Endless Path Zendo | Roshi Rafe Martin

Roshi Rafe Martin
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Endless Path Zendo, is a lay Zen Buddhist community. Intimate and non-institutional in atmosphere, we are dedicated to realizing the Buddha Way in the midst of our own ordinary lives, finding our center of gravity in the creativity of Zen, and the Way of the Bodhisattva. Zen teacher (roshi) Rafe Jnan Martin began traditional Zen practice in 1970, becoming a personal disciple of Roshi Philip Kapleau, author of The Three Pillars of Zen. After Kapleau Roshi’s retirement, he practiced with Robert Aitken Roshi, founder of the Diamond Sangha, then from 2002-2016 worked intensively with Danan Henry Roshi, founding teacher of the Zen Center of Denver and a Kapleau Roshi Dharma Heir as well as a Diamond Sangha Dharma Master. Rafe received full lay ordination in 2009, and in 2012 received inka—recognition of his successful completion of the Diamond Sangha/ Harada-Yasutani koan curriculum, along with authorization to begin teaching. In 2016 he received full Dharma Transmission as an independent Zen teacher. An award-winning author and storyteller whose work has been cited in Time, Newsweek, The NY Times, and USA Today, Rafe has a master’s degree in English literature and literary criticism and is a recipient of both national and state awards, including the Empire State Award for the body of his work. His writing has appeared in Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, Parabola, The Sun, and Inquiring Mind, among other journals of religion and myth. He has given talks at Zen and Dharma Centers around the US and Canada, as well as such venues as the American Museum of Natural History, Zuni Pueblo, and The Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story.  His most recent books are A Zen Life of Buddha (Sumeru 2022), The Brave Little Parrot (Wisdom Publications, 2023) and A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas (Sumeru, 2023). 

  1. Manjusri Fails!

    30 May

    Manjusri Fails!

    Recorded 5/30/2026. Wu-men’s commentary to Case 42 of The Gateless Barrier, “Manjusri and the Young Woman in Samadhi” says “The comedy Old Shakya puts on the stage here is a great hodgepodge. Just tell me now; Manjusri is the teacher of the Seven Buddhas – why couldn’t he get the young woman out of her samadhi, when the Bodhisattva of Delusive Wisdom, a beginner, could? If you can firmly grasp this point, then for you this busy life of ignorance and discrimination will be the life of the Dragon Samadhi.” His verse to the case: One can awaken her, the other cannot; Both of them are free. A god mask, a devil mask The failure is wonderful indeed. Hmm. One can, one can’t. Isn’t that unfair? Shakespeare was an immediate success, but Melville never received a single positive review on his masterwork, Moby Dick. Picasso never failed to receive worshipful accolades, yet Van Gogh never sold a painting and William Blake died in poverty. One can awaken her, the other cannot. Astoundingly, Wu-men asserts that both are free. If so, how is Manjusri free, and how is the Bodhisattva of Delusive Wisdom also free? How is Einstein free and how Walt Disney? And what about us? How are we free, Dragon Samadhi or no? Let’s take a look! Photo of Manjusri on Lion at Endless Path by Rafe Martin Books referenced:  A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas by Rafe MartinBooks by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    43 min
  2. Meeting Manjusri Bodhisattva of Wisdom Face-to Face

    16 May

    Meeting Manjusri Bodhisattva of Wisdom Face-to Face

    Recorded May 16, 2026. Roshi Rafe Martin reads and comments on Chapter 3 of "A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas."  “Manjushri’s Threes by Threes” — Case # 35 of the Blue Cliff Record —  Manjusri asked Wu Cho, “Where have you just come from?” Wu Cho replied, “The south.” Manjusri said, “ How is southern Buddhism faring?” Wu Cho answered, “The monks of the latter days of the Law have little regard for the precepts.” Manjusri said, “Are there many or few?” Wu Cho said, “Here about 300, there around 500.” Wu Cho then asked Manjusri, “How does Buddhism fare in this part of the world?” Manjusri said, “The worldly and the holy dwell together; dragons and snakes intermingle.” Wu Cho asked, “Are there few or many?” Manjusri said, “In front, three by three; in back, three by three.” What’s going on? Does Manjusri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, deliver — or obfuscate? What kind of wisdom is this? Wise folks may speak in riddles but can hide behind gibberish. Con-men have played that field. Have we been taken in? What is Manjusri’s profound wisdom and how will it help us live lives of actual meaning here and now? Let’s take a look! Books  A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas — Rafe MartinHaiku, Vol. 1: Eastern Culture — R.H. BlythMoby Dick — Herman MelvilleThe Adolescent — Fyodor Dostoevsky Photo of Manjusri and Buddha at Endless Path Zendo by Rafe Martin Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    45 min
  3. Manjusri -- Bodhisattva of Wisdom

