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Articles by James Ford
Taking Refuge in the (Zen) Sangha
Ox Herding Pictures Returning to the World, number 10 Tenshō Shūbun 15th century (Dharma Holder Tom Daimon Wardell shared this reflection at our Empty Moon Zen Saturday morning sit on the 17th of October, 2026. He has graciously allowed me to reprint it here.) All too often, we regard the project of awakening as an individual enterprise: I am unhappy, so I will practice, and through my practice, I will attain awakening. A lot of “I”s in there, and that should be a signal to us.
Recalling the Amazing Alexandra David-Neel
Alexandra David-Neel in Lhasa, 1924 Alexandra David-Need is one of the singular figures at the dawn of European Buddhism. All of us of my generation, whatever school of the great way we embrace, if we were raised in the West and came to the dharma as adults, her fingerprints are all over what we encountered. I would add, for ill as well as for good. But, I also believe, genuinely, most of all for the good.
The Great Matter: Walking the Zen Way
Riding Home Zen Ox Herding Pictures, number 6 Tenshō Shūbun 15th century (This talk was delivered by Dharma Holder Mo Myokan Weinhardt at the Empty Moon Zen half day zazenkai on August 29th, 2026. She has graciously permitted me to reprint it here.) My Grandpa Jer was an absolute bear of a man — especially to me, a little 5-year-old Mo. Grandpa Jer was larger than life.
Zen and the Sayings of Jesus
By the Master of the Reichenau school of Illumination, circa 1010 (This reflection on the Zen koan to be found in Luke 17:20-21 first appeared in my Substack newsletter Unanswered Question.
Faithful Intentions 2026 720p WEBRip YTS.GG-YTS.BZ
3 Responses to "[RR/NF/CU] Faithful Intentions 2026 720p WEBRip YTS.GG-YTS.BZ (838MB)" BloodHells Thank You DamnU262200199 ================================================== ================================================== Faithful.Intentions.2026.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD.2.0.H.264-playWEB https://uploady.io/pzanp053hu8u/F.I.2026.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD.2.0.H.264-playWEB.mkv https://rapidgator.net/file/b591ea5c5efe1f8e26f0a84b51bfe44a/F.I.2026.720p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD.2.0.H.264-playWEB.mkv.html...
Finding the True Qian: Unpacking a traditional Zen koan
The Darling Twins, circa 1925 (A dharma talk by Roshi Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer, guiding teacher of the Empty Moon Zen Sangha.) There There is much to be said for succinctness. Dad jokes aside, that archetypical Dad, Polonius, he of so much unsolicited advice to his son in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, (and look where it got him}, anyway, Polonius hit the nail on its proverbial head when he said, “Since brevity is the soul of wit, / And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, / I will be brief…”.
Zen in the Christian Desert
Abba Poimen, image from Mt Athos, unknown artist, dated to 1547 Me, I’m endlessly fascinated by the monks and nuns we now call the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They represent a movement that began in the third century in what we think of today as Israel and Palestine, Syria, Arabia, and most of all in the Egyptian desert. They first captured my imagination through Thomas Merton’s carefully curated collection, the Wisdom of the Desert. And this interest has continued on since.
Jesuit Zen Roshis, a Roster
Fr Hugo Enomiya Lassalle, SJ My old friend Ken Ireland recently shared the following and I thought it deserved a bit broader presentation. So I asked his permission to reprint it here. Always gracious, he agreed. Several questions about Jesuits authorized to teach Zen meditation led me to put together this roster: Zen and the Birds of Appetite was my first exposure to Zen when I was in the Jesuits.
Zen Master Keizan Jokin
The wooden statue of Keizan Jōkin dates from the early 14th century and is believed to have been commissioned by his heir Meihō Sotetsu shortly after Keizan’s death. It’s preserved at Yōkōji Temple in Sakai-cho, Hakui City. In Japan the 15th of August is marked as a time to celebrate the life of the second founder of Soto Zen in that country, Keizan Jokin. He’s a fascinating figure, one I wish was a bit better known among Zen students in the West.
Hot Anger: Meeting Anger in Zen Practice
Gustave Dore 1861 “Curs’d wolf they fury inward on thyself prey and consume thee.” Dante’s inferno Continuing talks from Empty Moon Zen teachers. Here Dharma Holder Mo Myokan Weinhart explores the 9th of Japanese Zen’s ten grave precepts. In her work life Mo is a consultant specializing in strategic operations and leadership.
