All Reflections

Before Words is Dohasa's journal of reflections on practice. The name Before Words was inspired by the Korean term hwadu (화두, 話頭) - “head of speech” or “source of spoken words.” It refers to the moment before a single word arises, before the mind divides the world into subject and object, self and other, this and that. It points to the source from which all thought and language flow, the awareness prior to discrimination. In short, it points to our own inherent buddha natu

Delivered to Dohasa Zen Group at their first hwadu meditation retreat on Saturday, 11 July in Oslo, Norway. In this retreat, we are exploring several closely connected themes. We're discussing the concept of non-duality – the true nature of reality – and its beautiful expression in Sengcan's poem Faith in Mind. We're also learning the basics of hwadu practice, the principal method of meditation in Korean Sŏn. This evening, I'd like to explore how Faith in Mind is an expressio

When we experience discomfort, we look for the most obvious thing that will bring us relief. When we're hungry, we eat. When we're thirsty, we drink. When we're tired, we sleep. This is how we approach most of our discomforts in life. The same is true of our emotional lives. When we're stressed or overwhelmed, we reach for whatever seems most likely to restore a sense of calm. Everyone seems to be meditating these days, which is wonderful. For many people, that journey begins

A dharma talk by Alex Carroll, given to the Seon Meditation Sangha in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2026. Unblocking the Gateless Gate I am not the baker in my household. I am the cook, but I rarely follow recipes. Instead, I cook by instinct and improvise as I go. Baking, however, is a different matter. As much as I admire a well-made loaf of bread, I am really quite terrible at baking. My way of working simply does not translate. My husband, Niels, is the baker. Several ti