Endless Path Zendo | Roshi Rafe Martin – Details, episodes & analysis

Recorded July 27, 2024.

In this teisho, Roshi Martin concludes his reading from "Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha" and offers his comments on the stirring autobiography and inspiring teachings of Tangen Roshi. 

Tangen Harada Roshi, (the monk, Tangen-san, in "The Three Pillars of Zen") was an extraordinary human being and extraordinary Zen teacher, one with particularly close ties to the Endless Path Zendo's Kapleau-Roshi lineage. As the preface to the new book of his life and teachings "Throw Yourself Into the House of Buddha" says: “He didn’t travel the world to spread the Dharma.; he just sat in his small temple nestled in the shadow of a little mountain on the outskirts of a fishing town by the Sea of Japan. Yet slowly word of him spread around the world, bringing thousands of people from all continents to practice there.”

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
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Recorded July 20, 2024.

In this teisho, Roshi Martin continues reading from "Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha" and comments on the stirring autobiography and inspiring teachings of Tangen Roshi. 

Tangen Harada Roshi, (the monk, Tangen-san, in "The Three Pillars of Zen") was an extraordinary human being and extraordinary Zen teacher, one with particularly close ties to the Endless Path Zendo's Kapleau-Roshi lineage. As the preface to the new book of his life and teachings "Throw Yourself Into the House of Buddha" says: “He didn’t travel the world to spread the Dharma.; he just sat in his small temple nestled in the shadow of a little mountain on the outskirts of a fishing town by the Sea of Japan. Yet slowly word of him spread around the world, bringing thousands of people from all continents to practice there.”

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
• Talks on YouTube
• More information at endlesspathzen.org

Recorded May 18, 2024

If we mean to fulfill our life journey, our personal pilgrimage to maturity — which is the point of Zen practice — what we seek can’t be somewhere far off, but must be in our own back — or front — yard. 

Gateless Barrier, (Wu-men Kuan, Mumonkan), Case 37: “Chao-chou: The Oak Tree in the Front Garden” goes like this:

The Case
A monk asked Chao-chou, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the    West?”

Chao-chou said, “The oak tree in the front yard.”

“Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?” is a traditional Zen way of saying, “What is the highest teaching of the Buddhadharma?” It means, why did Bodhidharma, at an advanced age too, choose to make the difficult crossing from Southern India to China? What was so important that it was worth risking his life to do it? And how does “the oak tree in the front garden” answer this question? Let’s take a look!

Photo credit: "Tree Heart" by Rafe Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
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Recorded May 4, 2024.

May 6, 2024 is the 20th Anniversary of the passing of Roshi Philip Kapleau. Rose and Rafe Martin were his personal disciples. They traveled with him, shared meals with him, watched movies with him, were his attendants for various formal functions, stayed with him by his invitation in Mexico, New Mexico, and Florida. Roshi Kapleau also chose Rafe to be his editor for his two final books.

On May 4th 2024 at our annual 1/2 day zazenkai/memorial for Roshi Kapleau at Endless Path Zendo, a recorded teisho originally presented by Roshi Kapleau’s at a 7-day sesshin at Bodhi Mandala in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico in 1986 (which Rafe attended), was played. The teisho is on case 37 of the Blue Cliff Record, P’AN SHAN’S (BANZAN’S) “THERE IS NOTHING IN THE TRIPLE WORLD and the case is as follows:

"P’an Shan (Banzan) said to his disciples, 'There is nothing in the triple world; where then can Mind be found?'"

Roshi Martin adds: “Roshi Philip Kapleau was a unique man. Former Chief Court Reporter for the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal as well as the Tokyo War Crimes Trials, he came to Zen through a recognition of the horrors to which human beings can sink when lost from their True Nature, as well as through a sense that the Zen he first encountered while in Japan for the trials, offered a doorway to something of great value. We are the fortunate heirs of his determination to find out what that unknown "thing" of great value actually was."

Book cited:

• Two Zen Classics: Mumonkan and Hekiganroku. Translated with commentaries by Katsuki Sekida

Photo credit: Roshi Kapleau, by Casey Frank

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
• Talks on YouTube
• More information at endlesspathzen.org

Recorded on April 27, 2024

This talk, given by Roshi Rafe Jnan Martin, explores case 35 of the Gateless Barrier: “Which is the True Ch’ien?” This wonderfully creative koan uses a T’ang era ghost tale of a young woman divided from herself, to help us uncover our own real Self today. It’s the old old story of Identity — the essential quest of myth and folklore worldwide — recast as a koan with the power to help us live more fully. [This case is sometimes also known as “Sei and Her Soul Are Separated.”}

Books cited:

• The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan), Translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken 
• The Record of Transmission of Light (Denkoroku), Master Keizan Jōkin
• Complete Poison Blossoms from a Thicket of Thorn: The Zen Records of Hakuin Zenji, Translated by Norman Waddell
• The Snow Leopard, Peter Matthiessen

Original Painting — “Moon Among the Clouds” by Rafe Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
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Recorded on April 20, 2024.

