Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World

• Conversations in a Dream

  Are you dreaming? How is your experience, like a dream?In one sense, the words you are reading, the sounds you are hearing, the thoughts racing through your mind and the ones seeming to linger in the background, the worries, and any other emotion that you might be experiencing, including experience itself—all are un-pin-down-able, you can not grasp them, you can not even find a single unchanging sensation that you can call yourself.All appearance is as ephemeral as a dream.In Zen practice we are encouraged to inquire into this dream-like experience. To really taste and know experientially the empty-yet-apparent nature of all experiences.Such an inquiry can revitalize wonder in our living.For if this were a dream, then these characters, these people you seem to meet, the environments that you traverse, the feelings and thoughts that arise—are all part of the dream.Blue Cliff Record Case 40: Nan Chuan’s As 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.We can practice seeing the dream-like nature of reality and open to the oneness of experience. If heaven, earth and yourself have the same root, if the myriad things and you are one body. What is this root, what is this body?What is our shared nature?Meeting the Characters in This DreamI want to share a practice I have been exploring as a way of meeting the characters in this waking dream, as if they were characters in a night-time dream. I have found that when I entertain that this is a dream, and meet the characters and myself fresh, with compassion and curiosity. I can step outside of my projections and strategies of protection, and see the mystery of who and what we are.I would like to share the practice here. If you would prefer to listen to the guided meditation version. Click the link above. Today’s audio is just the guided meditation of this exercise. You may want to have a journal as you listen or read along.* Recall a situation in your life where it feels stuck, this could be a relational conflict, work situation, impasse, your experience of the political situation.* See the different characters in this waking dream, see the environment where this situation is occurring from a zoomed out position. Remind yourself that this is a dream and notice if anything changes in how you are seeing and experiencing the situation.* Now see the dream of yourself in this situation, notice what feelings, beliefs are alive in you—what do you want? What are you afraid of?* Zoom out again and see the whole scene. Next imagine stepping into one of the other characters in the dream, this could be a person with a different belief or position, someone who is not you. What do you see from their vantage point? What feelings and beliefs are alive in them? What do they want? What might they be afraid of?* Zoom out again and see the whole scene. Now see if there is another perspective, maybe that of a third character, a pet, or part of the landscape of the dream (sky, chair, wall, floor) What is it like to step into their position? What do you see from their vantage point? How do they feel about this situation? What might they want for you? What wisdom might they have?* Come back to seeing the whole dream, the whole scene in this situation. Notice if you see anything you didn’t notice before. What is it like to come back to the situation itself, after having stepped into the dreams of the various characters?Notice if you feel curious or open or more compassionate?* Come back to this dream, feel your body here, connect to your senses, look around your space. Take a moment to write down or draw anything you learned or observed.I’d be curious to hear about your experience. Feel free to leave a comment.* What was it like to see this situation as a dream?* What did you learn from stepping into the other characters in this waking dream?* Are you aware of anything that you weren’t aware of before?I’m also curious to hear from you. We have been diving into the exploration of the dream-like nature of reality, are there other topics that you are interested in hearing more about or focusing on? I’m considering doing a Summer Read of The Hidden Lamp. This is a collective of koans/stories from the women ancestors with commentary from contemporary teachers. I would share the koans we are focusing on throughout the summer, and you could read along or listen to my talks on the koans. We could share thoughts and experiences with the koan live on zoom on Monday nights and through the comment section here on Substack. 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.I currently have a couple of spaces open in my Spiritual Counseling practice for the Summer. And my books are open for June if you would like to book an astrology reading. It’s quite an interesting year astrologically and I do natal readings as well as solar return and year ahead readings.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 BuddhismGrasses, Trees and the Great Earth Sesshin—August 11 - 17, in-person at Great Vow Zen Monastery (this retreat is held outdoors, camping is encouraged but indoor dorm spaces are available)In-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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  14:17
• Dream as Medicine, Dream as Love

