About Dragon Zen

About Dragon Zen

There is a story from a Japanese kiragami, an esoteric Japanese Buddhist document, that tells the tale of Zen Master Gutei Isshi (C. Jùzhī Yīzhǐ) who was famous for the koan story of holding up his finger, and how during the ninth century in China, he encountered a dragon who was a Dharma Protector ( Dharmapala ) and learned a particular kind of Zen from him. This dragon is said to have transmitted Dragon Zen to Juzhi, and is part of a long tradition of Buddhist monks and laypeople interacting with, and receiving teachings from, non-human beings. For most of Japanese Buddhist history, up until the Meiji Era (when the Japanese government attempted to artificially separate them), Buddhism was practiced as Shinbutsu-shūgō, which was a synchronization of Buddhism (including Vajrayana) and native Shinto shamanism and deity practices. This is similar to Bon Buddhism in Tibet, (and indeed, much of Tibetan Buddhism), where tantric Buddhism fused with local practices of shamanism. Deities are known as Devas in Buddhism, and some are also referred to as Bodhisattvas, Dakinis, and/or Dharmapalas (Dharma Protectors), depending on their type.

The purpose of this site, is to share Buddhist teachings, of a more esoteric nature; as well as to focus on meditation (rāja yoga), and really on what is the core purpose of Buddhism, and make that clear to the modern practitioner and layman. So much of Buddhism seems so obscure to western eyes, with so many exotic terms at play, and long lists of things one must do or not do, or how this or that works. Here, we try to clarify that, and make these things clear, so that they may be understood, and easily comprehended, at least from an intellectual level, which admittedly is limited. Ultimately after all, one must experience these things first hand. However it has been our experience, that confusing explanations, often lead to years down rabbit holes in Buddhist practice, unnecessarily so, when really a clear explanation would suffice, and save much suffering in terms of time wasted chasing ghosts and dead ends.

We hope you enjoy this site, and as always, feel free to contact us, if you have any questions,

Sincerely,

The Administrators of Dragon Zen

Homage to the Buddha,

Homage to the Dharma,

Homage to the Sangha.