This talk, given by Roshi Rafe Jnan Martin, explores case 38 from the Gateless Barrier - "Wu-tsu's Buffalo Passes Through the Window."  A most interesting koan! 
In the case, a buffalo's massive head, horns, shoulders, legs and hooves all pass easily through the latticed window. So, why can't the tiny tail pass through? Impossible! Crazy! -- and yet -- it's a wonderful koan in which the Buddha's most profound wisdom meets the lively wisdom of fairy tales. Zen Master Hakuin called this a nanto koan, meaning that he felt that it was one of the eight most difficult koan cases. Is it? See what you think.

Referenced:

• The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan), Translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken 
• The Story of Zen, by Rick McDaniel
• The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

Photo credit: Buffalo/Ox, by Rafe Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
• Talks on YouTube
• More information at endlesspathzen.org

Recorded April 13, 2024.

Roshi Rafe Jnan Martin explores the meaning of the Buddha's birth, which took place roughly 2600 years ago.  A birth that is so remarkable prompts us to ask:  Where did someone come from who was able to so quickly give up all wealth and privilege, and by devoting himself fully to the great anguish of our common human condition, realize a way of helping all beings? What does his effort and insight mean for us today?

Roshi Martin reads from his recently published book -- "A Zen Life of Buddha" (Sumeru Books, 2023).

Referenced:

• J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
• Thomas Traherne,  Centuries Poems and Thanksgivings. Vol. 1: Introduction and Centuries

Photo credit: Buddha Birth Altar at Endless Path Zendo by Rose Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
• Talks on YouTube
• More information at endlesspathzen.org

Recorded March 30, 2024.

Roshi Rafe Jnan Martin shares Case 36 from The Blue Cliff Record "Ch'ang Sha Wandering in the Mountains."

With Ch’ang Sha’s spring time stroll in the hills we discover (and clarify) that ongoing Zen practice means a full life, not isolation. The Buddha got up from under the Bodhi Tree. The point of Zen — if we can speak in such terms — is not to stay forever seated in zazen facing a wall, but to live fully, maturing with family, careers, relationships, interests, ups and downs, sickness and health, activism, citizenship, music and art all as the Way. Ch’ang Sha shows how it goes. Hsueh t’ou, compiler of The Blue Cliff Record, says, “I’m grateful for that answer.” As are we! 

Additional works cited — 

• The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan), Translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken - Case 25 Yang-shan's Sermon from the Third Seat
• Wallace Stevens, “The Snow Man”
• William Blake - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell  
• Keizan Jokin, Denkoroku
• The Odyssey, Robert Fitzgerald, trans.
• Basho — in Haiku “Spring” R.H. Blyth

Photo credit: Highland Falls, by Rafe Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
• Talks on YouTube
• More information at endlesspathzen.org

Recorded March 23,  2024.

Roshi Rafe Martin completes his exploration of the Zen pilgrimage of Te-shan and the things he carried as he matures from youthful firebrand into refined and mature teacher.  In this teisho, Te-shan is carrying his bowls to the noon-day meal. Is he early? Is the meal late? What is "the last word"? Does he have it or doesn't he? Does anyone? And how about us -- what is the last word? Can we say? 

Selected references:

• The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan), Translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken - Case 28 "Lung-t'an (Ryutan) Blows Out a Candle" (also titled "Lung-t'an Renowned Near and Far")
• The Blue Cliff Record, Translated by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary  - Case 4       "Te-shan Carries His Bundle" 
• The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan), Translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken - Case 13 "Te-shan: Bowls in Hand"
• Dogs, Trees, Beards and Other Wonders: Meditations on the Forty-eight Cases of the Wumenguan by Ken Tetsuzan Morgareidge

Photo credit: Standing Buddha/Seated Buddha, by Rafe Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
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Recorded on March 17, 2024.

In this second teisho on the trilogy of Te-shan koans, Roshi Martin looks at Case 4 of the Blue Cliff Record: “Te-shan Carries His Bundle.” In the previous teisho Te-shan set down the backpack of brilliant commentaries on the Diamond Sutra he’d been lugging around. Here he carries his bundle of monk’s gear and, post-satori, seems hardly to know what to do with it.

Selected references:

• The Blue Cliff Record, Translated by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary  - Case 4       "Te-shan Carries His Bundle"
• The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment by Roshi Philip Kapleau
• Original Chan Teachings of Buddhism Selected from The Transmission of the Lamp, Translated with Introductions by Chan Chung-Yuan

Photo  credit: Wooden Buddha in the shrine room at Endless Path Zendo, Rafe Martin

• Books by Roshi Rafe Martin
• Talks on YouTube
• More information at endlesspathzen.org