John Gendo Wolff, Sensei

“By the water, deep within the forest, you find the traces.” –The Oxherding Pictures

Great Wave Zen Sangha will host a Beginner’s Mind Zazenkai on June 9, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. This retreat will be dedicated to introducing the fundamentals of Zen practice to those who are new to Zen—but practitioners of all levels of experience are encouraged to attend this day that will be rich with…

Great Wave Announces its August 2017 Weekend Retreat! Register soon!

Great Wave Zen Sangha is pleased to announce an extended weekend retreat that will take place from Thursday, August 10, at 6:30 PM to Sunday, August 13. at 10:30 AM.  (Those needing an oryoki refresher should arrive on Thursday, at 4:30 PM.) This retreat will provide a perfect opportuny to cultivate the practice of zazen, hear a Dharma talk, receive private instruction from Gendo Sensei, and…

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June 2017 Sun Buddha Sesshin

When: June 21, 2017 @ 7:00 PM – June 25, 2017 @ 9:00 AM Where: Grand Rapids MI USA Cost: Members, $160.00; Non-Members $240   June 21st is the date that marks the summer solstice, that time of year when the number of hours of daylight are at their greatest. In acknowledgement of this astronomical event, the Great Wave Zen Sangha is pleased to announce the 2017 Sun Buddha Sesshin. This retreat…

Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi At some point about fifteen years ago, I traveled with a friend to Indiana, sent there by a former teacher, to study with Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi.  I arrived at dusk on a beautiful spring evening and was standing on the porch when she arrived.  The trees seemed to slide into a dark silence as she silently floated from the car to the house.  She seemed transfixed. …

Walkers in the park with falling leaves (Photo credit: Wikipedia) A monk asked Yun Men, “How is it when the tree withers and the leaves fall?” Yun Men said, “Body exposed in the golden wind.” Yun Men did not stir a hairsbreadth, but just said to him, “Body exposed in the golden wind.” He answered most wondrously, and without presuming to turn his back on the monk’s question either. Since his…

Gendo Sensei to Read From His New Book, Oct. 12, 2016

West Shore Community College has announced that Gendo Sensei will read from his new book, The Driftwood Shrine: Discovering Zen in American Poetry, at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 12, in the Administrative and Conference Building Café of West Shore Community College, in Scottville, Michigan. All members and friends of the Great Wave Zen Sangha are cordially invited to attend. John Gendo Wolff,…

Gendo Sensei to Read From His New Book, Oct. 12, 2016

West Shore Community College has announced that Gendo Sensei will read from his new book, The Driftwood Shrine: Discovering Zen in American Poetry, at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 12, in the Administrative and Conference Building Café of West Shore Community College, in Scottville, Michigan. All members and friends of the Great Wave Zen Sangha are cordially invited to attend. John Gendo Wolff,…

What an Agent Can Do

I’m feeling grateful today for the help that I received from my long-time friend–and my agent–Kenneth Wapner. Kenny has been a friend for a very long time, starting back in the early 80s when we met at the University of Colorado‘s infamous graduate creative writing program. We read, wrote, shared, hunted love, and ate some great food under the auspices of his Japanese knife. Cache la Poudre River…

I cannot convey the full range of spiritual gifts of trust, harmony, joy, and gratitude that I received from Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi, my teacher of many years.  Her steadfast patience and seemingly endless reserves of wisdom, compassion, and creativity kept me afloat through all the difficult—and all the wonderful—years of training.  There is no time when I think about all that she has done…