Tag: Dharma Talk

While we do not engage in formal koan study at Dharma Rain, many koans are held in our collective mind as valuable teaching stories. Jyoshin explores Dongshan’s “Cold and Heat”, a particularly apt study for our current summer weather patterns. This talk was given on Sunday, July 22.

A new book – The Six Perfections by Dale Wright – inspires this talk. He writes about how to cultivate character using the Buddhist teachings on the paramitas. Genko reports on this and then goes on to explore the first paramita – dana, generosity. This talk was given Sunday, July 15.

Shinshu Roberts recently blessed us with readings from her book, Being-Time, and shared some important points about understanding Dogen’s chapter on Being-Time. In this talk Gyokuko shares some of her personal musings on the practice of being one with time. This talk was given Sunday, July 8.

Kakumyo talked about some of the lessons of the last two weeks, pulling threads from the “Juki” chapter of the Shobogenzo, which we studied at Genzoe sesshin last week, and weaving those with themes from the three day pastoral care workshop that happened this week. This talk was given Sunday, July 1.

We are entering into Portland Pride season. “Pride” turns up on both Christian and Buddhist lists as one of the seven deadly sins or one of the five poisons, respectively. In what ways is it negative? How can it be seen as positive? How does it relate to Shame (which is generally listed as a… Read more »

This coming Sunday we will watch the traditional year-end Dharma School skits, where the children share something of what they have learned in the past year. This takes the place of the Dharma Talk, and is always a lot of fun. After that, we will have an ice cream social. All are invited. Join us… Read more »

This Sunday we’ll explore qualities like concentration, focus and receptivity with a Buddhist lens. How do these qualities affect our life, and what contributes to reliably accessing them, both within and beyond formal meditation. This talk was given Sunday, May 27.

The story of the historical Buddha is often used as a lens to examine our own practice and path. This talk touches on the point where he escapes the confines of his privileged life and affluent shelter and begins to examine the suffering outside. A key figure is his father the king, who tried to… Read more »

Happy Mother’s Day! For some, Mother’s Day can bring up memories of crayon drawings on refrigerators, sharing space with brightly colored magnetic letters of the alphabet. This is part of how small children investigate their environment and learn about themselves and the world around them. Mothers (and those who take on the role of mother)… Read more »

Why do we feel different when we are alone? The self alone changes when it meets others. Is one self more authentic than the other? How do we resolve the tension between solitude and relationship? We will consider the ways that we protect ourselves around other people as well as the ways we fall into… Read more »

This week we have been on Denkoe Sesshin, with up to 25 people practicing in the zendo in the evenings. Kakumyo explores the value of this in his talk on Sunday. This talk was given Sunday, April 22.

At this week’s Dharma Talk, we played a recording of a talk given by Kyogen. He discussed our liturgical calendar, and the seasons and teachings associated with each part of it. He then focused specifically on the upcoming Denkoe retreat, and the study of the Denkoroku. This very special Dharma Talk allowed us to hear… Read more »

We all have high expectations. In the workplace, in our social lives, in our Zen practice. The idea that we ourselves or others in whom we are invested can meet those expectations often creates anxiety when the idea comes up against reality. Come share your thoughts as Gyokuko shares some of hers. This talk was… Read more »

Genko looks at how the Three Refuges (also called the Three Jewels or Three Treasures) can provide a place of safety and support for us in our practice. What is refuge? What is safety? How do we work with these in our lives? This talk was given Sunday, March 25.

Kakumyo looks at how we work with well-established karma and confusion. He consults the Samanaphala Sutra for help. This talk was given Sunday, March 18.

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