This Sunday, Kakumyo will give a numerical answer to this often asked question about Zen practice. Should be a short talk. Join us this Sunday, July 28, for zazen, sanzen and Dharma Talk. Kakumyo and Fumyo offer sanzen. 8:30am Zazen (with optional sanzen) 9:00 Kinhin (walking meditation) 9:10 Zazen 9:40 Full Morning Service 10:10 Break… Read more »

We put a lot of effort in our Zen Practice into examining who we are. Kakumyo speaks to the balance of knowing who we are, and still being curious to seeing new parts of ourselves. This talk was given Sunday, May 12.

Keeping things dry in an Oregon winter can be tough, but not as difficult as not leaking our practice intention. This Sunday, we’ll explore the process of diverting attention on a few different timescales, and find some tips to keep this from happening. This talk was given Sunday, February 24.

Both Shakyamuni Buddha and Eihei Dogen gave their last dharma teaching on the same topic. We’ll look at this teaching, a description of the marks of practice, and why both teachers felt it was so important for their students to remember. Join us this Sunday, January 20, for zazen, sanzen, and Kakumyo’s Dharma Talk. Kakumyo… Read more »

Kakumyo gave this talk on Sunday, November 25.

Kakumyo describes a recent (experimental) sesshin he participated in and some of the lessons learned for trusting and deepening meditation. This talk was given Sunday, October 14.

Fall term is in effect and practice is flowing. This Sunday Kakumyo will talk about one way we may notice the effects of contemplative practice, and how to make good use of this phenomenon. Join us this Sunday, September 9, for zazen, sanzen, service, and Kakumyo’s Dharma Talk. Kakumyo and Genko offer sanzen. 8:30am Zazen… Read more »

Kakumyo speaks about Dharma Rain’s path as a sangha and institution. What does our trajectory look like, and what are the values and context that are shaping it? This talk was given Sunday, August 26.

We recognize that instances of giving and receiving attention are not all equivalent. Sometimes it can feel profound,other times trivial. We’ll explore this range, what it means, and our ability to affect where our behavior lands. This talk was given Sunday, July 29.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As the stream of life flows through awareness, some moments stand out as being more meaningful, impactful, or important. We may assume that it’s because of the content of what we’re aware of, but usually, it’s not. How do we cultivate experiences of awe, insight and immediacy in our daily life? This talk was given… Read more »

Beyond the karmic mirror, we find that enlightenment is communal. Kakumyo speaks of preference and renunciation in a spiritual community. This talk was given Sunday, January 28.

We often put karmic themes and their resolution in a vague category that adds lots of extra noise and opinion and dilutes the teaching about how to affect change. This Sunday the talk will focus on some specifics about seeing through our afflicted habit patterns. This talk was given Sunday, October 1.