WELCOME OUR NEWEST BODHISATTVA TO ONE RIVER ZEN Today we celebrate Jōnin’s Jukai—his vow to live with steadiness, patience, and unwavering care. Before the gathered Sangha, he received the precepts and the Dharma name Jōnin (定忍)—Settled Endurance—a name that reflects the quiet strength and consistency he embodies each day as an artist, a father, and a practitioner. In a life that asks for continual presence, Jōnin meets each moment not with force, but with a gentle and enduring commitment. Like the bodhisattvas who remain with what is difficult, he returns again and again, offering care without hesitation. Congratulations, Jōnin. May your vow continue to deepen and support all those whose lives you touch. 🙏 #OneRiverZen #Jukai #BodhisattvaPath #SotoZen #PracticeTogether

APPRECIATE THE LIFE THAT IS PRESENTING ITSELF RIGHT NOW I’ve said this many times before, but ultimately this practice isn’t something separate. This practice is the very practice of our own life. Zen mastery is the mastery of our own circumstances. And so we often say, “I’ll make more time for practice when things are going well.” I’ll practice more when I can take a vacation, catch my breath, or get past this deadline. Not realizing, of course, that catching your breath — or racing toward the deadline — is your practice. So if we really want to summarize what this practice is about, once we have some degree of realization — once we recognize that practice means placing our attention with intention — then the practice begins to actualize. And the actualization of this practice is very simple: Appreciate your life. Not the life you wish you had.
Not the life you’ll have someday. Appreciate the life that is presenting itself right now. Even in the midst of challenges — or maybe especially in the midst of challenges — put a big smile on and walk bravely into them. Really appreciate what is being brought forward. You won’t always have that opportunity. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #mindfulness #presentmoment #oneriverzen

SIT WITH WONDER AT YOUR OWN “SCAREDNESS” If we look carefully at the contours of our karmic landscape — the way things present themselves in our lives — we’ll notice that much of it is defined by fear. The boundaries between self and other, between this and that, between good and bad, mine and yours — all of it is often created through aversion or fear. So it makes sense that a big part of our practice is becoming very wise about how we approach fear — this unseen force that is constantly shaping our actions. Today, when you notice aversion, when you notice the urge to push something away, or when you find yourself scared of something, try something different. Walk into it. Approach your fear with curiosity. Sit with wonder at your own “scaredness.” That’s the only way you’re going to master the dialectic that is constantly trying to control your life and your ability to engage freely. You may find that when you examine fear closely — when you draw near to the very thing that scares you — the boundaries between yourself and other begin to soften. The things that once seemed insurmountable begin to appear much more clear. But it requires doing the opposite of what you’re inclined to do. Instead of turning away, draw close. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #mindfulness #fearless #oneriverzen

YOU CAN PUT ALL THAT DOWN It’s easy for us, when we’re caught in the discursive mind — the goal-seeking mind — to feel like we’ve lost our way. We keep repeating to ourselves: I’ll be okay when. I’ll be okay when things at work are going better. I’ll be okay when my partner finally sees the light and the relationship changes. When we feel like we’ve lost our way, we often try to retrace our steps and see where we went wrong. But more often than not, we just wind up going around in circles, seeing the same sights again and again, and never quite arriving. Today, just realize you can put all that down. You’re already standing precisely where you need to be. There’s no need to retrace your steps. There’s no need to go looking somewhere else. The practice you’ve been called to is the practice that’s right before you. And you’re already okay. In fact, you’re more than okay. So put your hands to work with what’s presenting itself. You’ll see that even the suffering in front of you can be transformed into nourishment for everything and everyone you encounter. Just stop wandering off and going in circles. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #sotozen #mindfulness #oneriverzen

THAT OTHER LIFETIME IS RIGHT NOW If we’re honest with ourselves and we look at our practice, we’ll see that a lot gets left undone simply because it seems hard. Sometimes we won’t even set intentions that reflect how we really want to show up in this world, because when we look at them they seem daunting. We tell ourselves we don’t have the resources. When we become attached to outcomes, things can appear too complex. But instead, recognize this and dream audaciously. Look carefully at how you want to manifest. Look closely at what your intentions are in this moment, in this life. If you stay persistent in your practice — steady and consistent — and you approach what is coming up in your life right now with those intentions in mind, you will slowly wear away the divisions. You’ll find yourself standing exactly where your intentions have pointed. Even if it looks difficult. All it takes is putting one foot in front of the other. So don’t wait for another lifetime to show up the way you know you need to show up. That other lifetime is right now. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #sotozen #mindfulness #oneriverzen

