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Zen Beyond Borders
@zenbeyondborders.bsky.social
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Online meditation in the Dogen Sangha lineage For further info: https://zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com
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Zen Beyond Borders @zenbeyondborders.bsky.social · 17d
zenbeyondborders.wordpress.com/2025/04/18/z...
Zazen: Realising Buddha Nature
An interpretation of Zen Master Dogen’s FUKANZAZENGI What is the purpose of Zazen if we already have the Buddha nature? Thinking about Buddha nature is not realising Buddha nature. The ancestors re…
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Midwinter Break
Midwinter Break
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Wednesday this year so we will be taking a short midwinter break. Our meetings will restart at 1830 GMT on Wednesday 7th January 2026. Offering thanks to everyone for their sincere efforts during 2025 and looking forward to seeing you all again in the new year. Best wishes, Keith 🙏
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December 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
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Mind Cannot Be Grasped
Master Dogen’s SHIN-FUKATOKU in 100 Words SHIN-FUKATOKU is a quotation from the Diamond Sutra and in the Nishijima & Cross translation of Shobogenzo is translated as “mind cannot be…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:36 PM
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The Flower of Dharma Turns the Flower of Dharma
Master Dogen’s HOKKE-TEN-HOKKE in 100 Words In FUKANZAZENGI (Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen) Master Dogen says that sitting in Zazen is “the practice and experience which perf…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:36 PM
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The Certificate of Succession
Master Dogen’s SHISHO in 100 Words SHISHO means ‘the certificate of succession’. When a Buddhist teacher recognises that their student understands the Buddhist teachings the stude…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:35 PM
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The Buddhist Ancestors
Master Dogen’s BUSSO in 100 Words In BUSSO (Buddhist Ancestors) Master Dogen presents a list of the Buddhist Ancestors stretching from those prior to the historical Buddha down to his own tea…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:35 PM
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The Sutra of Mountains and Water
Master Dogen’s SANSUIGYO in 100 Words SAN means mountains, SUI means water and GYO means (Buddhist) teachings so in SANSUIGYO Master Dogen is once again exploring how the natural world (mount…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
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The Transmission of the Robe
Master Dogen’s DEN-E in 100 Words DEN means “transmission” and E means “robe,” so DEN-E means “the transmission of the robe.” Although the content of this chapter is very similar to that of t…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
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The Merit of the Kasaya
Master Dogen’s KESA-KUDOKU in 100 Words In KESA-KUDOKU Master Dogen describes the merit (KUDOKU) of wearing the Buddhist robe (KESA) saying that to wear the Buddha’s robe is to wear (or…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
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Existence Time
Master Dogen’s UJI in 100 words U means ‘existence’ and JI means ‘time’, so UJI means ‘existence-time’. In turn, ‘existence’ indicates the &#82…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
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Not Doing Wrong
Master Dogen’s SHOAKU-MAKUSA in 100 words In SHOAKU-MAKUSA (Not Doing Wrong) Master Dogen encourages us to recognise that talking about ‘doing right’ is not the same as doing right and …
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December 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
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The Voices of the River-Valley and the Form of the Mountains
Master Dogen’s KEISEI-SANSHIKI in 100 words The ‘voices of the river valley’ and the ‘form of the mountains’ are references to the natural world. On one hand the word ‘voices’ suggests that nature …
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December 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
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Zazen: Realising Buddha Nature
An interpretation of Zen Master Dogen’s FUKANZAZENGI What is the purpose of Zazen if we already have the Buddha nature? Thinking about Buddha nature is not realising Buddha nature. The ancestors re…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
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Prostrating to Attainment of the Marrow
Master Dogen’s RAIHAI-TOKUZUI in 100 words Beneath these apparently complex words lies a simple teaching. RAHAI (‘prostration’) is a physical gesture that suggests submission or humility; TOKU (att…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
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Washing
Master Dogen’s SENJO in 100 words Throughout his writings Master Dogen insists on the unity of body and mind. He teaches that Buddhism is neither purely idealistic nor purely materialistic but inst…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
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Mind Here and Now is Buddha
Master Dogen’s SOKU-SHIN-ZE-BUTSU in 100 words It is easy to misinterpret the phrase ‘Mind here and now is Buddha’. Firstly, we should relinquish the idea that there is an enduring ‘mind’ that exis…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:29 PM
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Rules for the Hall of Heavy Cloud
Master Dogen’s JU-UNDO-SHIKI in 100 words Master Dogen established the first Zazen hall in Japan on his return from China. This talk outlines the rules for the ‘Hall of Heavy Cloud’ focusing on the…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:29 PM
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One Bright Pearl
Master Dogen’s IKKA-MYŌ-JU in 100 Words In one of his more straightforward lectures Master Dogen explores Great Master Sōitsu’s statement “The whole universe throughout all its te…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:28 PM
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The Realised Universe
Master Dogen’s GENJO-KOAN in 100 words In GENJO-KOAN Master Dogen explores the difference between a conceptual understanding of the true nature of the universe and realisation of the true nature of…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:28 PM
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Infinite Shades of Grey
In a recent meeting we talked about the difference between the small mind that characterises much of our daily life and the big mind that we experience in Zazen practice. The small mind is very muc…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:27 PM
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The Heart Sutra
Master Dogen’s Interpretation in 100 Words Someone with great compassion advises one who has a willingness to listen. Let go of your ideas about reality and embrace reality itself. We may make dist…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:27 PM
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A Talk About Pursuing The Truth
Master Dogen’s BENDOWA in 100 Words BENDOWA is the first lecture in the Shobogenzo and it was written by Master Dogen on his return to Japan from China. Dogen had been dissatisfied with the state o…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:26 PM
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Finding Refuge in Difficult Times
There are two types of mind. The first is the Buddha mind (a mind reflecting present reality) whilst the second is the dualistic mind (a mind concerned with ideas about reality). It is a common mis…
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December 10, 2025 at 9:25 PM