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IN THE BARDO
Remembering Jishu
Bernie talked all the time about Indra’s Net, the Buddhist representation of the interconnectedness of all things. It was a metaphor for...
The Elder Factor
What’s an elder? “Elder” wasn’t in my vocabulary until Bernie made Peter Matthiessen and Bob Lee “Zen Peacemaker elders.” He used 80 as...
Please Turn Your Cameras On
I have been telling people for years, when I talk about the Three Treasures, that Sangha is not my strong suit. In those moments, I am...
Oh, Dirk.
In Zen funerals, we talk directly to the departed. I am at a loss for words. I am hoping that words will come. I am picturing you....
Bringing to the Societal Table Those Who Have Been Excluded
This has been the expression of my vow since I found the words in Bernie’s Instructions to the Cook. “Bringing to the societal table...
Visionary Leadership
This has to be the Zen practice. I love the story of the Golden City which the Buddha tells in the Lotus Sutra. It has inspired me. It is...
Magic
Catching the magic is sometimes not so easy. Stumbling into the magic of success is not something to be taken for granted. It has always...
What is Social Action?
The selflessness of social action is not self-neglect just as self-care is not self-neglect. There are four phrases that come to mind,...
No.
What is my “No!” When do I shout it? Do I really shout? “No!” Jesse and Theresa Peterford first met at ICS. Theresa, star teacher, chief...
Infinite Onion
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to transform them. When I was doing koan practice with Jishu, very briefly in the last year of her...
Infinite Circle
We were serving special needs students at double the district rate. As we have built our schools, I have been guided by, anchored in an...
Mother's Day 2020
Zen’s relationship to mothers has always seemed a bit strange. Mother’s Day, 2020 is also the twenty-fifth anniversary of Maezumi Roshi’s...
Zen Budgeting Through the COVID-19 Pandemic
No one likes budget cuts. They are always painful. This was shaping up to be our most painful budget. Business people say when they are...
The Zen of Budgeting
Coming Soon, a case study in Zen Budgeting: Budgeting through the Covid-19 Pandemic. I am too grandmotherly. The Gateless Gate is the...
Oh, Richard
At a Zen funeral, we talk directly to the person who has left us. Oh, Richard, thinking of you, I smile. We had so much more to do. So...
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Oh, Dirk.
In Zen funerals, we talk directly to the departed. I am at a loss for words. I am hoping that words will come. I am picturing you....
Ken Byalin
Oct 6, 20213 min read
54 views
0 comments
Bringing to the Societal Table Those Who Have Been Excluded
This has been the expression of my vow since I found the words in Bernie’s Instructions to the Cook. “Bringing to the societal table...
Ken Byalin
Sep 22, 20215 min read
41 views
0 comments
Visionary Leadership
This has to be the Zen practice. I love the story of the Golden City which the Buddha tells in the Lotus Sutra. It has inspired me. It is...
Ken Byalin
Sep 8, 20214 min read
28 views
0 comments
Magic
Catching the magic is sometimes not so easy. Stumbling into the magic of success is not something to be taken for granted. It has always...
Ken Byalin
Jun 1, 20214 min read
22 views
0 comments
What is Social Action?
The selflessness of social action is not self-neglect just as self-care is not self-neglect. There are four phrases that come to mind,...
Ken Byalin
May 18, 20215 min read
7 views
0 comments
No.
What is my “No!” When do I shout it? Do I really shout? “No!” Jesse and Theresa Peterford first met at ICS. Theresa, star teacher, chief...
Ken Byalin
Apr 20, 20213 min read
24 views
0 comments
Infinite Onion
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to transform them. When I was doing koan practice with Jishu, very briefly in the last year of her...
Ken Byalin
Apr 5, 20214 min read
17 views
0 comments
Infinite Circle
We were serving special needs students at double the district rate. As we have built our schools, I have been guided by, anchored in an...
Ken Byalin
Mar 23, 20217 min read
13 views
0 comments
Mother's Day 2020
Zen’s relationship to mothers has always seemed a bit strange. Mother’s Day, 2020 is also the twenty-fifth anniversary of Maezumi Roshi’s...
Ken Byalin
May 26, 20205 min read
11 views
0 comments
Zen Budgeting Through the COVID-19 Pandemic
No one likes budget cuts. They are always painful. This was shaping up to be our most painful budget. Business people say when they are...
Ken Byalin
May 6, 20205 min read
3 views
0 comments
The Zen of Budgeting
Coming Soon, a case study in Zen Budgeting: Budgeting through the Covid-19 Pandemic. I am too grandmotherly. The Gateless Gate is the...
Ken Byalin
May 3, 20204 min read
10 views
0 comments
Oh, Richard
At a Zen funeral, we talk directly to the person who has left us. Oh, Richard, thinking of you, I smile. We had so much more to do. So...
Ken Byalin
Apr 27, 20203 min read
9 views
0 comments
Twenty Years
Today, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, our schools are flourishing. Master Sekito said, “How will you step forward from the top of a...
Ken Byalin
Apr 20, 20208 min read
4 views
0 comments
Riding the Wave: Virus Denial
I smile, and then go back to riding my waves of anxiety. Ed and Orly Wiseman recently made a film about our counseling program and how we...
Ken Byalin
Apr 6, 20205 min read
1 view
0 comments
Diversity
Diversity increases the richness of a learning environment for students. Value diversity. This is not an act of tolerance- valuing...
Ken Byalin
Feb 3, 20204 min read
4 views
0 comments
Words Fail: Tactics
The pressure is intensifying on charters in New York State to justify our existence. Nothing is permanent, everything changes. No...
Ken Byalin
Jan 17, 20204 min read
3 views
0 comments
Words Fail: Strategy
In the event of failure, we will need to consider if the fault lies in the school location rather than the basic design. Maybe an...
Ken Byalin
Dec 10, 20194 min read
2 views
0 comments
Words Fail: Mission
Ultimately, words always fail. Nothing stays the same. Nothing is forever. Everything changes. One Zen Truth. Another truth? Words are...
Ken Byalin
Dec 3, 20194 min read
3 views
0 comments
Motivation
Several years ago, becoming wary that a national teacher shortage was looming, we recognized that our own staff could be our greatest...
Ken Byalin
Oct 28, 20194 min read
1 view
0 comments
Delegation
Delegation is perhaps the hardest and most important task for rising leaders to learn. "There are STILL too many meetings. “I’m still not...
Ken Byalin
Oct 2, 20194 min read
3 views
0 comments
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