening Heart” Rev. Clairissa offers reflections on practicing stillness within all conditions, and how our stillness may help heal the world as it helps our own opening heart.

Now, leading into Winter Solstice, Rev. Clairissa beckons us all to follow the turning of the spiritual path as it winds inward, toward the stillness at the center of our being, in “Turning Within.” How may we respond to the inner call to turn within and to open the heart, whatever our outer circumstances? 

Through Dōgen’s example of nodes in bamboo and knots in pine, Rev. Clairissa encourages us all in a compassionate approach to our spiritual work which allows “Room in the Heart” to accept and let go of theories and explanations as they arise.

She begins and ends with passages from Great Master Dōgen’s Bendōwa: A Discourse On Doing One’s Utmost in Practicing the Way of the Buddhas, from the Shōbōgenzō.

As we near Buddha’s Enlightenment Day on December 8th, Rev. Clairissa tells the story of an uncompleted sewing project that caught her eye, in “The Undone.”

With it, she offers a closer look at being present even with our concerns over not finishing things, exploring how encountering the transience of life brings the potential for increased awareness of the Presence beyond presence or absence, for us just as it did for Prince Siddhartha Gautama on his path to becoming Buddha.

How may I deepen my practice? How may I sit like Buddha? 

“The more we recognize the sacred in the ordinary, the more we join the Awakened One in the moment of the dawning of the eighth day.” In “Searching the Heart” Rev. Clairissa considers how enlightenment is an ongoing process, for all of us as it was for the Buddha, as we move into the Searching of the Heart retreat during the week leading to Buddha’s Enlightenment Day on December 8th.

“Listening” is an exploration of what may become possible to hear and see as we grow still and turn within, opening as we enter the heart of this liturgical season of Thanksgiving.

Rev. Clairissa opens the talk with a single sentence of Great Master Dōgen’s teaching from Chapter 39 of the Shōbōgenzō, “On ‘The Meditative State that Bears the Seal of the Ocean’” (Kaiin Zammai).

In “Respect” Rev. Clairissa explores the deeper purpose of habitually offering respect, in Zen practice. She looks at the benefits of practicing a respectful posture of mind, heart and will in daily life, both inwardly and with others. 

This talk begins with Dōgen’s words from his talk “On the Great Wisdom That Is Beyond Discriminatory Thought” (Makahannya-haramitsu), Chapter 2 from the Shōbōgenzō.

“A True Heart Exists” offers a glimpse of how the living teaching can be passed on by example, in real life.

This talk was prepared for the Wallowa Buddhist Temple congregation on the occasion of our yearly Festival Memorial for our spiritual Founder, also the 24th anniversary of Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett’s death on November 6, 1996. It includes Rev. Clairissa’s first-hand account of the days following Rev. Master Jiyu’s death at the monastery, from the perspective of a (then) young laywoman who is now a Zen priest and grand-disciple of Rev. Master Jiyu.

Below is a link to our temple website page with more about Rev. Master Jiyu, including some suggested readings:

https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/about-reverend-master-jiyu/

To download a written version of this talk, click below:

https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/pdfviewer/a-true-heart-exists/

In this season of Hungry Ghosts, Rev. Clairissa elucidates the compassionate Dharma of Segaki, which offers a gateway to peace for those who suffer from not letting go. 

In “Release From Clinging” she looks particularly at the teaching of the Segaki Toro ceremony, in its expression of what Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett called “the immaculacy of emptiness” (無 – mu in Japanese, wú in Chinese).

The flow of merit is boundless, and permeates the universe. In “Offer This Common Merit” Rev. Clairissa discusses our practice of the transfer of merit: what does it mean? how do I do it? how does it work? She shares some of Rev. Master Meidō’s teaching, as well, on the great compassion at the heart of the transfer of merit.

“Waking to the Truth” is a discussion of how waking to our True Nature is an ongoing process, both before and after our awakening to the Truth. 

The talk opens with the words of Great Master Keizan, from Chapter 29 of the Denkōroku on the life and teaching of the Thirty-Eighth Ancestor, Great Master Tōzan Ryōkai (807-869). Founder of the Cao-dong Chan tradition in China (later Sōtō Zen in Japan), Tōzan offers us the compassionate wisdom expressed in The Most Excellent Mirror – Samadhi.

Rev. Clairissa opens a discussion of what our human mind makes possible when we come to see the arising of delusion, in “The Power of the Mind.”

Delusion is the more elusive of the three kleshas or “impediments” in Buddhist practice. Converted with the help of meditation and deeper knowing, delusion holds the potential for wisdom, bringing true peace of mind.