From the Stage to the Silver Screen: The O’Jays’ Eric Nolan and Ohio Filmmaker James Ford Launch National Release of Faithful Intentions
Youngstown, OH, July 28, 2026 --(PR.com)-- After decades of entertaining audiences around the world as a member of the legendary R&B group The O’Jays, Eric Nolan is writing a new chapter—this time behind the camera. Nolan has joined forces with filmmaker James Ford to bring Faithful Intentions, an independently produced feature film from JAE Films, to audiences nationwide.
A Zen teacher writes a novel describing the Spiritual life
Priest’s Tale It has been said if all Zen monastics and priests and dharma successors were killed, and the whole of Zen’s spiritual literature were burned; by the next day or at the most, two, people would be waking up. The terms they would use to describe all this would be different and the practices would be a little different. But the same intimate way would be reborn. Please forgive he shameless self-promotion.
Nanquan Cuts the Cat: A Jesuit commentary on a Zen koan
Cheshire Cat John Tenniel 1865 (This article is by my friend Ken Ireland. Ken is an old Zen hand. A few years back one of his teachers suggested he begin formally training for authorization as a teacher, but declined the offer. Ken was educated at Dartmouth College, with advanced studies at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Woodstock College, and the Jesuit School of Theology. His MDiv studies focused on sacred scriptures, theology, and spiritual direction.
The 250th Fourth of July
Signing of he Declaration of Independence. Engraving by Charles Toppan for the American bank note company, July 4, 1840 Today is the Fourth of July. The 250th anniversary of the founding of what would become the American Republic. The good and the ill of who we are are woven so fine. From the beginning there was an astonishing amount of high idealism, and along with it some serious sharp dealing.
The Selling of Zen at the End of Religions
Zen at the End of Religion I received a note today from a book marketer. It’s the second of its sort I’ve seen directed at me. I really liked what it offered as a summation of Zen at the End of Religion. *** Among the most intellectually generous and spiritually honest books to come out of the contemporary Zen and post-religious spirituality space is Zen at the End of Religion.
On Taking Refuge in the Dharma
Zen teacher bowing (Here I continue the feature of sharing talks and essays by teachers within our Empty Moon Zen community. This is a talk by Dharma Holder Tom Wardle. A householder teacher, Tom works as an Executive Coach. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Hult International Business School. He is also a graduate of the Zen Peacemaker’s Seminary for Socially Engaged Buddhism.
Easy, Right? A Dharma Talk
Zen priest Kosho McCall bowing. (Continuing my intention to share talks and essays by other members of Empty Moon Zen’s teacher’s circle, here I’m sharing a talk from a recent retreat by Dharma Holder Mo Weinhardt. It has also been previously posted at my Substack page. Mo has been a student of Zen for more than twenty years, starting with the Zen Peacemakers. She officially began working with me in 2009.
The Subtle Art of Bowing: A Dharma Discourse
Zen priest Kosho McCall bowing. (This presentation was first offered by my dear friend Dharma Holder Tom Wardle. He has generously aloud me to reprint it here.) Tom Wardle is an Executive Coach, Spiritual Director, and Zen Teacher. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Hult International Business School. He is also a graduate of the Zen Peacemaker’s Seminary for Socially Engaged Buddhism.
STOP THE WAR: Commenting on a Zen koan
Battle at Lanka from the Ramayana Sahib Din 1649-1653 (At the recent Empty Moon Zen Saturday Zazenkai, Dharma Holder Mo Myokan Weinhardt gave the dharma talk on the koan “Stop the war.” I asked her if I could reprint it at my Monkey Mind column, hoping to see it get the wider readership it deserves. She graciously consented. ) Once, many years ago when Tom and I were living in the Bay Area, we went to sit one evening with David Weinstein Roshi’s Rockridge Meditation Community.
Only Beauty Can Save the World: James Hillman at 100
Woman and child with globe, 500 Piastres, Banque de I’Indo-Chine, 1939 The Archetypal psychologist James Hillman was born on the 12th of April, in 1926. Which means he’d be a hundred today. He looms in my inner life. In an unfinished memoir I touched up him and his acolytes and all that. I began taking classes at Sonoma State University, studying psychology while Jan finished up some general education requirements at several local community colleges.
