Phoenix Rising

It’s been confirmed. I will be speaking at Empty Sky Zen Center near Phoenix, Arizona on Friday June 29th at 7pm. The address is 5246 E McDonald Dr., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253. If you’re not a regular there and wish to attend please send an email to Ann Baker at anbakrann@gmail.com. They just need to get a head count. Newcomers are very welcome. This is not an “advanced” sitting.

People ask me all the time whether or not some event I’m doing is for “advanced” practitioners or not. Folks, there is no such thing as “advanced” Zen practice. You start and end at exactly the same place. I don’t run any events for “advanced” practitioners.

10 Responses

Page 1 of 1
  1. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote June 26, 2012 at 1:34 am |

    “Folks, there is no such thing as “advanced” Zen practice. You start and end at exactly the same place.”

    Ah, place as metaphor. Starting and ending at this very place, even though it may be miles apart; things as they is.

  2. Fred
    Fred June 26, 2012 at 7:32 am |

    In advanced Zen you meditate while standing on your head and juggling 3 koans.

  3. Fred
    Fred June 26, 2012 at 7:39 am |

    “No self upon the Absolute” is “exactly the same place” ? Why don’t we just skip
    all that sitting and go directly there?

    Where’s Gempo?

  4. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote June 26, 2012 at 10:57 am |

    “No self upon the Absolute” is “exactly the same place”, you are already there, right where you are. The trick is in the relationship between the body of referred sensation and the spontaneous occurrence of consciousness; they are interdependent. In the end, the spontaneous occurrence of consciousness will open feeling to the surface of the skin throughout the body; zazen is a practice of allowing that to occur, and because it’s actually a dynamic process that involves stretch and involuntary activity, zazen is a practice that can happen anytime.

    I realize your question was rhetorical; so’s my answer, ha ha!

  5. Fred
    Fred June 26, 2012 at 1:47 pm |

    Mark said
    “because it’s actually a dynamic process that involves stretch and involuntary activity, zazen is a practice that can happen anytime.”

    Can it happem while you are sitting in a chair?

  6. Fred
    Fred June 26, 2012 at 2:07 pm |
  7. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote June 26, 2012 at 4:08 pm |

    Thanks, Fred.

    Yes, but…

  8. Rob_Heathen
    Rob_Heathen June 26, 2012 at 4:39 pm |

    So, whatever happened with the Las Cruces gig?

  9. Rehn
    Rehn June 26, 2012 at 9:43 pm |

    You probably don’t remember me–we met in NYC. You meet so many people. I’ll see you on Friday.

    Rehn

  10. Mark Foote
    Mark Foote June 26, 2012 at 9:45 pm |

    test
    test
    test

Comments are closed.