Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World

• What's Real?

  What is real? What is true?These questions are fundamental to the spiritual path, to the path of awakening.There is much confusion in our world right now. Blatant lies or mis-truths are being thrown around about immigrants rights, dei, trans and queer people, how the economy works, science, climate change, you name it…The question of what is real in a spiritual sense invites us to look into the basic assumptions we make about the nature of reality. This is relevant in our considerations of the real and the true.How do we know something is true?In Buddhist teaching there is a concept called Maya. Maya means illusion, fantasy, dream. Maya is used to describe what we call reality.It’s illusory, dream-like.I think this teaching may be one of the most radical teachings in buddhism. If we really take it in and practice it, it invites us to question all the assumptions that we make about who we are, what we are doing and what we consider real.It also asks us to consider, well what is a dream? What is an illusion? What is fantasy?To me these are interesting and rich contemplations. As I think they were for many of the great mystics and spiritual practitioners throughout the ages. Practitioners and contemplatives like Longchempa, Dogen Zenji, CG Jung and Ursula K le Guin to name a few.I recently stumbled upon a piece of writing from Ursula K le Guin where she consults the OED in order to better understand the meaning of fantasy. I was fascinated to hear the wide ranging definitions for this word. The definition ranges from “the image of perception impressed on the mind by an object of the sense” to “a mental image” to a “spectral apparition, phantom; illusory appearance” to “a daydream arising from the unconscious” to “a product of the imagination”.These definitions of fantasy are relevant to the many layers of Maya in Buddhist practice.Fantasy (and Maya) include really basic experiences like perception and mental formation—how we create reality or see/sense the world—as well as imagination, the ability to dream or create something that doesn’t exist, to the ways that we escape or get lost in our own delusions.Dogen Zenji says there is a dream within a dream prior to all dreams.To further explore this theme of dreams within dreams or fantasies within fantasies, I would like to share a koan.Nan Ch’uan’s Like a DreamAn officer from the monastery was talking with Nan Ch’uan and said, “The Great Teacher Chao said, ‘Heaven, earth, and I have the same root; myriad things and I are one body.’ This is quite marvelous.”Nan Ch’uan pointed to a flower in the garden. He called to the officer and said, “People these days see this flower as a dream.There are many layers to this illusion, to this dream that Nan Ch’uan is referencing.Daydreams, future plans, worries, past regrets, judgments all prevent us from seeing the flower that is right in front of us.Projections are another form of our mental dreaming, our mind-made illusions, where we misperceive someone based on our own fears or insecurities. We turn people, places, even flowers into nightmarish or godly characters in our own personal world of illusion.We also at times fail to see what is right in front of us because we know too much information. Instead of seeing the flower, smelling the soil, feeling the breeze on our face. Our mind starts talking about the latin name, the history of cultivation, names used in other cultures throughout time. Sometimes our knowledge can enhance curiosity and bring us deeper into the direct experience, other times our knowledge can prevent us from being here, in the flowerness(ness), in our bodies, in our hearts.The more subtle dreams that Nan Ch’uan is pointing to come down to those basic assumptions we believe onto experience. We can sense the flower. We see the red of the tulip, we smell its sweetness and the earthy(ness) of the soil. We can feel the breeze on our faces. But we have these layers of beliefs or habits of being that tend to reify a sense of separation. This sense of I am in here smelling the flower, seeing the redness. That this life is happening to me.The practitioner in Nan Ch’uan’s dream says: all beings have the same root, all phenomena share the same body.Perception is illusory. Experience is dream-like.The moment it happens is all there is. If we look, we can’t find a self that is separate from anything. When we gaze into a flower, or sip coffee or watch the news. We are the flower’s redness, the coffee’s bitterness, the sounds and images that move through awareness are inseparable from awareness itself. The sensations of body and thoughts (however personal they seem) all are inseparable from awareness itself. Are also only happening in the moment of their happening.They are illusory, dream-like.Even the words or concept dream or illusion are part of the dream.This isn’t easy to grock. The way in is through the senses. Through our seeing, smelling, tasting we are opened to the immediacy of creation. This living body of continuous manifestation, continuous play. Nothing is outside of this happening. Nothing is outside of this great dream.When we study this, then roots, stems, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits as well as radiance and color, are all the great dream. Do not mistake them as merely dreamy.