Easter: A Zen Buddhist Appreciation
Christ appears to Mary Magdalene Jan Brueghel the Younger late 1630s Easter. That most holy of Christian holy days. The Gospel of Mark is generally considered the oldest of the canonical gospels, the time-hallowed stories of Jesus and his ministry. The sixteenth chapter of Mark tells the story of Easter in its most unelaborated version. And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, went to the tomb, bringing sweet spices to anoint his body.
A Lazy Person’s Guide to Idleness & Liberation
Edward Bird (1772–1819) Idleness Hui Tzu said to Chuang, “I have a big tree, the kind they call a “stinktree.” The trunk is so distorted, so full of knots, no one can get a straight plank out of it. The branches are so crooked you cannot cut them up in any way that makes sense.” “There it stands beside the road. No carpenter will even look at it. Such is your teaching – big and useless.” Chuang Tzu replied, “Have you ever watched the wildcat crouching, watching his prey.
Fear, Hatred, and Zen
Credulity, Superstition, and Fanaticism William Hogarth 1762 Eugen Herrigel was born on the 20th of March, in 1884. In 1953, his book Zen in der Kunst des Bogenschießens was published as Zen in the Art of Archery. It was one of the first English language books in general distribution that touched on Zen. And it was wildly successful.
Zen Master Soen Nakagawa
The Rinzai Zen master Soen Nakagawa was born on the 19th of March, in 1907. It’s been a while since I’ve noted the day and this remarkable figure at the foundation of Zen come West. Felt appropriate to offer it again. In my study of Zen come West, Zen Master Who? I wrote about him. Through his regular visits, his Dharma heirs, and others he taught, Soen Nakagawa would become one of the most important figures shaping a Western understanding of Rinzai Zen.
Shunryu Suzuki Biographer And Zen Historian David Chadwick.
Tassajara. 1967 I was saddened to learn that David Chadwick died at his home in Bali yesterday. He’s devoted much of his life to archiving the early history of the San Francisco Zen Center, itself the epicenter in the founding of convert Zen in North America. The term “Zen Center” was coined as the group separated from Sokoji Soto Zen Mission of San Francisco. Along the way he wrote one of the most charming Zen memoirs of the genre I’ve read, Thank You, And Okay!: An American Zen Failure in Japan.
What To Do In The Broken Places
Cup and cover, 1931 Auckland War Memorial Museum (Roshi Edward Oberholtzer gave this dharma talk at our Empty Moon Zen Saturday Zoom sit on Feburary 21st, 2026. With his gracious permission I reprint it here…) *** Stephan Daedalus, that stand-in for his creator, James Joyce, once said in Joyce’s Ulysses , that “A man of genius makes no mistakes.
A Zen Buddhist Response To This Moment
Flammarion Engraving (The following is a Dharma talk delivered by Dharma Holder Thomas Wardle of the Empty Moon Zen community. Reprinted here with his generous consent.) If you don’t know the kind of person I am and I don’t know the kind of person you are a pattern that others made may prevail in the world and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
Recalling The Interfaith Saint Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton historical marker Thomas Merton was born at Prades, France, on the 31st of January, in 1915. His father Owen was a New Zelander, his mother Ruth, an American. They’d met while each was studying art in Paris. Thomas was baptized into the Church of England. representing his father’s Anglican faith. With the onset of the First World War the family relocated to the States. His brother, John Paul was born shortly after. Their mother died when Merton was six.
Ehei Dogen On The Anniversary Of His Birth
Soto Zen ordination photo. Oakland, California, 1969 Eihei Dogen was born on the 26th of January in 1200. He is recalled as the founder of the Japanese Soto school (Caodong in Chinese) and as one of the great spiritual writers of all time. It is believed he was the illegitimate child of an imperial councillor. His mother is believed to have died when he was seven and he was raised within his father’s family. At thirteen Dogen entered the Tendai order at Mt Hiei. His first teacher was the monk Koen.
Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku
Budai Opening His Sack Hakuin Ekaku mid Eighteenth century One of the greatest of Japan’s Zen masters, Hakuin Ekaku died on January the 18th, 1769. He was born on the 19th of January, in 1686, in a village at the foot of Mount Fuji. In those years between death and birth, Hakuin became the great reformer of Japanese Rinzai Zen. Curricular koan study traces to two major strains, both named for grand students of his. As a child he attended a lecture given by a Nichiren priest on hell.
A Zen Reflection On Epiphany
Three Wise Men Leopold Kupelwieser, 1825 In the Christian calendar, at least some forms of it, the 6th of January, is the Feast of the Epiphany, or Three King’s Day.
The Suchness Of Crows: The Zen Teachings Of Two Koans
Three American Crows photo by Sheila Sund The following is the talk my friend Roshi Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer gave at our Empty Moon Zen sangha Saturday morning sit on the 27th of December, 2025. He is the current guiding teacher of the Empty Moon Zen collaborative.
Christmas And The Work Of Christmas
British troops from the Northumberland Hussars, 7th Division, Bridoux-Rouge Banc Sector and German soldiers and medical personnel meeting in No-Mans’s Land during the Christmas truce, 25th December 1914 When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations,...
Recalling The Christian Bodhisattva, Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton Historical Marker It was on the 10th of December in 1968, that the American Trappist monk, mystic, spiritual writer, social justice activist, as well as prominent advocate of intereligious dialogue, Thomas Merton, died. The Episcopal church marks this as a feast for a saint. As well they should. May the other denominations that enroll saints in their liturgical calendars do the same. I might add how Buddhists, especially of the Mahayana schools could profitably do so, as well.
Bodhi Day & Rohatsu
Tian Tan Buddha, the “Big Buddha” at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Photo by Beria Lima de Rodriguez December 8th. Bodhi Day. Rohatsu… It is, as is said in some circles, right and good to mark the significant events of someone’s life. In the case of great spiritual figures these can become major cultural as well as religious dates. Of course, in the case of spiritual figures the significance of these events might not be noticed at the time they were living.
Every Day Is A Good Day: A Thanksgiving Zen Koan
Grecian Harvest Home thanksgiving to the Rural Dieties, Ceres,Bacchus, etc James Barry, 1791 I try to offer a few words on our American Thanksgiving from a Zen Buddhist perspective when the holiday rolls around. What follows is that, tweaked, and then tweaked again. Eventually, I hope, I’ll get this mess right. After all, every day is a good day… Our first American Thanksgiving was proclaimed by George Washington on the 26th of November, 1789.
Considering Some Spiritual Roots Of The American Experiment
…
In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are under-written, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
A Feast For Alan Watts: Spiritual Entertainer And Much More
Alan Watts died on the 16th of November in 1973. If I have my math right, that’s fifty-two years now. And even now, for many reasons, some good, some less so, he continues to be a presence at that edge of North American spirituality where what has long been called East and West meet. This is meaningful for me. Alan Watts had a significant place in the earlier years of my spiritual life, and even today remains, if not so central, still significant. Again, for good reasons, and not so good.
The Amazing, The Wonderful, The Astonishing Alexandra David-Neel
Alexandra David-Need is one of the singular figures at the dawn of European Buddhism. All of us of my generation, whatever school of the great way we embrace, if we were raised in the West and came to the dharma as adults, her fingerprints are all over what we encountered. I would add, for ill as well as for good. But, I also believe, genuinely, most of all for the good. So, the story… Louise Eugenie Alexandrien Marie David was born on the 24th of October, 1868, in the eastern suburbs of Paris.
Jack Kerouac And The Dawn Of Convert Buddhism In The West
It was the 21st of October, 1969, Jean Louis Kerouac, or maybe it was Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac; whatever, the person we know as Jack Kerouac died in St Petersburg, Florida. The day before Jack was drinking whiskey and malt liquor while working on a book. He felt a wave of nausea and then began to vomit blood. He was experiencing an esophageal hemorage, and despite several transfusions, his liver was damaged beyond repair from his lifetime of hard drinking.
Recalling D. T. Suzuki & His Zen Buddhism
D. T. Suzuki was born on the 18th of October, 1870. Teitaro was his given name, while Daisetsu, his dharma name, given to him by his teacher Soen (sometime Soyen) Shaku. Most often all of it shortened to, D. T. Suzuki. D. T. Suzuki was born on the 18th of October, 1870. (The Wikipedia bio mistakenly lists his birthday as a month later) He was 95 when he died on the 12th of July, in 1966, He widely celebrated for his critical part in the migration of Japanese style Zen Buddhism to the West.
