Who could imagine that radical behavioral changes required due to the coronavirus would make kissing dangerous and caressing forbidden? Sadly, health professionals have ignored sex and intimacy as they outline the dos and don’ts of our current lives. The implicit message is that we shouldn’t be talking about sex when people are dying. However, that …
Welcome to Our Collective Retreat (Sesshin)
Welcome as we are in another day of our collective sesshin in Northern California. It’s a very special time because we have never tried to have a sesshin with all of the population of Northern California. But with all of us sheltering-in-place in response to the corona virus, here we are. Sesshin is a Zen …
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Corona Anxiety, Fear & Anger–How to Calm the Trauma
Recently, I have been anxious, fearful and angry. How about you? While Covid-19 brought these feelings to the forefront, I realized the cause was something else, old traumas being re-triggered, the trauma of the pandemic—HIV/AIDS—that killed virtually every person affected in its early years. The deaths and illnesses affecting family members and beloved friends. The …
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Mind & Zen Practice at Eiheiji
It's 3:10 am and I wake by the bell loudly clanging in the hallway. The light switch is flipped on and the room full of men becomes alive. By the time I have rubbed my eyes, stretched on my futon and manage to get up, a full minute has passed. When I finally pull myself …
Interpreting Japan Through Signs
There are many pathways to understanding or misunderstanding a country. Japan offers opportunities to do both. Years ago, I was in Singapore visiting a friend in a fairly nice apartment building. There were two signs in the elevator. One saiid "No durians." If you have ever smelled one, you would know why. The second said, …
Temple Hopping In Kyoto, Uji and Kurama
Jojakkoji Tenryuji Nison-in Hogan-in Giouji Koryuji Horyuji Yakushiji Toshodaiji Todaiji Kohfukuji Daikakuji Ryoanji Byodoin Koshoji Mimuritoji Temple Hopping Selfies red seal books Attest to our attainment Why have we come here? Temple Shots: We All Should be Inoculated Kannon looms over Compassion eternally Our need is endless Humid Kyoto Afternoon Sweat on my brow pours …
The Museum as Art: Tadeo Ando and Ryue Nishizawa
" When a fish swims, no matter how far it swims, it doesn't reach the end of the wayer. When a bird flies, no matter how high it fileis, it cannot reach the end of the sky. When a bird's need or the fish's need is great, the range is large. When the need is …
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My Words are My Memory: Transcendent Art on Naoshima
The Art House Project in Homura on Naoshima took 6 houses many 100-200 years old and a Shinto Shrine and created art in each. I spent 5 hours walking around this small village in a state of awe. Most of the spaces don't allow photography, so my words are my memory. 1. Imagine a square …
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Speaking Truth to Power–S.F. Frontiers Newsmagazine, June 8, 1995
In 1995, I entered this essay in the "Greatest Moments of Pride" Contest in S.F. Frontiers Newsmagazine and was awarded 1st Place. Unfortunately, there are no on-line archives of the magazine from this period. The room fell silent as I slowly walked up to the podium. When I reached the front, I too fell silent …
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South Africa’s Gay Rights–San Francisco Bay Guardian, May 22, 1996
I wrote this article for the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 1996 after four trips to South Africa. I had the great fortune to interview the major players in the movement to include sexual orientation in the new constitution. Unfortunately, this article is not currently on-line. The Bay Guardian plans to open up archives of …
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Alan Lessik 