  Dream as Analogy for RealityThis world is psychoactive. So much so that we don’t even realize how are fundamental beliefs and unquestioned assumptions shape our sense of who we are and what the world is.One of those assumptions is the referent to this simple, and often thought/spoken phrase I am.Its innocuous, we think it constantly. I am hungry, I am tired, I am sad, I am lonely, I am scared, etc.When we say “I am” —this thought or sensation goes unquestioned, and so we build our life or our sense of self on these unquestioned thoughts and feelings.Sometimes the shape of the I AM, is really negative or painful, I am not good enough, I am bad at this, I am unworthy.Or it takes the shape of shame, anger, fear, desire, anxiety, hatred.We usually get totally bought in to those feelings, sensations or thoughts being who we are— we suffer them. We become trapped in the world that is created through believing them or identifying with them.In the dharma practice, we are practicing looking into these basic assumptions, to ask well what does this I AM refer to?We can do this now, notice the sense of I am. How are you experiencing it? Is it a thought, a feeling, a sensation, something else?And if so, what is the nature of this thought, sensation, belief or emotion?When we look, with non-judgmental awareness and genuine curiosity what we begin to see is — the I Am is ungraspable, it changes, its spacious, flowing, here only in the moment of its happening, non-referential.So, the encouragement is to look, to really look, to see what happens in your own experience.Often we don’t look back into the sense of I AM, we let it be a given, so this kind of inward looking, turning our awareness around, can feel strange and unnatural.Nothing happens—or there is nothing there, or its just this.These are actually profound experiences, but subtle, we are expecting some big fireworks experience of no-self or emptiness, and don’t appreciate the profundity of verifying for ourselves the ungraspable, spacious nature of our sense of self.The openness of not-finding, is the openness of being. The openness of pure possibility.The dream-like nature of reality is one way of describing the ungraspability, the spaciousness, openness and the insubstantiality of direct experience itself .Any word is imperfect.So we have a lot of different analogies. Dream is a good one. There is also illusion, magic show, echo, reflection in water, phantom. Modern practitioners sometimes say, like a motion picture or a hologram.I feel like dream is particularly evocative, it shows up most in the Zen teachings.And its’s a practice. An invitation to see through the assumptions or reactions we paste onto reality. This is a DreamTo practice seeing the insubstantiality of thoughts, feelings, emotions, reactions, fears, we can invite this slogan or phrase:This is a dream, am I dreaming?To work with this as an inquiry or koan, doesn’t mean that we are carrying it around all the time, zapping things that we don’t like into dreams.Its a living question, its about inviting curiosity.So maybe you are standing in line, and frustration is building—and your mind starts thinking about all the things that you need to do, or how you are going to be late, or how you don’t want to be here. You can inquire:What if this is a dream? And really entertain it, what changes?When its a dream, we are usually present.So you might notice the other people, these characters in your dream—who are they? You might notice other things in the room, the colors, smells, sounds.You might notice what you are drawn towards, or what becomes present that you weren’t aware of before.What does waiting feel like in a dream?If this were a dream you were remembering in the morning, what parts of it would you share, or record.Regard all dharmas as dreams is the first of the five slogans for awakening absolute bodhicitta in the Lojong. Pema Chodron comments in her book Start Where you Are.Really, regard everything as a dream. Life is a dream. Death is a dream, for that matter sleeping is a dream and waking is a dream. Another way to say this is everything is a passing memory.She goes on to tell a story of someone who opened to the dream like nature of reality spontaneously while on a solo backpacking trip. He started to feel like the mountains were dream mountains, and his food was dream food. He was writing on dream paper, dream words. The man remarked that in that state there was a vastness and a peace, a kind of possibility and okness about the way things were.Pema Chodron comments that the practice of regarding everything as a dream invites openness.Openness is one of the qualities of bodhicitta, its a practice of opening up to the spaciousness of being. Of being less identified with the suffering making mind. Openness brings possibility.When I entertain that this is a dream, I feel like I am leaning into life. The possibility of the hawk singing a song or the stones telling me a story, becomes vividly real. I see the magic of this world. I am filled with a kind of wonderment. Life is re-enchanted in an open kind of way.What happens for you?Is wonderment possible even in lines? Even in traffic? Even while watching the news? Even in challenging conversations or disagreements?Try it out. Let it be a living inquiry.This is a dream. Its psychoactive, it may just wake you up to the openness that you are. That this world is.For more. Listen to the talk. I would be interested to hear your comments and experiences trying on the inquiry This is a Dream. Feel free to share here.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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  36:17
• 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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• 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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