A Zen Appreciation Of Teresa Of Avila
Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada died in a moment when time ceased to be. It was in 1582 exactly as the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian. And with it ten days vanished, the 5th through the 15th. In this negative time, so did Teresa. We know her as Teresa of Avila. The Churches of the West celebrate the 15th of October as a feast in her honor. She is one of only four women to be named a “Doctor” of the Roman Catholic Church. And to my mind one of the greatest of Catholic theologians.
The Gods Of Small Things: A Zen Meditation
Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer Roshi offered this reflection at our Empty Moon Zen half day Zen sit on Saturday, the 4th of October, 2025. With his generous permission I offer this reprint hoping to find the larger audience this talk deserves… There is a lot to be said for Iceland. It is, as an example, considered one of the happiest nations on earth. It enjoys an enviably high level of gender equality.
Yogi Chen & Chinese Vajrayana: A Personal Account
My friend Ken Ireland wrote this memoir of his encounters with the Chinese Vajrayana teacher C. M. Chen, best known perhaps, as Yogi Chen, for his Buddha, S.J. blog. I thought it worth wider distribution, and with his kind permission, I offer it here at Monkey Mind. When Father Bob Ochs and I lived together on Hillegass Avenue, we both began serious conversations with Buddhists — conversations with the intense inquiry that Jesuits are well known for.
Hildegard As A Pan-Spiritual Saint
Hildegard of Bingen died on the 17th of September in 1179. She is one of those people I think of as pan-spiritual saints. And I try to note her feast as it rolls by annually. As far as I’m concerned the 17th of September is observed as a feats for one of most interesting and complex individuals in the annals of Christian mysticism. Itself a complex subject. The mystical life is often mixed up. In any number of ways.
Our Divided Hearts: A Zen Meditatioin
Yesterday evening I gave a talk at the Zen at Neighborhood class at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church. Preparing for it, I ran across this from a few years ago. It ended up largely being what I shared, but written down, and has fewer uhs and ahs than last evening’s talk. Possibly worth a read… The Case Master Wuzu asked one of his students, “The woman Chien and her spirit had separated. Tell me, which is the true Chien?” Wumenguan, The Gateless Gate, Case 35.
Zen And The Dance Of Not Knowing
My dear friend the Roshi Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer, currently guiding teacher of the Empty Moon Zen project gave the dharma talk at our Empty Moon half day retreat on the 6th of September, 2025. In it he unpacked the meaning of Zen’s teaching of not knowing. I found it very helpful, and with his generous permission to reprint it, I offer it here at Monkey Mind… *** Remember the old television show Weeds?
Zen, Unitarian Universalism, And A Writer’s Life
Nineteen years ago on the 5th of September, 2006, at 12:53pm (Eastern time), I posted my very first Monkey Mind blog post. It was a Gary Snyder poem. Lew Welch jut turned up one day, live as you and me. “Damn, Lew” I said, “you didn’t shoot yourself after all.” “Yes I did” he said, and even then I felt the tingling down my back. “Yes you did, too” I said — “I can feel it now.” “Yeah” he said, “There’s a basic fear between your world and mine. I don’t know why.
What Is A Zen Koan?
The Case Zhaozhou visited a hermit. He asked, “Is anybody in? Anybody in?” The hermit lifted up his fist. Zhaozhou said, “the water is too shallow for a ship to anchor.” Later he went to a hermit, and asked, “Is anybody in? Anybody in?” The hermit also lifted up his fist. Zhaozhou said “Freely you give and freely you take away. Freely you kill and freely you give life.” And he made a full prostration.
Zen And The Several Assumptions Of Mary
I’ve been drawn into Zen Buddhist reflections on (mostly) Christian holy days over the past few years. One such day is the Assumption of Mary. It’s is a Christian festival universally celebrated in the liturgical churches. It’s marked in the Eastern Christian churches on the 15th of August as the Dormition of the Theotokos. And in the Roman calendar for the same day it’s called the feast of the Assumption of Mary.
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