Tag: Dharma Talk

The Dharma Talk for Sunday, August 3, was about family. Bukkai’s way in is an unusual koan from The Hidden Lamp collection entitled “Ganji’s Family.” Bukkai found much food for thought in the story and she hopes that those hearing this talk will as well.

A “being,” according to the Buddha, is made up of “aggregates,” or “heaps.” These, of course, are common translations for the Buddhist term “skandha,” which originally could refer to a “mass,” “heap,” “pile,” “gathering,” “bundle” or even “tree trunk.” So, we are an amalgamation of changeable things, in five layers from “form,” the body, to… Read more »

The Canadian wilderness guide Carl Rustrum used to look forward to solitary winter camping, because he enjoyed being where “you can holler for help and not be heard.” The Japanese word for trust can also mean confidence. What does it mean to have trust? Sometimes we need to trust ourselves and find a deep self-reliance.… Read more »

What is the balance between holding things lightly and being serious about our lives and practice? What is the place of humor in Zen practice? Genko raises these questions and is hoping that we can explore them together. This talk was given on Sunday, July 13.

Holding awareness that “This is not mine. This is not my self. This is not what I am” is a classic meditation on anatta, the lack of an independent self. Gradually we learn to hold the self more lightly. But without a self, where does responsibility or integrity land? We’ll explore how agency and choice… Read more »

Part of the gay subculture, Drag and Camp have a long history. In the wider culture, we find a similarly long history involving carnival, clowns, fools, theater performances, masked balls, and the like. On a more mundane level, we all have various roles to play in the world, and find ourselves donning various costumes /… Read more »

Based on a Dharma Talk by Mike Gyoshi Kaplan – Feb 23, 2014 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… Read more »

What does Buddhism have to offer us on this turning of the seasons? Solstice is very significant in ancient cultures and earth based spirituality, but is it irrelevant to the followers of the Noble Eightfold Path? Gyokuko will explore the natural phenomena of solstice, equinox and the changing physical environment and how this fits the… Read more »

We had our first Sunday morning service at Jason Lee Elementary School on June 15. This week marked the first Sunday completely moved out of where we have been practicing for decades. We are in temporary spaces waiting construction of our new home, which is well on its way. The sometimes-chaotic process of moving out… Read more »

Where can we find a place to rest in an ever-changing world? Uncertainty, loss, expectation, desire; the perils of an isolated, abiding self are legion but the answer can be found within the question. Join us this Sunday, May 18, for zazen, service and Teijin’s Dharma Talk. Sanzen will be offered during zazen. 8:30am Zazen… Read more »

A Talk by Kyogen Carlson on Koun Ejo and the Denkoroku Note: Dharma Talks during the Denkoe Sesshin are usually reserved for those attending the retreat. This year the Wednesday talk was open to anyone who wished to attend, and Kyogen included information on Keizan and the context for the creation of the Denkoroku. On… Read more »

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 »

Sunday, April 20, the Dharma Council and Board of Directors presented reports about what is happening and the latest plans for this year with the transition to the new property. Listen to the forum. Dharma Council Programming Handouts. Board Handout. Photos Jason Lee front. Jason Lee front door. Entry. One view of cafeteria. Another view of… Read more »

Sallie Jiko Tisdale – from April 1997 Keep your eye on the fierce lion up on the altar. Today I’m going to talk about what it means to study the self. I’ll begin with two quotes to bear in mind. The first is from William Wordsworth in 1807, a poem: “The world is too much… 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. Listen to… Read more »

Linda Hoka Bebernes, Still Point, 2012 What do we each bring to expressing the Dharma? This was the theme for the 2012 spring term student program. Through exploring this question, I came to a clearer understanding of how I uniquely express the Dharma, while learning how essential it is to exclude nothing from my practice.… Read more »

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