by Devyani Sadh
When I was a kid, it was the beginning of the Space Age. Each rocket launch was televised live on all the TV networks, and the countdown would fill our hearts with an intoxicating mixture of joy and excitement. Read More at Lion’s Roar
by Devyani Sadh
As winter draws closer and we approach the last few weeks of the year, the days get shorter and darkness outlasts the sunlight hours. Along with the natural phenomenon of the changing seasons, change is also unfolding simultaneously in our society and the world. As a spiritual person, a human being who is walking the path of the Bodhisattva, how do we move forward in difficult situations? How do we embrace societal challenges as opportunities for practice instead of falling into despair, anger, or fruitless struggle? How do we make a real difference?
In a world where division, polarization, and fear are used to compete for power and influence, the promise of a path that guided a human being named Siddartha Gautama to become a liberated being—a Buddha—is of the utmost importance. Although we practice as individuals, we inevitably awaken to the insight that life is indivisible. An essential step in our spiritual journey is to examine the workings of the two-dimensional mind and look deeply into the nature of duality. We learn that viewing the human condition exclusively from a dualistic perspective reinforces the cycle of suffering, known in Buddhist teachings as samsara. Concepts like victory and defeat, winning and losing, or us versus them, are dear to the dualistic perspective and fuel the workings of a limited, self-referential mind. Through introspection, cultivating stillness, and quieting this mind, we discover that these two-dimensional concepts are delusions. Another aspect of the self-referential mind is identity, a function crucial in society and interpersonal interaction. As long as we understand that identity, at its core, is merely a set of safe limits that allow us to interact, all is well. But when we attach to a fixed identity, we imprison ourselves in just a tiny compartment of our whole being and inevitably suffer the effects of spiritual poverty.
When events in the world provoke fear, disappointment, or concern, we tend to react with opposition, resistance, and anger. As practitioners, we are called to step beyond the two-dimensional mechanics of opposition. Merely reacting in this way only perpetuates fragmentation and strife.
Formal Zen training is a unique way to realize and experience the indivisibility of all existence. Continuous and diligent practice is needed to ripen and mature our ability to embrace challenges and act in a more holistic and wholesome manner. New York Zendo Shobo-ji and Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji are rare places that offer this time-honored practice of introspection and awakening. We offer the world access to this practice and are grateful to everyone who chooses to walk this path. The need for places of refuge and safe practice, such as our temples, where this exploration is available in a supportive environment, is of increased importance in times of significant challenges.
As a token of our appreciation, we have shared an affirmation to help refresh our commitment to the path of the Bodhisattva. Let it remind us of the need to awaken, be clear, and walk with determination and unwavering curiosity.
by Devyani Sadh
“Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious coworker, every illness, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath. Every moment is the guru.” Charlotte Joko Beck
Charlotte Joko Beck (1917-2011) was an esteemed American Zen teacher who led sanghas in California and in the Southwest. This statement, which appears in her book “Everyday Zen: Love and Work,” is a particularly concise expression of a truth we all aspire to realize in our practices and lives. It is one facet of the concept of non-duality – that any experience we face, any situation we find difficult, no matter how minute or massive, can be regarded in its fundamental nature as simply a call. It invites us to let go of yet one more of the inexhaustible desires and urges us to slip free just a bit more from the stranglehold that our sense of a separate self has on us. Every moment a teacher.
Joko Beck in this quote speaks of small daily “teachers.” But our life these days presents us with some monstrous and terrifying teachers – ongoing war, the erosion of human respect and decency among so much of our leadership, and of course the ever-looming reality of climate destruction. (As I write this, one more “unprecedented, record-breaking” hurricane rages across the Southeastern U.S.)
However, during our most recent climate-oriented Engaged Buddhism meeting (held each 4th Wednesday), we listened to a podcast conversation in which climate activist Christiana Figueres highlights three climate change trends. The first is the pervasive deterioration of the climate; the second is the ever-accelerating development of technological innovations to combat it; and the third is humanity’s slow but steady transformation toward being a species that sees itself as not separate from the natural world.
This is not to view our climate catastrophe through rose-colored glasses. It may well be that nothing averts destruction in the long run. But in light of the truth-seeking that brings us all together as a sangha, Ms. Figueres’ third trend is pointing toward a slow movement away from the egoistic and materialistic illusions that have driven our species for centuries, toward a dawning awareness of the not-separate truth of our nature.
This is the work that life presents us with in every moment: to realize, not as an intellectual concept but as a visceral and lived truth, that there is no separation. We are all every sentient being, we are all earth and trees and oceans and sky and all the vastness of space, and every grain of sand and every set of bones in every grave. (How easy to say, how seemingly impossible to truly feel.)
May all beings attain, and live, this wisdom.
May we not squander the opportunities for insight that tragedy can bring.
by Devyani Sadh
What is this me
that walks across the
surface of the Earth?
Is it like a jar of pickles?
Is it like some statuette
sitting on the table
in the hallway?
I hear that this
particular me can speak.
I see that it can curl its
fingers around a pen and
write words that approximate
a thought.
“So” says another,
“What’s to worry?
Just breathe and
see what happens.”
“Oh no” says another,
“You must find the goal
across the field.
You must get.
For without getting
you are lost.
You are nothing.”
Okay then, I shall
be nothing. I will
float across the lake
with my face to the sky.
And from the surface
of the moving water
I, like a goose, shall honk.
by Devyani Sadh
entering the storm
snow piled on snow: so long a
way to cold mountain
no more walking: sit
not looking for cold mountain
I find myself here
cold mountain again:
it is closer than myself
this clear moonlit night
by Devyani Sadh
Are you concerned about the climate crisis and want to explore ways in which you can address it close to home? Would you enjoy working with other Sangha members on a tangible project that embodies Engaged Buddhism?
The ZSS Engaged Buddhism Committee has been exploring ways for Sangha members to connect meaningfully beyond our Zoom meetings. The objective is to create a sustained initiative that benefits our community, the Engaged Buddhism mission, and ZSS at large. However, with members living across the country, finding a suitable in-person activity has proven challenging…and this is where you come in!
We invite you to join the Eco Workshop Planning Group, which will meet monthly on Zoom to plan an exciting Eco Workshop Weekend at Dai Bosatsu Zendo. During this in-person workshop, participants will explore the monastery’s natural and structural environment, and learn about the stewardship solutions that have been implemented. Participants will also be able to collaborate on specific environmental sustainability projects at the monastery.
While the first Eco Workshop Weekend will focus on projects that will directly benefit Dai Bosatsu Zendo, we warmly invite planning members with a diverse range of ecological and climate interests or expertise—such as sustainable urban planning—to share their ideas as well. We are open to all insights that can enrich our discussions.
The inaugural Eco Workshop Weekend will be scheduled for Summer 2025. We envision a small gathering which will initially consist mostly of planning group members. Building on the insights and experiences from this first workshop, we aim to expand and launch a larger event in 2026. While the planning group will ultimately shape the details of the weekend, below are some of the activities we anticipate will be included:
We’d love to have you join the planning group. Once the group is established, we’ll set a time for our monthly Zoom meetings and discuss how our Buddhist vows can guide our collaborative efforts on this project. If interested, please contact us at engaged@zenstudies.org.
Dai Bosatsu Zendo
223 Beecher Lake Road
Livingston Manor, NY 12758
New York Zendo
223 East 67th Street
New York, NY 10065
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