—Dogen ZenjiContemplating Neptune: The Planet of Illusion and DreamIn this moment, astrologically we are undergoing a Neptune transit. Neptune is the planet that resonates with this teaching of Maya. Neptune represents the dream-like nature of reality. And presents an invitation to awaken in this dream, to study the dream. The truth is, most of the time we are seduced by different aspects of the dream, and fall into different degrees of fantasy or illusion. This is also Neptune territory. For it shows us the many layers of Maya that make up our sense of the real or cover over the direct aliveness of reality itself. Maya can take the shape of the fantasy of pride or greed, to the illusion of power or wealth, to the dream of romance or knowledge, to the fantasy of religion or belief or consensus reality.Neptune is changing signs from dreamy Pisces to fiery Aries. From now until October, we are getting a taste of Neptune in Aries. This will look a lot of different ways for each of us individually as well as collectively. We may see new military dreams, militant religious movements, idealogical wars or dreams used to puff up the ego or sense of separation, as Aries is connected to the self, the energy of the will, the god of war, as well as the fierce courage it takes for a plant to push out of the earth or a flower bud to open.For each of us personally, we can be used by the energy of Neptune in Aries or we can use it. To be used by it, we continue to move through life semi-conscious and let ourselves be puffed up by our own egoic fantasies and delusions, our anger, pride and willfulness become the prison we live in, the fantasy we put onto the world.To use the energy of Neptune in Aries is to let this fiery creative push infuse our spiritual practice. To practice being awake in this dream, to see the illusory nature, to see through our delusions.Being a self who has responsibility in this dream of the world, and being the world constantly being dreamed anew, is part of the divine tension of life as a human being.This is also the archetype of the Spiritual Warrior. It takes courage to question our assumptions, to see through our illusions and live authentically. Great courage.Practicing with the dream-like nature of reality, can re-chant life. When we de-center ourselves, when we allow life to be an open question, we are more connected to the mystery that this life is, that we are. We are more available for the magic of a flower blooming, a bird song, a shared smile at the coffee shop, the possibility of dreaming new ways of being together grounded in the insight that we share the same root and the same great body of being.We are perhaps also more available for the magic and the mystery that unfolds in our nighttime dreams. Neptune is just beginning this transit through Aries, in October it will move back into Pisces before settling into Aries for fourteen years. As a way of honoring this transit, I am picking back up a more active dream-practice. I intend to share more about how you can practice with your dreams and the dream-like nature of reality.…Listen to the podcast for a more in-depth exploration of Nan Ch’uan’s Dream and ways to practice with your nighttime dreams.If you would like to learn more about where Neptune is in your chart, sign up for a natal or transit reading with me here.Dream of the Soul: Natal Chart Reading—exploring the myths and symbolism in your natal chartYear Ahead Transit Reading—curious to learn more about where Neptune is in your chart, or what forces are present in your year ahead, this reading can give you a foothold in some of the themes alive in your lifeI will continue giving dharma talks on this theme of dream throughout the month of April. So stay tuned or join us live on zoom on Monday nights.…I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and somatic mindfulness. I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Below you can find a list of weekly and monthly online and in-person practice opportunities.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring Zen and Dreams.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKZen Practice opportunities through ZCOLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 12 - 18, in-person at Great Vow Zen Monastery16 Bodhisattva Precepts Class—May 4 - June 8, online class series exploring the ethical teachings of Zen BuddhismIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaInterdependence Sesshin: A Five Day Residential Retreat Wednesday July 2 - Sunday July 6 in Montrose, WV at Saranam Retreat Center (Mud Lotus is hosting its first Sesshin!)Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

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  39:46
• Ryonen Scars Her Face

