Tag: Dharma Talk
Kakumyo offers a preview of one of the themes of the upcoming Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) seminary class. He looks at the core Buddhist teaching that everything is changing, the… Read more »
Dharma Rain’s Sewing Master Genko Rainwater shares some of the research that has contributed to the Zen Sewing Study Group meeting on Tuesday nights. There’s a lot of interesting history… Read more »
On December 18, 2016, Kakumyo ended his kessei term with a Jodo ceremony. It began with a procession from Uji to the Sodo. Once at the Sodo, Kakumyo… Read more »
This Sunday marks the end of Kakumyo’s Kessei term, the year of “abbot-with-training-wheels.” As with the shuso term, it ends with a testing ceremony, like Ko’in did last week. He… Read more »
This Sunday, the current shuso, Nicole Ko’in Newsom, will take her “final exam,” presenting a verse and answering questions from teachers and sangha members. Come help “prod the loaf” to… Read more »
This Sunday, Genko explores bodhicitta, or Way-Seeking Mind. A few months ago, someone asked where it comes from, which brings to mind the old koan: “Which came first, the chicken… Read more »
This Sunday, Kakumyo will explore how we can look at the election in dharmic terms. Who are we now? Personally and collectively we are challenged to respond with clarity and… Read more »
A sizable portion of our Sangha could be described as ‘growing old’. For those of us in that demographic, is this just the bad news of deteriorating body and diminishing… Read more »
Buddhist history is filled with stories of mystical and supernatural power. Dogen said mystical power “is the tea and meals of Buddhists.” What can this mean for our practice today?… Read more »
When we were children we made wishes on the first star, on a few lighted candles on a birthday cake, and on the “wish-bone” of the Thanksgiving turkey. There is… Read more »
At last weeks Sangha Forum, members requested an opportunity to talk more about succession, the abbot’s role, how this might look and why it matters. This week, Kakumyo will speak… Read more »
Perhaps one of the hardest barriers to our Zen practice is the barrier of “self.” Attaching to self as an entity separate from others generates patterns of suffering and confusion.… Read more »
People are sometimes surprised to learn that Buddhism has a long, rich history of confession and repentance. The flavor of this in Buddhism is quite different from what we may… Read more »
Many of us spend the majority of our day in our workplace. How can we deepen our practice in the midst of distraction, busy days and competing demands for our… Read more »
Zazen is widely recognized as our core practice, but a small percentage of available teaching minutes are allocated to how-to instruction. Why is that, how do we answer the questions… Read more »
Zazen teaches us to let go of thoughts feelings and distractions that interfere with being present and aware of this very moment. Some of the commitments we make in our… Read more »