Zen Source, Zen Streams
Rooting life in practice, living life now.
Through this Substack, I will mainly be sharing teachings I have given at Bristol Zen Dojo. In the true spirit of Zen, these teachings aim to be faithful to the source by keeping the flow fresh and alive for what is needed right now.
From an early age, I was drawn to making sense of my experience of life through some form of practice which could be labelled as 'spiritual'. I started practicing Yoga in 1986, and through my studies with Paul Harvey, TKV Desikachar and LV Sujaya I was introduced to the richness of the tradition embodied in the Yoga Sutras. I began practice of Zen in 1989 at Bristol Zen Dojo, under my first Zen teacher Nancy Nanshin Amphoux, and was drawn to the simplicity and gentle discipline of the practice. Since that time, both Yoga and Zen have become deeply rooted in my life. This means daily practice, and life perspectives grounded in the awareness this practice offers.
I am interested in the role of traditions of practice in our everyday lives in this current age. How to appropriately innovate within traditions; what we can learn from beyond the traditions; how to build collective 'spiritual' communities and how we can become aware of and avoid cultic dynamics and abuse of different kinds.
I am also interested in the relationship between meditation and psychedelics - what are the opportunities and risks of psychedelic use as part of spiritual practice.
In 1992 I was ordained in the Soto Zen tradition by Jean Shogen Baby, Nancy's husband who continued to teach in the UK after her death from cancer, and was later given permission to teach by him. I now co-lead Bristol Zen Dojo, and since Jean's death I follow Guy Mokuho Mercier. I sit with him regularly at sesshin (intensive practice periods) in both the UK and France, as well as his weekly online sits each Saturday morning. He visits Bristol Zen Dojo to lead a weekend each year, in December.
Most of the content on this substack channel will be transcriptions of teachings I have given at Bristol Zen Dojo. They will be lightly edited, but will often preserve some of the rawness of the spoken interactions: for example, repetition to emphasise a point. They will mainly be of three forms:
Kusen - Teaching given during Zazen meditation.
Teisho - A formal ‘dharma talk’ on a particular theme, followed by group discussion.
Mondo - A formal question and response: The student comes in front of the teacher, they bow to each other to show their mutual respect, and the student asks the question. The teacher responds in the moment to that request - perhaps not answering, but responding. This is my favourite way of teaching, as it offers heartfelt rawness and spontaneity from both parties. If a different person asks the same question at a different time, they would not get the same response.
More information on Bristol Zen Dojo is at https://www.zenbristol.co.uk, including audio recordings of teachings by myself and others.
Though I teach both Zen and yoga, and have done for three decades now, I also have a professional career - I am Professor of Sustainability and Computer Systems at the University of Bristol, and the University Academic Director of Sustainability. Though I am interested in the crossover between the two - how does spiritual practice shape ones actions in professional life? what does spiritual practice have to offer (or not) in the face of the global challenges we face? - I have a separate substack account which I use for engaging with debates relevant to my other 'role'.