In “Facing a Wall” Rev. Clairissa reflects on the compassionate offering each of us makes, in our way, by sitting with our eyes open, facing a wall. At this time of his yearly festival, she offers glimpses into the teaching embodied in Great Master Engaku Bodhidharma, the Sōtō Zen Ancestor who brought with him the heart of Serene Reflection Meditation from his master in India and passed it on to his disciple in China, thus establishing the Chinese Ch’an tradition.

On the occasion of the Festival of Bhaisajyaguru Tathagata, together we look into the deep blue world of the Medicine Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru, known as “The Master of Healing.” Rev. Clairissa considers ways in which, when faced with sickness, each of us may find healing within the fathomless depths of our own Deeper Mind.

In “Kanzeon’s Gentle Arms” we follow Rev. Clairissa on a circumambulation through the Temple of the Heart of Compassion, on the occasion of the thrice-yearly Festival of Avalokiteshwara, the Bodhisattva whose name means “The One Who Hears the Cries of the World.”

“The Turning Wheel” is a look into the altruistic source of the Buddha’s Teaching of the Noble Eightfold Path, also called the Dharma Wheel. 

Rev. Clairissa addresses practice in the areas of Right Thought, Right Speech, and Right Action, in particular, recalling that the Dharma Wheel is set in motion through its expression with all living things.

“Blessings” is a reflection on the recognition of Buddha Nature through the giving and receiving of blessings, in ceremonial and in daily life. Rev. Clairissa explores opening the heart to seek and to offer the beneficial within all situations and in all things.

In this season of sudden summer storms, Rev. Clairissa reflects on finding our still center within the ever-changing cycles of existence, through how we view the arising of conditions within us and around us — finding “Refuge Within the Storm.”

“Silver Mists” is on practicing with the seventh of the Ten Great Precepts: “I will not be proud of myself and devalue others,” most especially when we feel cut off from others. 

Exploring thought patterns from Emily Dickenson’s short poem “The bee is not afraid of me” and the story of Paveyya the ascetic from the Dhammapada, Rev. Clairissa considers how we may come to see our own habits more clearly, and let go of judging.

Teachings from The Dhammapada are from The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories, trans. Daw Mya Tin (Burma Tipitaka Association: Rangoon, Burma, 1986), offered for free distribution only.

This talk was first posted online in February 2024.

In “Letting Go is Holding Gently” Rev. Clairissa considers how we may approach “letting go” in Buddhist practice. 

She suggests some ways to move beyond ideals of “letting go,” toward a deeper stillness within, in the living of real life.

The article quoted, “Every-minute Meditation” by Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy, sets out a step-by-step approach to mindfulness practice in everyday life. If you have not done formal working meditation in a Sōtō Zen temple, you may wish to read this short article prior to listening to Rev. Clairissa’s recorded talk.

In “True Contentment” Rev. Clairissa responds to a written question received this past week from the congregation as to the distinction between “complacency” and “contentment” in our spiritual work. She looks at the opportunity for training with the arising of a klesha (or spiritual impediment) by seeing the Buddha Nature in all things.

 Below is a link to Roar of the Tigress Volume I, the book containing Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett’s transcribed Dharma talk “Why Study Zen,” referred to in this weekend’s recorded talk, the book which prompted the person’s question. 

https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/bookRoar2.pdf 

If you are looking for some spiritual reading material, this book is a very clear overview of the teachings of our practice of Serene Reflection Meditation, whether you are new to Sōtō Zen or have been practicing for some time.

On the occasion of Festival of Kshtigarbha Bodhisattva, Rev. Clairissa explores the heart of Kshtigarbha (Chinese Dìzàng 地藏 and Japanese Jizō 地蔵). This helpful Bodhisattva is an exemplary being on the path to Buddhahood. As an aspect of our own heart, Kshtigarbha embodies the willingness to stand ready throughout time to help all beings find freedom from suffering — whatever arises, and for “As Long As It Takes.”

The Bodhisattva Vows:

However innumerable beings may be, I vow to save them all,

However inexhaustible the passions may be, I vow to transform them all,

However limitless the Dharma may be, I vow to comprehend it completely,

However infinite the Buddha’s Truth is, I vow to realize it.

In “Becoming One With Deepest Wisdom” Rev. Clairissa looks at the example of The Sainted Nagyaarajuna, the fourteenth ancestor in our Sōtō Zen lineage, whose festival day falls in the coming week. She explores how we each may open our human mind to transcend the limitations of dualistic thinking, becoming one with deepest wisdom of the heart.

Below is a link to an audio recording of The Scripture of Great Wisdom, should you wish to listen or recite along with the OBC monastic community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland, in the UK:

https://throssel.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/06greatwis.mp3

It is time for the yearly Festival of Achalanatha, the Bodhisattva also known as Fudō Myō-ō in Japanese, and Bùdòng Míngwáng in Chinese (不動明王).

