Tag: Dharma Talk

Fall Ango will begin by recognizing old women in zen’s timeless koan heritage, the challenges and opportunities they offered then and even now. Bukkai’s talk is inspired by “The Old Woman of Mount Wutai,” a koan from ninth century China, and her own experiences of many years. This talk was Sunday, September 4.

Science can explain how a flower opens, but watching a flower open is an entirely different experience. Jyoshin looks at aspects of Buddhism that came from Asia to the western world, and how the western mind works with these. One example is invocations to deities. What is the usefulness of considering such invocations as a… Read more »

Dharma Rain has many programs and many ways to serve and be served, but ultimately, Dharma Rain is a Zen temple. The strength of Zen is that it brings zazen and other practices and tools to help us transform the obstacles in our own minds. Gyokuko will talk about the significance of Zen and the… Read more »

Many of us find a sense of identity in being part of a group, a family, a tribe. But sometimes conflict arises when we want our own independent identity and distrust the tendency to succumb to group-think. This conflict leads right to the central koan that we all grapple with – Who Am I? To… Read more »

We are on Genzo-e Sesshin this week, studying Dogen’s fascicle Avalokiteshvara. In this talk, Kakumyo explores the interplay of witnessing and immediacy – how close do we get to our own experience? How many kinds of closeness are there? This talk was given Sunday, July 31.

What is the value of a human birth? We are reminded now and then that to be born a human being is special, of high merit. Why? What does this say about other beings? What does it say about how we should be living our lives? This talk was given Sunday, July 24.

What does it mean to practice with the daily news that arrives on the doorstep (or laptop) every day – tragedies from Orlando to Istanbul back to Dallas along with endless opinions and updates – and then return to our daily activity? Are we aware of our karmic habits receiving breaking news events and the… Read more »

Water is often used as a metaphor for Dharma. The choice to immerse ourselves completely or have a sip now and then is a personal one. How do we choose? How do we honor our own choice and the different choices others make? This talk was given on Sunday, June 26.

We are in the process of discerning matters great and small throughout our lives. As Buddhists, how do we approach the “big” decisions about the shape and form our lives will take? Is there a difference between “deciding” and “discerning”? And what constitutes “success”? Thomas Bruner shares his process of discerning whether to ordain as… Read more »

Ejo McMullen, abbot of the Buddha Eye Temple in Eugene, OR, presents a Dharma Talk about the practice of chanting. Later in the afternoon, he will lead a workshop on chanting as practiced at Buddha Eye, and likely touch on some similarities and differences in style between Buddha Eye and Dharma Rain. Join us this

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Looking at Prajna Paramita (Great Perfect Wisdom) requires that we look at the difference between an acquired knowledge of ideas vs a dynamic knowledge of that which is. This talk was given on Sunday, May 22.

We encounter lots of subtle puzzles in practice and complex problems in life. We want clarity about how to navigate these skillfully. When we do, it’s deeply rewarding. Wise discernment is how we get there. On Sunday, we’ll explore what questions are helpful, who asks them, and how to appreciate the asking. Join us this… Read more »

On Sunday, May 8, our guest Dharma Speaker was Larry Christensen from the Zen Center of Portland. He spoke about Buddha Nature: Tathagata-garbha.

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