LOVE IS THE ONLY FORCE CAPABLE OF TRANSFORMING AN ENEMY INTO A FRIEND Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Not rhetoric. Not political affiliation. Not even protest. Love. As we sit, thoughts begin to drop away, and we resonate with a universal frequency—love itself. That is compassion. It belongs to all of us, without distinction, when we step outside the small self. Today, notice the enemies you have jailed in the cells of your own mind, and release them. Watch how the transformation happens right where you are. #Zen #Teisho #MartinLutherKingJrDay #Compassion #LoveInAction SotoZen Meditation OneRiverZen IllinoisRiverValley BuddhistPractice

SHUKKE TOKUDO: NEW PRIEST ORDINATION Today, at One River Zen, we rejoice in the ordination of our newest Zen Buddhist Priest, Rev. Kōsei Urasaki LaRose. Ordination is not a culmination, but a vow — a public turning of one’s life toward practice, service, and responsibility. It is the willingness to be shaped by the precepts, to show up again and again for the sangha, and to embody the Dharma in ordinary life. We honor Rev. Kōsei for stepping forward with sincerity, steadiness, and courage. May this vow deepen endlessly, for the benefit of all beings! 🙏 #Zen #SotoZen #Ordination #ShukkeTokudo #DharmaLife ZenPriest Sangha OneRiverZen PracticeIsLife

KŌSEI URASAKI LAROSE — SHUKKE TOKUDO This Saturday · 10:00 AM One River Zen · Ottawa, IL This Saturday morning we gather to witness Shukke Tokudo — the ceremony of leaving home — as Kōsei Urasaki Larose formally enters the priesthood and commits to a life of service. It is a profound vow: To leave behind the small self, to step forward into discipline, humility, and service, to take up the suffering of the world as one’s own and to transform it. We will stand together as a sangha and receive one who steps into the ancient stream of practice!

DON’T SPEAK OF THE FAULTS OF OTHERS Among the grave precepts, there is one I’ve seen people do endless mental gymnastics to avoid. And yet its strength and power is inescapable if we yield to it: don’t speak of the faults of others. Just on its face we begin immediately looking for the exception case — when it’s appropriate for us to place blame somewhere else. It’s hard at first to understand why it’s even there, why there’s a prescription for this. We might theorize it is because there is no self and no other, but I think even that misses the mark somewhat. The moment that we actually stop trying to assign blame elsewhere — the moment that we stop trying to push the situation that we find ourselves in, and the responsibility for addressing the issues that we find, somewhere else — we can actually begin to get down to work addressing what’s actually here. And so it’s very important for us to look at this precept, to cultivate a deep understanding of it, and to embody it. A recognition that if I don’t, who will? A recognition that all the suffering that we encounter is on our watch. And the good news is this: when we live in this place, when we embody this practice in this way, we also have all the resources required to address all the suffering that we find. So today, look carefully for places where you’re trying to assign blame elsewhere, or kind of abscond your responsibility. Recognize that you’re stepping down from your own Dharma throne when you do that. Don’t speak of the faults of others. Let’s just embody this practice and get down to work! Have a wonderful morning. I look forward to seeing all of you for meditation tomorrow at 6:30. #Zen #Buddhism #Precepts #Meditation #Dharma

THE ONLY REAL WAY TO FIND TIME IS TO LOSE IT It’s amazing how much effort and resources we’ll use to prop up the story of the self—constantly trying to accumulate and to create differences where there are none, in a way that makes us feel somehow substantial, in a way that makes the story seem real. And this is no different when it comes to time. We spend a lot of time ruminating and making gestures of the mind in a way that we try to push ourselves into existence. And so we walk about with this notion of scarcity surrounding time, because there’s never enough, because frankly it’s a fool’s errand to try to make ourselves different, to manifest the story we have of ourselves into reality. You wouldn’t frankly like it much even if it came true, by the way. So this week, as we begin setting attention to give some of that time away—to address suffering where you find it, to work with people who are in need of your time—when you give it away I think you’ll find that time has a much more boundless quality, and that you’re possessed of so much more than you think. As you walk into the week you might think that’s crazy based on what you’re looking at, trying to accomplish this week. But I think you’ll find that the only real way to find time is to lose it. Have a wonderful morning today. I look forward to seeing you all for meditation the first thing tomorrow morning. #Zen #Meditation #Time #Mindfulness #Karma Nonduality Awakening Dharma OneRiverZen SenseiMichaelBrunner ORZ SpiritualPractice Presence Compassion

