Cultivating Stillness

I belonged to the Kwan Um School of Zen Buddhism as a part of the Providence Zen Center for three years before I left for China.  Daily service was a part of the tradition of the Zen Center, and service was always the same, morning and evening.  In a discussion one...

The major skills I teach at Blue Heron Stillness are qigong, taiji, and meditation.  They all share one thing in common:  the breath. Qigong exercises and taiji forms, both breath-driven, move at the pace of the breath.  We begin each from a posture of stillness - wu...

We walk our path with steps determined Flashlight shined ahead. At morning wake and pray come night We’ll safely find our bed.   And in between we walk our path To learn what comes that day. With eyes wide open, mind so clear We walk along our way.   Our path has...

In Chinese painting first to learn With soft and yielding brush A grove of them so straight and tall So green and swaying lush.   Stalks of green and others black Leaves of varied size When comes a storm it does not care And will not fear demise.   Winds...

For eighteen months we came to learn Together as a pair That each was safe and simply learning How we’d come to fare.   Pumpkin seeds and peanuts roasted Seemed a decent meal. I’d leave them out and wait to see Just how the squirrel’d deal.   As time went on...

As ever in our prayers a universal wishA gracious death with no regrets.And yet in life we give no thoughtTo ever hedge our bets. In early age an arrogance thatWe will live forever.And even death upon our clanWe take no new endeavor. The moments pass without a...