A few notes on my trip to Tokyo, Japan, in April 2024. This trip was long in the making. How long? 25 years. In fact, it marks the silver jubilee of Ajari Tanaka's first visit to Rijeka, Croatia. One week in Tokyo, though far too short, was much better than anything planned or expected. Ajari Tanaka was available daily, and we had plenty of time to catch up on all things, since our last meeting was in 2017 in Vermont, during the Goma ceremony training. Five minutes after exchanging greetings and pleasantries, it was as if the passage of time was nothing, bonds and kinship strong as ever. On the second day, a brief encounter with Sensei Kane just before his return flight to United States, an auspicious coincidence. In the following days we managed to visit Asakusa Kannon Senso-ji, Takahata Fudoson Kongo-ji, the Tokyo National Museum, and finally Naritasan Shinsho-ji.  At Asakusa we entered the inner shrine to recite mantras in front of Kannon, Aizen, and Fudo. We also managed to attend two Goma ceremonies, one at Takahata Fudo and one at Naritasan. On the last day before departure, an intimate dinner with Ajari Tanaka and his wife Yukiko-san, [...]

[some selection, almost zero editing: posted here as archive] 2014 "Canon in use" is a very useful notion to delineate relevant scriptures of a living tradition, as opposed to comprehensive "library canon." > A dozen sutras, a dozen commentaries, and a dozen practice manuals, tend to suffice for a coherent practice mode. The idealistic notion of "beyond" is used quite indiscriminately in spiritual lingo. Is "in the midst of" not where it all ends up? Of many tropes in Buddhist scriptures, hyperbole is the most used, and very skilfully, throughout the long literary history. Hard to say who has more difficulty with hyperbole today, the conservative apologist or the rational detractor, both prone to literalism. "Everything you know is dead wrong." ~ tantra authors "No, old Buddhism is good." ~ tantra commentators (sometimes same people) There's always the danger of self-improvement. #thingsisaywhenmentoring "The world worlds." — Heidegger Meanwhile, selfs self. Student says: "I have not realized it!" Teacher replies: "I have not realized it either!" Student packs up and moves on. #storiesofsiddhas Faction: neo-feudal overlords embrace neo-vajrayana, while rewarding their serfs who practice mindfulness at home and at work. “Life’s barely long enough to get good at one thing, if [...]

Quote from introduction: "When encountering illness or disease, we experience a loss of balance, strength and vitality. Contagion disrupts whole societies. Easy tasks become difficult or impossible. Those who are sick depend heavily on the assistance of others, while they are also at the mercy of chance and conditions. Impermanence is suddenly obvious, while life's precarious nature asserts itself. Our priorities come into question as the future grows uncertain, and leisure fades into irrelevance. Death is recognized in its immediacy, as we can no longer pretend time is abundant. Fear, worry, and regret may overwhelm those who are afflicted, as well as those who are helping. Susceptibility and relatedness are thrown into sharp relief. Anger and sadness drain precious energy. Loneliness and helplessness add insult to injury. Individuals, as well as cultures, respond to illness in different ways – some with denial, some with confusion, some with resolve, some with equanimity. Whatever the case, illness tests our ability to maintain a balance between doing what needs to be done, and accepting what cannot be changed. The purpose of this practice is to cultivate individual capacity for balance between action and acceptance, deepen one's understanding of illness and death as part [...]