  Hello Friends,Happy April 1st! Here we are, its Aries Season, it’s Spring, Mercury and Venus have both been retrograde for a while now (which can give a certain feeling of friction or underworld journey to our days), there is much happening in our geo-political world that I (we) wish wasn’t happening. And still the magnolias are blooming, the songbirds are back, tulips are pushing through the mulch in our front yard, the sun is rising earlier and setting later.Aries season reminds us that our life force is resilient, there is a certain courage within the bud that allows it to open. There is a certain courage within each of us to continue to live our lives, to walk this path of awakening, to let ourselves be opened by the world—even when things feel fragile or scary or uncertain. In this spirit I would like to share this koan from the Hidden Lamp Collection called Ryonen Scars Her Face.As a young woman, Ryonen Genso was an attendant to the empress, and was known for her beauty and intelligence. When the empress died, she felt the impermanence of life, and she decided to become a nun. Ryonen traveled to the city of Edo in search of a Zen teacher.The first teacher refused her because of her beauty. Then she asked Master Hakuo Dotai, who also refused her. He could see her sincere intention, but he too said that her womanly appearance would cause problems for the monks in his monastery.Afterward, she saw some women pressing fabric, and she took up a hot iron and held it against her face, scarring herself. Then she wrote this poem on the back of a small mirror:To serve my Empress I burned incense to perfume my exquisite clothes.Now as a homeless mendicant I burn my face to enter a Zen temple.The four seasons flow naturally like this,Who is this now in the midst of these changes?She returned to Hakuo and gave him the poem. Hakuo immediately accepted her as a disciple. She became abbess of his temple when he died, and later founded her own temple. Before her death she wrote the following poem:This is the sixty-sixth autumn I have seen.The moon still lights my face.Don’t ask me about the meaning of Zen teachings—Just listen to what the pines and cedars say on a windless night.This koan is about a lot of things, which is one of the beautiful things about koans. They often meet us in the stuff of our lives. They give us a nod, or a wink, or reach up and hold our hand and say me too. I see you.In this story we can find themes of courage, vow, determination, sacrifice, injustice, impermanence and a deep reflection on what is truly reliable. And still, in this koan with so many words, much still isn’t said—or can’t be said.Just listen to what the pines and cedars say on a windless nightAs I reflect on Ryonen with that hot iron in hand, I know that she probably wasn’t thinking too much about what she was about to do and the impact that might have on her life into the future. She picked up the iron and touched it to her face. Done.There are times in our spiritual lives or simply on this path of life, where we take that brave next step willing to face whatever consequences come from such action. This is very Aries. Just Do. Act first, think later.Can you relate?In my own life, I can feel Ryonen’s iron in my choice to become a monastic. At the time I was thinking about my finances or professional development, I wasn’t thinking about what futures I might be giving up—I just had this vow in my heart and ordination felt like the only way I could live that vow. And, I felt willing to face whatever consequences came from orienting my life in this way.Some steps on the spiritual path have this bold, no turning back feel.A single act marks a transformation.For Ryonen, it marked an orientation, a vow, a direction. The inner process of transformation usually doesn’t happen in one single gesture.Much of our letting go on the spiritual path happens gradually or even invisibly. Many times it is a series of small commitments. We give over a night every week to practicing in sangha. Or we rearrange our morning or evening routine to accommodate our meditation practice. Or we start using our vacation time for retreats. Or we find ourselves changing certain behaviors. Perhaps we stop using substances or clean-up toxic relational patterns. Perhaps we start investigating the nature of judgment or learn to accompany the feelings of boredom. Maybe we start to courageously feel our feelings or speak our needs in our relationships.It’s like walking through fog, Suzuki Roshi says, after sometime we realize we are completely saturated. Transformed through our persistence, awakened through the simple, yet courageous act of continuing.The spiritual path can also bring us into relationship with the dark night. Times when the habitual ways that we have found pleasure and joy in the past no longer hit the spot. Times when we are called deeper into ourselves to discover a satisfaction that is not dependent on other people or things. I mentioned that Venus is currently retrograde. Venus retrogrades last about 40 days and 40 nights and can have a really similar feeling as the dark night of the soul. Or even lent in the Christian tradition. A time of discovering a even deeper and more enduring love.During this Venus retrograde, I have been studying the myth of Inanna. Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of love, beauty, harmony and relationship similar to the Roman goddess Venus. In one of Inanna’s myths that astrologers relate to the Venus retrograde cycle, Inanna receives a call from the underworld.Now Inanna’s sister Ereshkigal is the goddess of the underworld. So Inanna hears the call, and chooses to respond, chooses to meet her sister in the underworld. This is something we do in our own lives. At times there is a call, maybe from within from Psyche or from Spirit asking us to move towards a particular part of the path, to open or include more of who we are, to truly love ourselves. It could also be a call to action in the socio-political realm or in our relationship. In whatever shape it takes something compels us to move towards something unknown, something we othered or disowned or simply ignored.How do you heed this call?Inanna being a goddess and queen, gets all suited up in her royal and protective attire and sets off for the underworld. When she gets to the gate, the gatekeeper informs her that she is going to have to pass through the seven gates of the underworld. At each gate she must remove another layer of her protective and royal attire. By the time she reaches the underworld, her final destination, she is naked and unadorned.This is another shape that sacrifice takes on the spiritual path, through progressive surrender. We shed or see through the protective beliefs and adorning thoughts that have kept us separate or on the surface of things.In its heart, the myth of Inanna is a story of wholeness, the two sisters come to see that they are each other. Inanna’s descent is actually an opening to inclusivity. True love and beauty include all facets and shapes of this one life.The descent is never easy, coming to wholeness or spiritual awakening involve periods of sacrifice, or darkness. These times help us discover our deeper resources, hidden or forgotten sources of support and a faith that isn’t dependent on an object.As Ryonen says before her death:This is the sixty-sixth autumn I have seen.The moon still lights my face.Don’t ask me about the meaning of Zen teachings—Just listen to what the pines and cedars say on a windless night.…For a more in-depth contemplation of this koan and the myth of Inanna listen to the audio.I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, budding Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and somatic mindfulness. I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Below you can find a list of weekly and monthly online and in-person practice opportunities.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring Zen and Dreams.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKMonthly Online Practice EventSky+Rose: An emergent online community braiding spirit and soul, first Sundays (back in May)10:30A - 12:30P PT / 1:30P - 3:30P ETnext Meeting Sunday May 4thEmail me: [email protected] to RSVPZen Practice opportunities through ZCOLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 12 - 18, in-person at Great Vow Zen Monastery16 Bodhisattva Precepts Class—May 4 - June 8, online class series exploring the ethical teachings of Zen BuddhismIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaInterdependence Sesshin: A Five Day Residential Retreat Wednesday July 2 - Sunday July 6 in Montrose, WV at Saranam Retreat Center (Mud Lotus is hosting its first Sesshin!)Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

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  40:19
• Will it be destroyed?

  Book of Serenity #30: Dasui's Aeonic FireA monk asked Dasui: When the fire at the end of an aeon rages through and the whole universe is destroyed, is this destroyed or not?Dasui said: Destroyed.The monk said: Then it goes along with that?Dasui said: It goes along with that.A monk asked Longji: When the fire ending the aeon rages through and the whole universe is destroyed, is this destroyed or not?Longji said: Not destroyed.The monk said: Why is it not destroyed?Longji said: Because it is the same as the universe.Zen koans are always asking us about THIS. What is it that is always present? What is reliable?When so much that seems dependable appears on the brink of being destroyed…what can we rely on? What can we depend on?Perhaps the current administration has evoked this sentiment. The stripping away of the government, the attack on the education system, on immigrants, on freedom of speech, on gender expression, on trans and women’s rights, environmental protections.Will THIS be destroyed?What is THIS?A new dharma friend was telling me about a book of Zen teachings for turbulent times called Zen under the Gun. One reflection he had was, the teachings aren’t any different then the teachings we are familiar with. Another friend remarked, is it even possible to practice Zen if you aren’t in turbulent times?Zen practice helps us wake-up in whatever life we are living. The clarity and love that we are—are not dependent on external conditions.When much is being destroyed or threatened, where are you finding refuge? What freedom can’t be taken away? Can you find love here too?Its a fiery time. Astrologically many of the planets are in Aries or entering Aries soon. Collectively we are learning something about fire. About its capacity for great destruction as well as rebirth. Aries is a warrior and Aries is also the energy of spring. The courageous power it takes for new growth to push out of the earth, for a bud on a tree to open.Harada Roshi has this phrase—complete combustion. There is something about this koan, about this historical moment— that is inviting us to step fully into this life we are living. To clarify our intentions and to give life to the bodhisattva vow.May all being awaken to their true nature.May all beings know true wellbeing.May we discover ways to love a little more completely.