Recording Category: Dharma Talks
The work of the heart can feel frightening and tender. It challenges all that we hold dear and breaks down the barriers that make us feel safe but that also separate us from life. By cultivating the practice of the divine abodes, we begin to see the boundless capacity of our heart to open up… Read more »
We recite the vow to take refuge in the Three Treasures quite often. But what is refuge? How do we find this elusive place in a diverse community of human beings?
Midway between winter and spring, we have our Nehan Festival, in which we commemorate the Buddha’s passing into Parinirvana. Immediately after, we have our Jukai retreat and celebrate the transmission of the precepts. It is a time for renewal and budding of practice after personal and community reflection and application of precept study. The talk… Read more »
Consider how you relate to opinions, both your own opinions and those of others. What comes up for you? In what ways do you feel empowered or obstructed by your opinions? What makes an opinion helpful or harmful? What effect do opinions have on your practice? How do they relate to your experience of dukkha?… Read more »
Many of us confront questions about how one individual’s spiritual practice can make a tangible difference in our world, especially when faced with the enormity of the collective problems before us. In her talk, guest speaker Caverly Morgan explores how meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative technologies designed for the realization of personal freedom can—and must—be applied… Read more »
The Buddha spoke of a list of four aspects of suffering that humans are subject to: birth, sickness, old age, and death. Genko draws on her recent experience with Covid, as well as earlier experiences with illness to examine suffering and how to work with it.
This is our season for studying the Precepts. An important and early part of preparing for the Precepts is examining the meaning of repentance. Many of us struggle with feelings of guilt, shame and unworthiness. Buddhist repentance allows us to acknowledge the mistakes of the past without injuring the self of the present, and leads… Read more »
Many people encounter a self that compares and critiques our spiritual capacity and worthiness. Sometimes it’s easy to see the frailty of that self and the tenuousness of its influence. But it can also be very disruptive and painful. Kakumyo talks about how Buddhism practices with this kind of distortion and doubt.
The Dharma Talk was replaced by Shuso Hossen, for Sonja Rinsho Aikens.
What do we need to do? What is wise action when we feel stuck, tormented, or otherwise lost in our dukkha in our various life situations? Gyoshi received the advice that’s the title of this talk near the beginning of his Zen practice many years ago. He’s still learning how it informs his practice and… Read more »
Dogen prescribed exactly how to sit down, how to walk, how to wash your face and brush your teeth, offer incense, and eat a meal. What is the purpose of our prescribed forms? We will explore our many different reactions to these rituals of Zen.
Guest teacher Bob Rosenbaum of Meadowmind Sangha gave the dharma talk. He discusses how all our sensations, feelings, thoughts and even the “real world” we take for granted are delusions — and the gates of liberation. This talk introduces the Surangama Sutra‘s teaching of the Matrix of the Thus Come One, unlimited by “is” and “is not.”
Genko explores the Dharma of these and other frequent polite expressions. When are they necessary? To what extent are they sincere and to what extent are they superficial or uttered for other reasons? What are some cultural assumptions we make about these? And, just to keep it interesting, what about the politics of Thanksgiving Day… Read more »
Kakumyo fills in for Jiko on Founders Day and talks about our Lineage and why it’s important.