Hiya, If you’ve ever felt held-back by fear, if you’ve ever avoided following your heart, if you’ve ever backed-away from stepping into something new and perhaps a little unknown, then you might be interested in what we have coming up.

The Japanese Zen teacher, Suzuki Shosan (1579-1655), a battle-hardened samurai who became a monk later in life taught his students, ‘True ‘no-thought, no-mind’ zazen is just one thing – to have a fearless mind.’

He developed a unique style of teaching and practice which emphasized fearlessness, freedom and complete engagement with life. He particularly urged his students to squarely face the koan or spiritual problem of death.

In October 12-17 we have a Zen retreat at Anam Cara in Scotland where we will be exploring Shosan’s teachings to transcend your deepest fears so that you can become freely able to shape your most authentic and satisfying life. There are only 12 places available. It’s suitable for new people as well as experienced practitioners. You can register at http://www.anamcara.org/. Please come and join us. Life is short. Let’s really live before time runs out.

Best wishes Daizan

With Matt Kuke Kane in Japan. Having completed a translation of poems by the great pilgrim monk, Enku, I left a copy on his grave at Mirokuji, and then we walked through the mountains up the valley of the Nagara River via Enku’s birthplace, the shrine where his first statues were enshrined, the waterfall where he realized enlightenment and finished at the gateway temple to Hakusan – White Mountain, the great holy peak of central Japan.

We left a copy of the poems on the mountain altar with the following poem inscribed on it:

May these leaves
flutter
all over this world mountain,
spreading Enku’s joy
wherever they land.

It’s hard to describe the mixture of pain and bliss that was the fabric of the pilgrimage. Perhaps you can imagine walking through cloud-swept mountains and actually being the mountains.

On Wednesday 7th July at 6.30pm, I’m doing a talk at the Buddhist Society, 58 Eccleston Square, near Victoria Station, London. Here’s the write-up on the flyer:

“The seventeenth-century yamabushi or mountain-practice monk Enku, completed a vow to carve and distribute 120.000 statues. He also wrote numerous poems and engaged in prodigious pilgrimages the length of Japan. Considered an enlightened man in his lifetime, the extraordinary creativity, vitality and compassion of Enku’s work make him a fascinating figure even today.`’

Please come and join us if you can. There’s no charge.

Hope you’re managing to beat this bitter winter. Here are  a couple of firey pictures to help things along. This is Shinzan Roshi conducting a goma, a fire ceremony.

More commonly associated with the esoteric Tendai and Shingon Buddhist schools in Japan, the goma also occurs in Zen.

And this is new year sunrise from Mount Sinai taking on our recent yoga holiday in Egypt.  Keep warm and best wishes  Daizan