Heather Shoren Iarusso: “What do unicorns, rainbows, and demi-girls have to do with the practice of Zen? Come to the talk and all will be revealed.”
Beyond Illusion: Exploring the Self to Forget the Self
Hiro Ikushima: Dogen-zenji said, "To study the Buddha Way is to study the self, to study the self is to forget the self." Bassui Tokushō, a Rinzai zen master, gave his disciples a self-inquiry "Who is this that hears the sound?"
We'll explore what it means to study the self and delve into self-Inquiry to peel back the layers of an illusory sense of self.
Turtle Nosed Snake
Anshi Zachary Smith discusses the famous and nonetheless mysterious Turtle Nosed Snake from Case 24 of the Book of Serenity as well as Case 22 of the Blue Cliff Record. In the Case, Xuěfēng Yìcún warns his students to look out for the poisonous snake or, perhaps, he’s just suggesting they get up close and take a good look. We’ll also be taking a good look.
Stinginess, Resentment & Other Stories - Precepts 4 of 4
Anshi Zachary Smith hosts on the topic of "Stinginess, Resentment, and Other Stories" and will be talking about two precepts - the 8th and 9th - which uniquely implicate and invite us to explore the problematic side of a particular mechanism that’s one of our greatest gifts as humans. That is: our gift for planning, imagining, and pursuing outcomes that align with our desires (or aversions). We’ll also talk about how stinginess and ill will are related to the other precepts, especially the other items in the second group of 5.
This will be our fourth and final session of this series on the Zen Precepts.
The Nature of Inquiry & Response
Anshi Zachary Smith discusses the nature of inquiry and response over the course of Buddhist History with examples from the Pali Canon, the Mahayana Scriptures and the literature of Zen. We’ll see how questions that are very similar in intent give rise to radically different answers and, perhaps, dig into why this might be true.
Tozan's Cold & Heat
A monk said to Tozan, “Cold and heat descend upon us. How can we avoid them?” Tozan said, “Why don’t you go where there is no cold or heat?” The monk said, “Where is the place where there is no cold or heat?” Tozan said, “When cold, let it be so cold that it kills you; when hot, let it be so hot that it kills you.” The Blue Cliff Record, Case 43 (Tozan Ryokai, 807-869)
The monk asks “how can we avoid cold and heat?” Does he mean this literally? Is his question just about how to avoid extreme weather? Come to YUZ tomorrow and find out where the place is where there's no heat or cold (and it's NOT San Diego).
YUZ Reunion! Three Working Grounds for Coming Home to Our Hearts
Sometimes our practice drifts to the back burner. For YUZ’s return to in-person community night, Kodo Conlin introduces three Working Grounds that can be the basis of a focused practice for the coming months.
NOTE: This talk has been edited because of some onsite microphone issues.
Foundations of Dharma - The Fourth Noble Truth: the Noble Eightfold Path
In this talk by Kodo Conlin will we will continue our Foundations of Dharma series with a talk on the topic of The Fourth Noble Truth: the Noble Eightfold Path. We will discuss four key conditions that support the development of the path.
This talk will serve as the fourth in an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen. There's no requirement to have heard the earlier talks in the series, but if you would like to listen beforehand, they are available here:
Discussion prompts:
List some (10) of your own words that capture the essence of “rightly directed”
Write about person who supported you toward orienting toward “rightly directed”
The Four Bodhisattva Vows
Miguel Rojas will be giving a talk titled, "The Four Vows." He will be speaking about the four bodhisattva vows, listed below, and will be discussing how to practice with them for inner reflection.
Beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them.
Dharma gates are boundless, I vow to enter them.
Buddha's Way is unsurpassable, I vow to become it.
Miguel Rojas is a Dharma practitioner and Zen Buddhist priest. He’s been practicing for about 15 years and can almost remember the ceremonies. He started with Zen Center of Los Angeles and now practices with SFZC and with Dragon’s Leap temple. He likes cookies.
Simplicity
Kodo Conlin leads us on a talk around simplicity.
"From beginningless time... and extending forever... it is all simply thus... If you let body and mind drop off, whilst keeping your mind open and empty of any deliberate thought, you will find a state of the utmost normalcy..." — Master Keizan