Recording Category: Dharma Talks

Shakyamuni encouraged all of us to be a lamp unto ourselves; to steadily notice what is wholesome, and how we are affected, as we try to walk this spiritual path. How does this advice intertwine with Buddhism’s reliance on those who have gone before to point the way? We’re confronted with the choice to engage… Read more »

On April 6, 2014, Gyokuko spoke about prayer and devotion in Zen Buddhism. On April 13, Kyogen continued that theme with more on prayer, and also on faith, trust, belief, and other elements of spiritual life. He drew on his conversation with Evangelicals and other Christians about what non-theistic religion can look like.

On April 6, 2014, co-abbot Gyokuko Carlson took a Dharmic look at the subject of prayer and how Zen Buddhists work with it.

Many of us carry burdens of regret, guilt or shame about past events. When we recite the confession verse, what does it mean to acknowledge “All my past and harmful karma”? How can we take responsibility for all of it? What is mine? This talk explored the different ways we experience repentance and atonement in… Read more »

As we headed into our week-long retreat, DaiJukai, or “Great Jukai” (Giving and Receiving of the Buddhist Precepts), Seido talked about how we understand the study and practice of ethical action in Zen. She particularly focused on one of the ten grave precepts – Do Not Speak Dishonestly – Communicate Truthfully – and its commentary:… Read more »

Bukkai finds that in every season of precept practice there is something new and vital to be found, like the first slightly surprising appearance of spring growth. She talked about two gifts of this season.

When we announced the Dharma Talk for Sunday March 2nd, Co-abbot Kyogen Carlson was pondering several topics. One was, literally “Who Knows?” After some deliberation, he stuck with that subject, using the koan, “Dizang’s Not Knowing is Most Intimate” and other stories from The Book of Serenity.”

The title of this talk is from the sub-title of a 1972 book called The Peoples’ Guide to Mexico. This book was unique among travel guides in pointing to being fully present and receptive to where you are.  A subtitle to the talk might be Shunryu Suzuki’s advice, “Nothing Extra.” It was prompted by Gyoshi’s… Read more »

Buddhism flourished for a thousand years and more after the Buddha died. By then Buddhism had spread to many countries and languages. For many reasons, Buddhism then began to decline and virtually died out in India altogether until very recently. The Dharma talk for the celebration of Nehan will explore the final teachings of the… Read more »

Case 94 in the Book of Serenity tells of a time when Master Dongshan (Tozan Ryokai) was very ill. A monk came to him and asked, “Is there someone who does not get ill?” Donshan answered, “There is,” and the dialog goes on from there. Does this contradict the First Noble Truth? What’s going on… Read more »

was “Taking Joy Seriously, or Can a Buddhist Have a Good Time?” In our practice we explicitly examine the causes of suffering as we study the Second Noble Truth. Dogen said that “To study Buddhism is to study the self.” Are we just a mass of suffering? How is studying the nature of joy a… Read more »

As we start up again on our regular schedule, we sometimes find that we can look back at holiday excesses and have remorse, vowing to do differently. How can we take vows in a skillful way? Genko shares something of her own struggle with addictive behavior and how she is finding ways through it with… Read more »

For Buddhists all over the world, Sunday December 8th marks the annual celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment under the bodhi tree. For our community, it also marks the end of our weeklong Rohatsu retreat during which each of us take up the Buddha’s koan of the meaning of human suffering. Through his deep resolve to… Read more »

Dharma Rain Newsletter Signup

Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter that keeps you informed on what's going on at Dharma Rain Zen Center.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact