Just putting the finishing touches on Mountains and Rivers Sutra: Teachings by Norman Fischer, edited by Kuya Minogue, due out in March 2020.
The Mountains and Rivers Sutra is one of 93 essays of Dogen, the great 13th century Zen Master, collected in a work called, The Shobogenzo. “Shobogenzo” means, “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.” Dogen’s essay expressing the reality of the enlightened mind in the poetic natural imagery of his time is a classic of spiritual literature and an essential text for deep Zen practice to this day.
In these talks given at the Upaya Zen Center in 2012, Norman Fischer presents Dogen’s medieval essay in language understandable to us in the 21st century and gives us a rich commentary on how to apply these principles in our daily lives.
The talks are divided into 52 short sections as a weekly guide, with each accompanied by practice suggestions by Kuya Minogue. They originally appeared in this serial format in a long-running local Canadian newspaper column, and have been collected here along with some reflections by fellow Zen practitioners.g his interpretation of Buddhism to life for our modern age.
All royalties from this book will be divided equally between the San Francisco Zen Center and Upaya Zen Center.
Zoketsu Norman Fischer is an American poet, writer, and Soto Zen priest, teaching and practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. He is a Dharma heir of Sojun Mel Weitsman, from whom he received Dharma transmission in 1988. Fischer is former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and continues to be affiliated with its temples.
Kuya Minogue is resident priest at the Creston Zendo in British Columbia. She received lay precepts at Shasta Abbey in 1986, lay discipleship precepts with Kyogen Carlson in 1989, and priest ordination from Zenku Smyers in the Silent Thunder Order in 2016. She has been leading practice since 1993.