*For a deeper dive into commentary on this koan, listen to the recording.Earth Dreams is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, budding Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and somatic mindfulness. I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Below you can find a list of weekly and monthly online and in-person practice opportunities.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKMonthly Online Practice EventSky+Rose: An emergent online community braiding spirit and soul10:30A - 12:30P PT / 1:30P - 3:30P ETnext Meeting April 6Zen Practice opportunities through ZCOLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 12 - 18, in-person at Great Vow Zen Monastery16 Bodhisattva Precepts Class—May 4 - June 8, online class series exploring the ethical teachings of Zen BuddhismIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaInterdependence Sesshin: A Five Day Residential Retreat Wednesday July 2 - Sunday July 6 in Montrose, WV at Saranam Retreat Center (Mud Lotus is hosting its first Sesshin!)Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

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  27:20
• Dharma Practice in times of Uncertainty

  Greetings friends~As we be together in this political moment, I wanted to offer some of the dharma teachings and practices that I have been leaning into. One of which is sharing poetry, so first a poem.For When People Ask by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerI want a word that meansokay and not okay,more than that: a word that meansdevastated and stunned with joy.I want the word that saysI feel it all all at once.The heart is not like a songbirdsinging only one note at a time,more like a Tuvan throat singerable to sing both a droneand simultaneouslytwo or three harmonics high above it—a sound, the Tuvans say,that gives the impressionof wind swirling among rocks.The heart understands swirl,how the churning of opposite feelingsweaves through us like an insistent breezeleads us wordlessly deeper into ourselves,blesses us with paradoxso we might walk more openlyinto this world so rife with devastation,this world so ripe with joy.Honor the wisdom of your body. Our bodies are wise, they feel and respond to the information coming in through our environment. In the single unified field of embodied awareness, all response is welcome. All response is more information.To honor the body's wisdom is to make space to feel what you are feeling, to drop into the body and allow the sensations, feelings and emotions that are present to be experienced and processed through the body’s awareness.I want to name that we are experiencing abuse of power on a national level and attempts to undo basic practices of equity and care for folks with already marginalized identities and our earth. This may activate trauma responses or nervous system alerts in our bodies, responses of fear, freeze, rage, fight, anger, grief and overwhelm or feelings and sensations that are hard to feel/name. What practices help you tend to your body and nervous system, to feel and listen to your emotions?Bayo Akomalfe quoting a Yoruba saying says: The times are urgent, slow downMeditation and mindfulness help us presence what we are actually feeling and transmute emotional reactions into wisdom, compassion and right action.This is a process of recognizing what we are telling ourselves, what thoughts, memories and worries are being triggered—and coming back to our direct experience—here— in this living present. The four foundations of mindfulness is one way of touching into the different realms of our experience, they are:Feel your bodyFeel you feelingsBecome aware of mental activity (remember we don’t have to believe our thoughts)Rest in Awareness itselfArt, exercise, body movement practices, eating good food, taking in beauty, breathing deeply, being around others with regulated nervous systems like (meditation, yoga, art spaces, therapy, natural world) are other important ways to care for, nourish our bodies.Insight Practice—The dharma teachings remind us that right here, in our present experience, in the imminence of this—there is a refuge that can’t be taken away. All the koans point us back here.We ask—who is it that is aware? What is this? Not merely as an existential inquiry, but as a way to remember ourselves back to the truth of who we are.In times of crisis, angst, hopelessness and fear our true nature is right here. Aware, open, deeply grounded, whole.Zen awakening reminds us that we can know this freedom in any situation.Sometimes when things are stripped away, when we are truly facing uncertainty or crisis, we are more available to this level of the teachings—what remains when even your sense of security is called into question?what remains when everything is taken away?Reflection on Impermanence—Hakuin Zenji likened impermanence to a black fire. We don’t see it coming, so we are surprised when conditioned things change. Before the Buddha died he reminded his disciples that all compounded things are subject to vanish. Our bodies, our relationships, our work, our societies—are subject to