This blog hosts articles contributed by members of the Chicago Zen Center. For news about events at the Center and in Chicago, please visit our Note from the Editor
Hello! I want to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Hugh, and I am the new editor of the Quarterly. You may not know me, because I live in Canada, so I am not around the Center as much as I would like.
I also want to reflect briefly on the function of the Quarterly. In some respects, it seems a bit at odds with the kinds of things that we normally do at the Zen Center. Most of our practice at the Center is involved in cultivating non-discursive mind. The articles in the Quarterly, on the other hand, are productions of discursive mind; they are more like talking than like sitting quietly.
Also, when talking happens at the Center, it is often done by people who are specially authorized: Sensei, in particular, but at various times also monitors, cooks, housekeepers, and so forth. Again, the Quarterly is a bit different, since it is an opportunity for any member of the Sangha to have a say.
Hopefully, these ways in which the Quarterly is different from what we usually do, give it some potential to be useful in its own way. I mean, in particular, that writing for the Quarterly needn't sound like a teisho or like a koan demonstration. Writing in the Quarterly should probably seem pretty ordinary -- much like a conversation with other Sangha members after an evening sitting.
Above, I mentioned the distinction between discursive and non-discursive mind. Of course, that kind of distinction is not really solid. Fundamentally, our mind is neither discursive nor non-discursive. It would be impossible to throw away language and speech, even if we decided that that would be a good idea. That being the case, it seems that it could be valuable to provide an opportunity for people to share aspects of their thoughts related to practice.
That, then, is the perspective I have on what the Quarterly is here for, but I'm also open to other approaches. In the end, the Quarterly is a manifestation of Sangha, "its wisdom, example, and never-failing help". Please consider how we can encourage the Quarterly to develop in a beneficial way. If you have suggestions (an article you would like to write, an article you would like someone else to write, some other kind of thing which you would like to see in the Quarterly, a change of format which you think would help), please get in touch. My email address is hugh@math.unb.ca
Hugh Thomas
I also want to reflect briefly on the function of the Quarterly. In some respects, it seems a bit at odds with the kinds of things that we normally do at the Zen Center. Most of our practice at the Center is involved in cultivating non-discursive mind. The articles in the Quarterly, on the other hand, are productions of discursive mind; they are more like talking than like sitting quietly.
Also, when talking happens at the Center, it is often done by people who are specially authorized: Sensei, in particular, but at various times also monitors, cooks, housekeepers, and so forth. Again, the Quarterly is a bit different, since it is an opportunity for any member of the Sangha to have a say.
Hopefully, these ways in which the Quarterly is different from what we usually do, give it some potential to be useful in its own way. I mean, in particular, that writing for the Quarterly needn't sound like a teisho or like a koan demonstration. Writing in the Quarterly should probably seem pretty ordinary -- much like a conversation with other Sangha members after an evening sitting.
Above, I mentioned the distinction between discursive and non-discursive mind. Of course, that kind of distinction is not really solid. Fundamentally, our mind is neither discursive nor non-discursive. It would be impossible to throw away language and speech, even if we decided that that would be a good idea. That being the case, it seems that it could be valuable to provide an opportunity for people to share aspects of their thoughts related to practice.
That, then, is the perspective I have on what the Quarterly is here for, but I'm also open to other approaches. In the end, the Quarterly is a manifestation of Sangha, "its wisdom, example, and never-failing help". Please consider how we can encourage the Quarterly to develop in a beneficial way. If you have suggestions (an article you would like to write, an article you would like someone else to write, some other kind of thing which you would like to see in the Quarterly, a change of format which you think would help), please get in touch. My email address is hugh@math.unb.ca
Hugh Thomas
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