FREE WILL, KARMA, AND THE 200-MILLISECOND GAP What if your brain begins to act before “you” decide? In this new Zen teaching, Sensei Michael Brunner explores a startling insight from neuroscience alongside an ancient kōan from the Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku, Case 74) — Chinyu and the Rice Pail — to reveal the hidden space where karmic momentum can be interrupted and real freedom appears. This is not abstract philosophy. It is the heart of Zen practice in everyday life. Watch the full teishō now: oneriverzen.org/daily-zen #Zen #Buddhism #Meditation #FreeWill #Karma ZenKoan BlueCliffRecord Hekiganroku Chinyu SotoZen DharmaTalk SenseiMichaelBrunner OneRiverZen ORZ Mindfulness Awakening Nonduality SpiritualPractice Neuroscience

STOP TRYING TO FINISH YOUR LIFE Our grasping mind is always looking for a state of completion, for a state of perfection. But until we recognize that completion lies in our comfort with what is incomplete, and that perfection lies in our willingness to be present with what is imperfect, we will keep striving—always somewhere else. That striving lives mostly in the mind. We try to perfect things conceptually, rather than showing up right here, right now. But when we actually arrive on the spot—when we are comfortable with what is—then we know exactly what needs to be done. We know how to work with what’s here, how to ease suffering, how to bring peace where there is conflict. So notice the habit: the impulse to bring things to a conceptual state of completion or perfection. When you see that impulse arise, gently rest instead in things being incomplete, being imperfect. This is why Dōgen says we must practice continual improvement. The moment we think we have arrived, we lose the capacity to be present, to be shaped and actualized by what is right in front of us. And on a very practical note—I’m looking for volunteers at the building. There are a million small projects, and I promise there’s something any set of hands can do. If you have some time, just let me know. Everything from vacuuming to assembling a filing cabinet helps. Take good care. #zenlife #sotozen #zenpractice #meditation #mindfulness dogen imperfection beginner’smind practice spiritualpractice oneriverzen pickusottawail

Sometimes the path really is this clear! You’re standing at the corner of Come to Meditation and Tomorrow at 9. No grand resolution required. No fixing yourself first. Just show up, take a seat, and breathe with us. Tomorrow is Saturday. We’ll be here—sitting together, practicing together, meeting the moment as it is. All are welcome. #zenlife #pickusottawail #sotozen #meditation #mindfulness #zazen #zenpractice #ottawail #illinoiszen #buddhistpractice #sangha #community #presence #stillness #saturdayzen

What is Sangha all about? It’s the warmth of friendship shared over a cup of coffee. It’s the courage to show up just as you are — without polish, without pretense. It’s the steady encouragement to live this life fully awake. Sangha is the community that remembers who we really are — and helps us manifest that knowing as compassion in the world. Join us for meditation. Join us for connection. Join us for the art of living. 🕊️ You belong here. #zenlife #pickusottawail #oneriverzen #sangha #ottawail #zazen #community #meditationpractice #mindfulliving #buddhism #spiritualcommunity #authenticliving #findyourcenter #midwestzen #innerpeace #meditatewithus #compassioninaction #buddhisttemple #sotozen

A beautiful afternoon with our Artist-in-Residence, Ali Braboy — offering poetry that brings our sangha together in wonder and connection. We’re so grateful for the art that grows here. 🌱🖋️ #OneRiverZen #ArtistInResidence #PoetryReading #LivingDharma #CreativePractice #BuddhistCommunity #OttawaIL #ArtAndSpirit #SanghaLife #AwakenTogether #PoetryLover #MindfulArts