change. Whatever is happening now, will change.In Buddhism we are invited to contemplate impermanence as a regular part of our practice life. When we do this, we see or remember that everything we love or depend on is of the nature to change.All beings are a life-cycle, they were born, they will die. It can be powerful to view each being like this, to see their birth and death within whatever their present expression is. Civilizations, societies also have a birth and a death.There is this teaching from Ajahn Cha, who apparently had this favorite cup that he always insisted on using when he gave formal talks. He would admire the beauty of the cup publicly. Once a student asked him about the teaching of non-attachment and impermanence in relationship to his cup. Ajahn Cha said, it is because I know that this cup will break someday that I love it so much.Impermanence can help us connect to what truly matters, to our love for this dynamic and wild life, and all the elements it contains.Four Divine Abodes—Loving kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity—these are qualities we can cultivate and dwell in—a clear and stable mind, a heart grounded in love, compassion and joy. Its actually quite subversive to practice the four boundless qualities of the heart-mind. To remember that we are interconnected, and that it is not our responsibility alone to save the world.When you don’t know what to do, practice Loving kindness for yourself, for others, for the planet, for our world. For all beings who are experiencing fear. For all beings who are caught in greed, hatred and delusionHatreds never cease through hatred in this world; through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law.—the BuddhaDharma Protectors—Ask for help from the Bodhisattvas, Jizo Bodhisattva has this vow to enter any hell realm and guide beings to liberation. Ask Jizo to protect those who are most vulnerable, including parts of yourself!Vows—Stay connected to your vows. I find in times of stress, uncertainty, fear or confusion if I turn towards the bodhisattva vows, my personal vows clarify and deepen. Many of us may not have vows that we have articulated for this life, but may have a felt sense of calling, direction or orientation. Leaning into what matters, and drawing strength from this kind of north star orientation is essential for our hearts.Sangha—Thich Nhat Hanh said that the next Buddha is the Sangha. It has long been known that awakening and spiritual maturation happen in community, side by side with each other. We are stronger together. We just are.The more that we can rest into spiritual practice not being about achieving some kind of personal fulfillment, the more rich and meaningful spiritual practice becomes. I would say the same thing about living, if we are living for ourselves as a community of beings—life has a richness to it. Let’s let our sense of community extend to include the entire world—the entire cosmos.Take refuge in community, and let yourself stay open to discovering more community in your life!Creativity—Make Art, Share Poetry, Sing, Dance, Illustrate, tell stories, make food for those you love, make time for creative expressionArt-making is an embodied practice.Art is healing, it opens us up to the different parts of ourselves and connects us to the collective.Art is a way to process and practice being imperfect.When we create, we are in touch with creation on an embodied level, love is being expressed through our being in all its various shades and colors.Art allows breakthroughs, something that has never been is given life.As systems crumble before our eyes, something new will be born, will rise from the ashes. Our creativity is part of that process. Trust that.In a Dangerous Time by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerI think of the bonesof the unsung rib cage,the way they protectthe heart. How bone,too, is living, how it constantlyrenews and remakes itself.I think of how ribs engagewith other ribsto expand, to contract,and because they dotheir solid work,they allow the heart to float.This is what I want to do:to be a rib in this bodyof our country,to make a safe space for love.There is so much nowthat needs protection.I want to be that flexible,that committed to what’s vital,that unwilling to yield.I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, budding Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions in the styles of IFS and somatic mindfulness. I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Below you can find a list of weekly and monthly online and in-person practice opportunities.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKMonthly Online Practice EventSky+Rose: An emergent online community braiding spirit and soul10:30A - 12:30P PT / 1:30P - 3:30P ETnext Meeting March 9th with JogenIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaSpring Blossoms Daylong Retreat Sunday March 9 at Spring Hallow Lodge in Sharon Woods in Columbus, OHInterdependence Sesshin: A Five Day Residential Retreat Wednesday July 2 - Sunday July 6 in Montrose, WV at Saranam Retreat Center (Mud Lotus is hosting its first Sesshin!)Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

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  40:43
• Prajna Paramita's Great NO!

