This past year of the Water Dragon was indeed a most auspicious year here at UnbornMind.com. In late January into February, the long expected Red Pine translation of the Lankavatara Sutra was covered in a series based on the Noble Sutra itself. Late February into the beginning of April, the Vimalakirti Sutra Series explored the inner-workings of Bodhisattvahood; then from early April into mid-May, the Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma focused on the quintessential importance of Buddha-nature itself. After a summer-break, a singular series, The Lankavatarian Book of the Dead, explored in-depth the nature of the six “bardo-realms” culminating in the vital significance of the Tathatic-stages of Mind Development in best preparation for the final Bardo-stages of Dharmatā and how to avoid the Bardo-stage of re-becoming and rebirth. This vast work extended from late August to the end of October. November was reserved especially for the Diamond Sutra that is perhaps the One-Sutra-Alone that is indispensible for considering the Dharmadhatu as seen through the imageless eyes of the Tathagatas themselves. December has been time well spent with perhaps the greatest Dharma-Master of them all, Huang Po—it’s been a joy walking daily with his indispensible teaching. The Year of the Water Dragon was also a most auspicious year for Tozen and his Zen-School of the Unborn Mind; after some absence, Tozen emerged from his dragon-lair with renewed vigor and was inspired to expound (as only he can in his own singular fashion) further on the Buddhadharma. A special category has been reserved here for Tozen as new-teachings are taking shape even now.
2013 will kick-off here with a series on Hui-neng’s Platform Sutra; it is hoped that this will help to shed new light and even dispel the notion of the overly dominant-emphasis on “sitting” in Zen Buddhism. Elements from Julius Evola’s classic work, The Doctrine of Awakening, will be a series focusing on a better-nuanced appreciation for “Acesis” and its proper place in light of the Buddhadharma for the developing Ariyan-Mind. This will be followed by a series breaking-down some salient features found within the Anguttara Nikaya, in particular the Tathagatas’ refined notion of karma. There’s another singular-work in early developmental stages, and it’s not quite certain whether or not this will come to fruition in 2013; the hope is that by September of 2013 it may appear to take shape. As 2012 now draws to a close, dear readers, have a safe and blessed holiday season..