A reflection on what it means to know all of ourselves and each other as treasure—if we really knew this, how would it affect the way in which we live our lives?
Read MoreThis talk on a koan about the love between parent and child (teacher and student), lays bare the uniqueness of this relationship and the unconditional trust and love that it’s based on—a love grounded in the aspiration for liberation, for awakening…
Read More“What conditions do we need to be truly happy?” Thich Nhat Hanh asks. It’s another way of asking, Do we understand how the seeds of our experiences shape the way we perceive our lives? Thich Nhat Hanh’s text on the Fifty Verses shows us that it’s not what happens to us that determines…
Read MoreWithout you, I cannot be me. Then who am I, fundamentally? Zuisei reflects on identity and interdependence, showing how none of us can “be ourselves by ourselves”—none of us exist independently of one another. How do we help each other be who we are, fully?
Read MoreI can’t. I won’t. This is the sound of fear in the lead. And a sign to look closer.
Let’s return to the three steps or ways to enter our zazen—failing, falling, and feeling—and study the fear that often holds us back from fully realizing them…
While acknowledging that practice does not always come easily, Zuisei gently and skillfully guides us in the art of shikantaza, “the gate of ease and joy” as Dogen called it…
Read MoreIt’s never been more important to cultivate an attitude of care and reverence for this world and for one another. How can we use the teachings and our practice to remind us of the sacredness inherent in all things?
Read MoreWhy prostrate yourself, when Buddhism doesn’t include belief in God or a higher power? With insights from Eihei Dogen, Judy Lief, and Reggie Ray, this talk looks at the power of the sacred and of bowing…
Read More“When we practice mindfulness we are not practicing for ourselves alone, but also for the countless generations to follow.”
–Thich Nhat Hanh
Zuisei and the sangha take up this teaching as they continue their study of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Understanding Our Mind.
When our path seems unclear and reality precarious, where do we turn?
Read MoreThe center of the eighth realization—the awareness that the fire of birth and death is raging, causing endless suffering everywhere. Even in difficult moments there is a soft spaciousness, perfect and complete, where we are whole and things are as they are…
Read MoreThe center of the Seventh Realization of Great Beings— live simply, follow the precepts, and treat all beings equally and with compassion. Through the poetry of Hafiz and the stories of the Zen teacher and Sixth Ancestor Huineng…
Read MoreIn this mondo the Sixth Realization of Great Beings comes to life through the sangha’s reflections on their lived experiences of the past year. This realization turns to equanimity and generosity in the midst of poverty…
Read MoreListening is a practice, and we must listen deeply so that we can become fully human buddhas…
Read MoreWhen your enthusiasm for practice slows or seems to come to a halt, what can you do to spark it up again? If you’re unable to practice in a formal way, does it “still count” as practice? In this threaded talk…
Read MoreThe third of the Eight Realizations of Great Beings says that the mind constantly searches outside of itself and never feels fulfilled. Yet it is possible for the mind—and for us—to be satisfied…
Read MoreDive into the very human experience of desire within the container of Zen Master Dogen’s teachings, the Tibetan Buddhist Lojong slogans and more…
Read MoreHow do we use this teaching of impermanence to remember the wonder and uniqueness of each moment? Instead of seeing impermanence as a negative teaching, let us let it inspire us into making the most of every aspect of our lives…
Read MoreIn this first threaded talk, Zuisei introduces the realization of impermanence—from a teaching called The Eight Realizations of Great Beings—and asks the group to “thread together” their reflections on the teaching…
Read MoreHow many ways are there to acknowledge the infinite stream of space and time in which we flow?
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