    9 May

    Manjusri -- Bodhisattva of Wisdom

    Recorded May 9, 2026. Roshi Rafe Martin reads and comments on Chapter 2 of "A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas."  In Japan, the Buddha sits in the Buddha Hall, but Manjusri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, presides over the zendo where he’s often shown seated on a noble and courageous lion -- symbol of our own enlightened Original Nature. Holding a scroll of prajna wisdom or a lotus in one hand and a sword in the other, he may have the shaved head of a monk—showing himself free of all attachments and concerns—or may be a prince with long hair, flowing robes and jewelry, royally engaged with life. “Forgetting the self,” through attention to the practice is Manjusri’s realm. This is not a matter of avoiding our emotions or of side-stepping or suppressing our individuality. Rather, it is like seeing a golden sunrise or a star-filled night and, awed, momentarily forgetting ourselves. It is like coming home. Clinging to thoughts of me, myself, and I never seem to bring us the joy or security we long for. Aren’t our best moments those in which we’ve forgotten ourselves? A glorious sunset stretches across the twilight, a mountain peak emerges from the clouds, the taste of tea awakens our tongue and we are momentarily ... gone. Zen’s wisdom is to help us live such a self-forgotten, ordinary life. Manjusri’s sword cuts in One, not two. But who is Manjusri, really? Let’s take a look!  Books:  “Complete Poison Blossoms From a Thicket of Thorn: The Zen Records of Hakuin Zenji” - Norman Waddell "A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas" — Rafe Martin Photo of Manjusri at Endless Path Zendo by Rafe Martin Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    53 min
  4. Actualizing Our Gestural Imagination: Telling Stories that Live!

    7 May

    Actualizing Our Gestural Imagination: Telling Stories that Live!

    Recorded May 7, 2026 Actualizing Our Gestural Imagination: Telling Stories that Live! A teaching session withaward-winning author and storyteller, Rafe Martin 5/7/2026 Boulder Valley Spell Binders of Boulder, CO. Photo of Rafe Martin, storytelling 1984 -- by Lawson Sachter. Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    1hr 4min
  5. Roshi Philip Kapleau Memorial

    2 May

    Roshi Philip Kapleau Memorial

    Recorded May 2, 2026. Twenty-two years ago on March 6th , (it has gone by in the blink of an eye) 2004 my old Zen teacher, Roshi Philip Kapleau ,passed from this life to the next. I had just flown back home to Rochester from where I'd been speaking at a literary conference in Reno, Nevada and was picked up at the airport by an old Dharma friend who told me that Roshi had just died. We drove to where he was still seated in his wheelchair beneath a tree in the backyard of the Zen Center, surrounded by old Zen friends, where we all said our goodbyes. We had so much to be grateful to him for. At Endless Path Zendo we hold a memorial half-day zazenkai each year in Roshi Kapleau's honor. This teisho includes remembrances of Roshi Kapleau by both Rose and myself, plus a reading of the memorial piece on his life that “Buddhadharma” asked me to write shortly after his passing. Additionally, I shared an unusual anecdote from one of the times that when Rose and I were his guests in Florida once he’d retired from active teaching. If you want to know his story give a listen. It’s an interesting tale — Roshi Philip Kapleau had been the chief court reporter for both the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crimes trials — which eventually led him directly to Zen and to a central -- and essential — role in the transmission of actual Zen practice to the West.  - Roshi Rafe Martin Photo of Roshi Kapleau by Casey Frank Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    51 min
  6. Are Bodhisattvas Real?

    25 Apr

    Are Bodhisattvas Real?

    Recorded April 25, 2026. In this first series of teishos from his book, “A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas,” Roshi Martin explores the nature of Bodhisattvas — the “wisdom beings” so central to the wise and compassionate vision of Mahayana Buddhism, which includes Zen. He also makes it clear that, in Zen tradition, to know who or what bodhisattvas are, we need to know who or what we ourselves truly are. Then again, are bodhisattvas — beings like Manjsuri and Avalokitesvara, Maitreya and Samantbhadra with the transformative power to truly help all suffering beings — really real? Towards the end of this teisho he relates two mysterious true incidents from his own life that led him to believe that such beings really do exist. Books — “A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas” by Rafe Martin“Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism - Lama Govinda“Complete Poison Blossoms From a Thicket of Thorn: The Zen Records of Hakuin Zenji” - Norman Waddell“Eight Beliefs in Buddhism” — Hakuun Yasutani“Further Zen Conversations” - Rick McDaniel Photo of Hotei at Endless Path Zendo, by Rafe Martin Read Roshi Rafe Martin's latest book:  Finding Your Buddha Smile: Coming Home To What Zen is Really All About.  Available from Amazon , Sumeru Books, and Barnes & Noble Online. Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    58 min
  7. Impossible Situations: A Buffalo Passes Through the Window