  As we began 2025, I returned to the teachings of the Heart of Great Perfection Wisdom Sutra. In times of chaos, something in me turns toward what is most true. The Heart Sutra is one such text that invites this kind of turning.Moving through the Heart Sutra we arrive at a set of stanzas that read as a series of negations.Therefore, given emptiness, there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind; no realm of sight ... no realm of mind consciousness.There is neither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance... neither old age and death, nor extinction of old age and death; no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path; no knowledge and no attainment.With nothing to attain, a bodhisattva relies on prajña paramita, and thus the mind is without hindrance. Without hindrance, there is no fear. Far beyond all inverted views, one realizes nirvanaIt reminds me of the first koan in the MumonkanMumonkan Case 1: Joshu’s MuA practitioner asked Master Joshu, does a dog have buddha nature?Joshu said: MUMu, essentially No, NotThe kanji character is interestingly an image of a shaman dancing.The buddhist dictionary defines MU as nothingness, beyondness. This single word has been used in Zen as a breakthrough koan.When working with this koan we are instructed to throw our whole selves into Mu, or let everything become mu, the sounds in the room and outside, every thought, every sensation, Mu, mu, mu.As the first case in the Mumonkan, Mumon offers extensive commentary on this simple koan, he says:For the practice of Zen, you must pass the barrier set up by the ancient masters of Zen. To attain to marvelous enlightenment, you must cut off the mind road. If you have not passed the barrier and have not cut off the mind road, you are a phantom haunting the weeds and trees. Now just tell me, what is the barrier by the ancestors? Merely this Mu – the one barrier of our sect. So it has come to be called “the Gateless barrier of the Zen Sect.” Those who have passed the barrier are able not only to see Jôshû face to face but also to walk hand in hand with the whole descending line of ancestors and be eyebrow to eyebrow with them. You will see with the same eye that they see with, hear with the same ear that they hear with. Wouldn't it be a wonderful joy! Don’t you want to pass through the barrier? Then concentrate your whole self into this Mu, making your whole body with its 360 bones and joints and 84,000 pores into a solid lump of doubt. Day and night, without ceasing, keep digging into it, but don't take it as “nothingness” or as “being” or “non-being”. It must be like a red-hot iron ball which you have gulped down and which you try to vomit but cannot. You must extinguish all delusive thoughts and beliefs which you have cherished up to the present. After a certain period of such efforts, Mu will come to fruition, and inside and out will become one naturally. You will then be like a dumb man who has had a dream. You will know it for yourself and for yourself only. Then all of a sudden, Mu will break open. It will astonish the heavens and shake the earth. It will be just as if you had snatched the great sword of General Kan: If you meet a Buddha, you will kill him. If you meet a patriarch, you will kill him. Though you may stand on the brink of life and death, you will enjoy the great freedom. In the six realms and the four modes of birth, you will live in the samadhi of innocent play.This koan reflects something about the heart of our practice, about the aspiration for liberation, about reality and deep compassion.All in this single word, MU—NOThere are times in practice when we are invited to wield the sword of MU. To practice Prajna Paramita’s Great NO. What is true? What is your original face?Not this, not this, no this.To see through all conditioned phenomena, to see for ourselves what can not be taken away.We have a tendency to see and react, hear and react, perceive or misperceive and react. We make our home in a belief, a thought, a reaction, or our anger, our fear.We make conclusions based on our limited perception, and the beliefs, emotions and thoughts that moment of perception triggers.When we swing the sword of MU, we cut through all that is insubstantial, temporary, fleeting. We see through our mental fabrications, our mind’s fake news, the dusty habits that constellate this sense of separation, the assumptions that we paste on top of reality.What is left when all our conditioning is seen for what it is?We return to oneness.We awaken to our true nature. We live from a love beyond belief, beyond fear.Doesn’t mean these feelings, thoughts and reactions don’t arise—NO is helping us see into their nature, reminding us of their temporariness, their empty-but-apparent expression.The heart sutra is helping us find true liberation from our misperceptions, and misidentifications.To practice NO in meditation is an invitation to see through the content of thought, to sink below the stories and narratives that keep us on the surface of mind and to know ourselves beyond our habits of identification with mental objects, with sounds, sensations, sights, with the body, etc.What are we when we give everything over to MU?The ancient ancestors say, we will be free in life and death. We won’t be at the mercy of our fear.What kind of world is possible if we weren’t living in some kind of fear reaction to fear?What kind of life is possible, if we were in touch with the freedom and love of our true nature—in any situation?I personally feel excited to find out. I wish that for us as we face the uncertainty and mystery of this unfolding political situation in the US, may this be motivation for our awakening.The sword of wisdom is in our hands. Let NO take you to what cannot be negated. Stand here, in this sacred place.* Listen to the podcast episode for a more in depth dive into the practice of Prajna Paramita’s Great NO!I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, budding Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions in the styles of IFS and somatic mindfulness. I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Below you can find a list of weekly and monthly online and in-person practice opportunities. Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKMonthly Online Practice EventSky+Rose: An emergent online community braiding spirit and soul10:30A - 12:30P PT / 1:30P - 3:30P ETnext Meeting March 9th with JogenIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaIntro to Meditation on Sunday March 2 from 7P - 9:30P at ILLIO Studios in Columbus, OHSpring Blossoms Daylong Retreat Sunday March 9 at Spring Hallow Lodge in Sharon Woods in Columbus, OHInterdependence Sesshin: A Five Day Residential Retreat Wednesday July 2 - Sunday July 6 in Montrose, WV at Saranam Retreat Center (Mud Lotus is hosting its first Sesshin!)Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

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