In this episode of Living Zen, Eshū reflects on two guiding phrases: the Zen teaching “To study the self is to forget the self…” and the Gàidhlig seanfhacal “Cuimhnich air na daoine às an tàinig thu” — remember the people you came from.

As he returns to regular practice at Zenwest, Eshū speaks candidly about the pitfalls of spiritual bypassing, the power of ritual technologies like zazen and chanting, and the importance of community as a container for awakening. He explores how our practice is rooted not in escaping the past, but in embracing it — recognizing that our lives, our questions, and even our suffering arise from deep interwoven relationships, both ancestral and present.

This talk invites us to turn toward our conditioning with compassion, to see practice as relational, and to remember those who brought us here — not just in blood, but in all the “selves” that shaped us along the way.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Free Orientation to Zen course: zenwest.ca

• Support Eshū’s work and access more teachings: patreon.com/redmountainway

• Personalized mentorship and Zen training: monarchtrancework.com

This week there’s no Dharma talk from the Zendo — UVic was cleaning the carpets on Sunday, so our usual sit was cancelled. But I didn’t want to leave the Sangha hungry. Instead, I’m sharing this reflection on how Zen was “de-animated” when it came west — and how we might begin to re-animate it, in relationship with land, ancestors, and the many seen and unseen beings who share our world.

It’s not doctrine; it’s just some thoughts I found worth writing down. May they serve you in some way.

If this resonates (or even troubles you), I’d love to hear how. Zen has always been about companionship on the Way.

Zenwest Buddhist Society: www.zenwest.ca — a living Zen community on Vancouver Island

Monarch Trancework: monarchtrancework.com — for Zen orientation, mentorship, and integration work

Support this work on Patreon: patreon.com/redmountainway

In this episode, we explore the long arc of practice — how insight and awakening might come suddenly, but true transformation takes slow, organic time. Like digestion or composting, it can’t be rushed. We reflect on moments of birth and death, on coming back to practice after seasons away, and on learning to pace ourselves at the endless feast of awakening.

Whether you’re tasting your first bites or returning after time away, the Buddha’s buffet is always open. It’s good to be here together.

I’m Eshū, Abbot of Zenwest Buddhist Society, where we make Zen come alive in contemporary community. At Zenwest we offer a fully online Free Orientation to Zen program here

https://app.kit.com/landing_pages/77458?v=7

If you’d like support building a foundation for practice, I offer one-on-one Orientation to Zen Support here:

https://monarchtrancework.com/orientation-to-zen-support

For deeper mentoring and one-on-one guidance, you’ll find my Zen Mentorship & Training program here:

https://monarchtrancework.com/zen-mentorship-training

You can also join me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/redmountainway, where I share reflections, Zen resources, and more to support your path.

If this talk nourishes you, please help others find it by rating, reviewing, or sharing. It makes a real difference — especially for those practicing far from a Zen centre.