In “To Become An Iron Being” Rev. Clairissa offers reflections on how the Immovable Dharma Protector, Achalanatha, helps us do the work within the heart through a blazing example of compassionate steadfast determination.

Rev. Clairissa explores what can be learned from the imagery and properties of water – in scriptures, in our world and in our bodies – offering a contemplative approach to written Buddhist teaching in daily practice. The title of the talk “As An Unsullied Stream Is Clear” is a phrase found in the Sandōkai, a teaching from 8th century Chan Master Shítóu Xīqiān 石頭希遷 (in Japanese Sekitō Kisen), which is central to our tradition of Serene Reflection Meditation (Sōtō Zen). To hear the monastic community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey singing the Sandōkai in English, go to this link: https://throssel.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/02sandokai.mp3

THE TEN GREAT PRECEPTS In “Bright Clarity” Rev. Clairissa explores how our practice of Serene Reflection Meditation and living from the heart of the Buddhist Precepts are intertwined, and inherently known to all beings. She begins by reading some verses from an early Chan (Zen) Dharma poem, the Mòzhào míng, the teaching of 12th century Chan Master Hongzhi Zhengjue  宏智正覺 (Japanese: Wanshi Shōgaku), translated into English from the Chinese by Rev. Master Hakuun Barnhard. For a printable page, “The Buddhist Precepts,” listing the Sixteen Precepts of our Sōtō Zen tradition (in the form of the Three Refuges, The Three Pure Precepts, and the Ten Great Precepts), go to this link: https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/pdfviewer/the-16-buddhist-precepts/ For Rev. Master Hakuun’s translation of Hongzhi’s Mòzhào míng, containing the verses read at the start of the talk: https://www.wolkenwater.nl/dharma-teachings/mei-zhao-ming/

In “All Living Things,” join Rev. Clairissa in looking at how the Three Pure Precepts help the “beast of self” in becoming one with great wisdom.

 

1.    Cease from evil. By refraining from that which causes confusion and suffering, the Truth will shine of itself.

2.    Do only good. Doing good arises naturally from ceasing from evil.

3.    Do good for others. To train in Buddhism is to devote one’s life to the good of all living things.

 

The version of the Three Pure Precepts which begin this Dharma Talk are from the pamphlet Serene Reflection Meditation In the Sōtō Zen Tradition of Buddhism by the late Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy.

THE THREE REFUGES

 

“We Take Refuge in the Sangha” centers on the helpfulness of practicing with others, even when this is not easy. The Sangha is the third of the Three Refuges (or Three Treasures) of Buddhism, which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. As Rev. Clairissa says, “The Sangha carries us along, like the current in a stream.”

 

She begins by reading the lines from the Shushōgi (What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment),* a work distilled in Japan over a century ago from the teaching of Great Master Dōgen (1200-1253): 

 

We take refuge in the Buddha since He is our True Teacher; 

We take refuge in the Dharma since it is the medicine for all suffering; 

We take refuge in the Sangha since its members are wise and compassionate. 

 

…take refuge quickly in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha for therein is to be found utter enlightenment as well as freedom from suffering.

_________________________

 

*  From Rōshi P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett, Zen Is Eternal Life, Shasta Abbey Press, 1999. Used with permission.

MEDITATION INSTRUCTION You are invited to participate as Rev. Clairissa offers basic instruction in our tradition of Sōtō Zen or Serene Reflection Meditation, exploring how the moment-to-moment practice of meditation can sustain us through and beyond the arising of fear in everyday life, in “Leap Beyond All Fear!” Before you start the talk, it will be helpful to gather the items to sit on during these instructions on how to do formal meditation. This could be a sturdy chair which allows you to sit with your knees slightly lower than your hips, a forward-tilting meditation bench for kneeling, or a firm round meditation cushion. If you are using a bench or cushion, have a soft meditation mat or folded blanket on the floor beneath you. In the room where you will be listening, set up your meditation seat to face a blank wall, so that your head can be about three feet from the wall when seated. It can be helpful have a terrycloth hand towel or a small pillow handy, to place across your lap to support your hands and keep your shoulders from becoming tense while sitting, if you find you need it. Should you have questions about the posture and mind of meditation, the monks are available to answer them and to assist you in setting up your sitting place and meditation practice, especially if you need to adapt your meditation position. The monks can be reached via our website: https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org   The Litany of the Great Compassionate One, a joyous verse from which opens the talk, is one of our most basic scriptures. To hear the monastic community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey recite it in English, go to this link: https://throssel.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/07litanyof.mp3