    18 Apr

    Impossible Situations: A Buffalo Passes Through the Window

    Recorded April 18, 2026. Today’s teisho is on "Gateless Barrier" Case 38 — “A Buffalo Passes Through the Window.” Wu-tsu said, “It is like a buffalo that passes through a window. Its head, horns, and four legs all pass through. Why can’t its tail pass through as well?” Hakuin comments: "Hard for even the most clear- sighted Zen monks to crack, A Buffalo Passing Through the Window trips them all up. " In this life we'll all face situations, places, events, times that seem . . . beyond us, even impossible. What shall we make of Wu-tsu’s impossible buffalo? The scenario is ridiculous! Impossible. And yet we’re called upon by the koan to personally reveal and present its deep, living meaning. Is logic the be-all and end-all? Can even the most technically precise and clear scientific description of, let’s say, vision, give us our vividly personal experience of red flowers, blue skies, green grass, the joy we find upon seeing a child’s smile? Can a description give us the actual taste of a cup of first flush Darjeeling tea? By what wisdom do I know it personally, intimately? Let’s see if we can find out. Give a listen to this lively — and rather humorous — teisho! Referenced: "The Gateless Barrier: Th Wu-men Kuan (Mumonkan)" Robert Aitken Painting by Zen Master Hakuin -- Buffalo looking at a window. Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    58 min
  8. Finding Your Buddha Smile (Final Chapter) - Part 11: A Springtime Stroll

    11 Apr

    Finding Your Buddha Smile (Final Chapter) - Part 11: A Springtime Stroll

    Recorded April 11, 2026 Hooray! Spring has come. Ice cracks and melts and rivers once again run free. Green grass and buds on trees magically appear. Blue Cliff Record case 36 presents it like this: One day Ch’ang-sha went for a walk in the hills. When he returned to the gate of the monastery the head monk said, “Master, where have you been?” Ch’ang-sha said, “I have come from strolling about in the hills.” The head monk said, “Where did you go?” “First I went pursuing the fragrant grasses, then I returned following the falling flowers.” The head monk said, “You are full of the spring, aren’t you?”  Ch’ang-sha said, “It is even better than the autumn dew falling on the lotus flowers.” Hsueh-tou comments, “I’m grateful for that answer.” Aitken Roshi writes — “Let us all be grateful ... because Ch’ang-sha is our teacher of Zen in this age of grave danger to the earth and its music, art, animals, and everything else.” Now, with a smile on our lips we, too, will head out and see what there is for heads, hands, and hearts to do. Zen practice brings us into the fullness of life. It’s not about sitting forever facing a wall. Read Roshi Rafe Martin's latest book:  Finding Your Buddha Smile: Coming Home To What Zen is Really All About.  Available from Amazon , Sumeru Books, and Barnes & Noble Online. Photo of Smiling Buddha, Lung-men Caves, China, by Rafe Martin 2006 Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org

    34 min
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About

Endless Path Zendo, is a lay Zen Buddhist community. Intimate and non-institutional in atmosphere, we are dedicated to realizing the Buddha Way in the midst of our own ordinary lives, finding our center of gravity in the creativity of Zen, and the Way of the Bodhisattva. Zen teacher (roshi) Rafe Jnan Martin began traditional Zen practice in 1970, becoming a personal disciple of Roshi Philip Kapleau, author of The Three Pillars of Zen. After Kapleau Roshi’s retirement, he practiced with Robert Aitken Roshi, founder of the Diamond Sangha, then from 2002-2016 worked intensively with Danan Henry Roshi, founding teacher of the Zen Center of Denver and a Kapleau Roshi Dharma Heir as well as a Diamond Sangha Dharma Master. Rafe received full lay ordination in 2009, and in 2012 received inka—recognition of his successful completion of the Diamond Sangha/ Harada-Yasutani koan curriculum, along with authorization to begin teaching. In 2016 he received full Dharma Transmission as an independent Zen teacher. An award-winning author and storyteller whose work has been cited in Time, Newsweek, The NY Times, and USA Today, Rafe has a master’s degree in English literature and literary criticism and is a recipient of both national and state awards, including the Empire State Award for the body of his work. His writing has appeared in Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, Parabola, The Sun, and Inquiring Mind, among other journals of religion and myth. He has given talks at Zen and Dharma Centers around the US and Canada, as well as such venues as the American Museum of Natural History, Zuni Pueblo, and The Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story.  His most recent books are A Zen Life of Buddha (Sumeru 2022), The Brave Little Parrot (Wisdom Publications, 2023) and A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas (Sumeru, 2023). 

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