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...

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...

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

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

Blue Cliff Record Case 10 Let me begin with a snippet from the few introductory lines that Hsueh Tou calls the pointer: “If on the other han...

And by the way, don’t cry too much over Thích Nhất Hạnh. Dorothy Day said: "Don't call me a saint, I don't want to be dismissed...

My friend and mentor, Jon Logan gave me some wise and generous advice, advice that Issan would have seconded, “Always start with a joke.” So...

The renowned revolutionary Chinese Master Baizhang Huaihai ( 百丈懷海; Hyakujō Ekai) is perhaps most well known for introducing manual labor to ...

A Mondo Master Nansen* was washing clothes. A monk asked: "Is the master still doing such things?" Master Nansen, holding up his c...

Originally published Saturday, July 24, 2021 In 1990, Ösel died in San Francisco where he’d come for treatment of advanced HIV disease. I wa...

Sacred memories hidden in a shoe box Originally posted 23 April 2010 This is a story about my friend and teacher Issan Dorsey Roshi, but it...