My name is Roshin: Dew Drop Mind. This name was bestowed on me today by Roshi Joan in jukai, and it is absolutely my name. It fits just right. ‘Carmen’ is a name for spanish dancers and vamps, porn stars, video-game characters and drag queens. I’ve been wearing that handle my whole life, and it …
Category: Zen & Dharma
In defense of my species
Hello dear Bicycle Buddhistas – apologies for my sparseness in posting over the past few months. Simply being at Upaya, plus preparing for jukai, has been mopping up all my “free” time. I vow to get back to semi-regular blogging soon. But for the moment, here’s a piece i wrote for a nifty project called …
Everybody leaves
A resident left today without saying goodbye. She packed her bags and got on a train bound for California. Going home. This happens. We are a tight little group and it is shocking when someone leaves, whether we expect it or not. They leave a hole like a pulled tooth. But soon the gap heals …
Sewing my rakusu
I spread out the pieces of my rakusu, in readiness for dunking in the pot of black dye. A ragbag of precious bits gleaned from the patchwork of my life, these include: -A piece of denim from faux-bro Ki’s favourite jeans, veterans of many a forest rave we danced at together. -A scrap from my …
Taking jukai
I made a vow that I would return to the high desert. I made my promise to the scrubby hills and the adobe walls, to Roshi Joan, and to myself. Vows are not lightly made and this one is ripe to be honoured. I’m a little terrified, tremulous, and excited. Trying to simply be ready …