Dear All,
My Dharma Brother, a fellow Dharma Successor of Nishijima Roshi, is Gustav Ericsson. Gustav also happens to be ordained as a priest in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, as well as being a prison chaplain in Sweden. He combines Zen with his Christian path. Gustav came to visit me in Tsukuba, Japan last week, right after Easter Sunday, and we recorded a Zazen sitting and Talk together ... but, due to my mistake, there was no sound.
I asked Father Gustav a couple of questions, one about the pressure he sometimes experiences from those in the church, and how he thus must be careful to say that he practices Zen and Christianity, but is not "Buddhist." (I told him that, from my perspective, one could be all those things if the heart is boundless. Each person has their own path.) I also asked Gustav a question requested by one of our Sangha members who also combines these paths, about Easter and "the Resurrection" from a Zen perspective (I professed to Gustav myself that, if "Rebirth" might be said to be all things constantly reborn everywhere and in all times, then perhaps "Resurrection" is not unlike so.) However, Gustav offered to remake his talk, and so sent this today from Dogen's Monastery, Eiheiji, where Gustav is visiting. As Gustav says, these mysteries can each be a Great Koan ...
Gustav also visited Treeleaf some ten (!) years ago, but you can still hear what was said then too (he looks younger, I look just the same
) ...
Come back next time, Gustav!
Oh, and he is the author of this book:
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
tsuku.jpg
My Dharma Brother, a fellow Dharma Successor of Nishijima Roshi, is Gustav Ericsson. Gustav also happens to be ordained as a priest in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, as well as being a prison chaplain in Sweden. He combines Zen with his Christian path. Gustav came to visit me in Tsukuba, Japan last week, right after Easter Sunday, and we recorded a Zazen sitting and Talk together ... but, due to my mistake, there was no sound.
I asked Father Gustav a couple of questions, one about the pressure he sometimes experiences from those in the church, and how he thus must be careful to say that he practices Zen and Christianity, but is not "Buddhist." (I told him that, from my perspective, one could be all those things if the heart is boundless. Each person has their own path.) I also asked Gustav a question requested by one of our Sangha members who also combines these paths, about Easter and "the Resurrection" from a Zen perspective (I professed to Gustav myself that, if "Rebirth" might be said to be all things constantly reborn everywhere and in all times, then perhaps "Resurrection" is not unlike so.) However, Gustav offered to remake his talk, and so sent this today from Dogen's Monastery, Eiheiji, where Gustav is visiting. As Gustav says, these mysteries can each be a Great Koan ...
Gustav also visited Treeleaf some ten (!) years ago, but you can still hear what was said then too (he looks younger, I look just the same
) ...Our SPECIAL (2013!) ZAZENKAI & TALK with GUSTAV ERICSSON
Come back next time, Gustav!
Oh, and he is the author of this book:
My Christian Journey with Zen
In this spiritual memoir, Gustav Ericsson shares reflections and glimpses into the story of how he learned to stop and sit down, be still and listen. Crafted around a travel journal from a reflective trip to Japan, My Christian Journey with Zen is an expression of how meditation practice has grown in both his life and work as a hospital chaplain. Ericsson studied and was ordained under Zen Master Gudo Nishijima in Japan, and was later ordained as a priest in the Lutheran Church of Sweden. He lives with his family in Umeå, in northern Sweden.
In this spiritual memoir, Gustav Ericsson shares reflections and glimpses into the story of how he learned to stop and sit down, be still and listen. Crafted around a travel journal from a reflective trip to Japan, My Christian Journey with Zen is an expression of how meditation practice has grown in both his life and work as a hospital chaplain. Ericsson studied and was ordained under Zen Master Gudo Nishijima in Japan, and was later ordained as a priest in the Lutheran Church of Sweden. He lives with his family in Umeå, in northern Sweden.
stlah
tsuku.jpg
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