STOP WAITING FOR THE APPLAUSE Today I want you to take time to notice where your practice gets stuck. Throughout your day, as you’re engaged in activity, there will be an occasional pause — an attempt to collect yourself and wait for the applause to come. To wait for recognition. To wait for someone to see you and the correctness or goodness of the activity you’re engaged in. But when we do this, people don’t actually recognize the activity. They recognize our need for recognition. In that pause, we’re trying to make something substantial. We’re trying to reinforce our opinion of ourselves, which is a created construct rather than fully immersing ourselves in the activity of wisdom. It’s just as important for us to recognize when we do this. That’s enough. That’s a kenshō– a seeing through to our true nature. We witness this need to step back, collect together this notion of self, and seek recognition. It’s not something to be judged. But when you see it, throw your whole self into whatever you’re engaged in. That’s the only way you’ll witness your true face, as well as obtain the recognition you’ve always been longing for. But that recognition doesn’t come from lip service. It comes when the circumstances you’re engaged in are transformed. And that only comes when we stop taking that pause for recognition and instead burn our whole selves up in our practice. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #sotozen #mindfulness #kensho nonself practiceinlife oneriverzen

BEFORE YOU FIX IT–LOOK AT WHAT’S NOT BROKEN Today, as you go about your day, you’re going to notice a lot of things that look like they need fixing — and perhaps they even do. But before you set yourself to the task of repair, take a look at what’s not broken. It’s important that we understand the full context of our lived experience. Sometimes we bracket things in such a way that all we see is the scarcity, the fragility, or the inadequacy of one part. And we fail to see how that part relates to the whole. Ultimately, if we step back far enough and take a good hard look, we may recognize that everything is perfect just as it is. That’s not to say it couldn’t use a little improvement, too! But before you set your hands to work fixing, make sure your heart sees the whole picture. Make sure you look at what’s not broken as well. Have a wonderful morning! #mindfulness #selfgrowth #presentmoment #zenpractice #personaldevelopment

WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING In our practice — in the practice of our life — it’s important to watch where we’re going. When we sit in the morning, that great cosmic list of to-dos often presents itself. We begin to see our lives as a linear progression of decisions, tasks, and action items. And when we do that, those action items become estranged from the fabric of our lived experience. We lose the richness of being embodied and present in this world. We miss the opportunities to manifest as compassion because we lack the wisdom to see what the circumstances are actually presenting. So today, before you get started, set an intention to truly be present. Bear witness to the suffering that arises, and to the joy. In this way, you can watch where you’re going while remaining firmly grounded in your intention and in your practice. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #mindfulness #presence #compassion sotozen oneriverzen

WELCOMING OUR NEWEST BODHISATTVA AT ONE RIVER ZEN Today we celebrate Seijō’s Jukai — their vow to live a life grounded in wisdom and compassion meeting each moment with steadiness, clarity, and care. Before the gathered Sangha, she received the precepts and the Dharma name Seijō (静定) — Established in Stillness — a name that reflects the grounded presence she embodies through her practice. Seijō offers strength without hardness and practices from a place of warmth and dedication. Her steadiness is a gift to all who practice alongside her. Congratulations, Seijō! May your vow continue to root deeply and nurture all those whose lives you touch. 🙏 #OneRiverZen #Jukai #BodhisattvaPath #SotoZen #PracticeTogether

SPEND ALL OF YOUR JOY TODAY Many of us spend our whole lives learning and internalizing the basic accounting principles of the small self. We believe that if we give too much away, eventually we’ll become depleted. If we’re too generous, we’ll have nothing left. So there’s a way we begin to hoard. We hoard experiences. We hoard memories. We hoard our valued and cherished opinions about ourselves. And somehow, no matter how much we store up, the bank never seems to fill. So today, I want you to experiment a little with what I would call Dharma accounting. Look deeply within yourself and find the joy you have locked up there. You have memories, past events, things that bring you a real sense of joy and abundance. Take them, and give them away today. When you encounter gaps, when you see difference, when you notice someone or something not experiencing joy, give yours. Make sure that joy circulates. Make sure it spreads. And then at the end of the day, take a good, honest look at what’s left. This is an important lesson, but it’s not something to think through. It’s something to experience directly. So get to spending that joy today, and see where your account balance stands at the end of the day. Have a wonderful morning! #zenpractice #dailyzen #sotozen #generosity #compassion oneriverzen