Koan Conversations

Three Cheers for Grandmother Zen! “It is much more difficult to control one's mind than to control the weather.” --Yeshe Dorje A lonely...

This is where Issan "Tommy"Dorsey Roshi began his career as a drag artist. In a friend’s kind of online bio she said that “Zen is ...

When Maylie Scott’s mother died at home in Berkeley, she called me. Apparently after my stint at Maitri Hospice, I had the reputation as the...

Khyongla Rato Rinpoche died this morning in McLeod Ganj. He was probably 101 years old. The registry of births in Tibet was not very precise...

Introduction What is “The Record of Issan?” An Invitation Several ways to read and listen to a conversation about things that matter. "...

This story has already made the rounds, as well it should. It is so short and concise that it doesn’t yield to a lot of confusion or elabora...

This is a short piece I wrote about my experience living and practicing at Maitri Hospice for a German Buddhist magazine, Ursache & Wir...

I knew that Allen was in town when there was a knock at the front door at 3:30 exactly. A young man, 21 but not a month more, clean shaven, ...

Blue Cliff Record, Case 11 (the long version) One day Huangbo went up in the hall and said, "What do you people want to look for?"...

[This is a part of the Introduction to *The Record of Issan] Please come and sit with me. I invite us both to sit quietly as we can. Issan w...