In this essay on the relationship between mathematics and Zen, Ralph Shikan Levinson draws on some of the fundamentals of geometry, particularly the quality of symmetry, as a way to interpret the identity of relative and absolute. He then applies some of his ideas to an appreciation of Zen poetry and art, particularly the work of Sengai Gibon (1750-1838).
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Mind Breathes Fire
Nyogen Roshi sent me a New York Times article that he thought I would like: “A Black Hole Mystery Wrapped in a Firewall Paradox.” Leonard Susskind, a theoretical physicist and educator whose work I enjoy, had offered comments on the article. There were also references to the iconic physicist and intellectual provocateur Stephen Hawking, and […]
Present Moment, Wonderful Moment
Here’s how the script went. Loving doggie mama sees her boy through his final years with compassion and patience and lovingkindness. (She is a Buddhist, after all). She soothes his fears (she knows him so well), gently cares for him as he drifts into that dark night and makes the right decision when the time […]
A Bodhisattva Never Hesitates
He was maybe in his 70’s—out of shape, but not so out of shape that he couldn’t cradle a large, limp dog in his arms. I was coming off the dog beach near my house and he was just stepping onto it. The dog’s head hung over the man’s arm. There was a towel, in […]
Learning to Ride the Ox—Or the Horse!
I want to thank Roshi for assigning this talk – it definitely grounded me to focus on this talk. And while love knows no comparison, I have noticed that each time I have been assigned a talk my preparation has been different – most notably in that I am less anxious. I thought that that […]
Far Away and Yet So Close
I had always felt like there was something missing in my life. Roshi once said that a sense of “unfulfillment” brings us to the practice. That is true for me. Unfulfillment, the feeling that something is not quite right, is what probably brought me to Los Angeles in the first place. While living in […]
