“Why cooking rice and making soup in the kitchen are as valuable as practicing in the zendo, and how this practice can be applied to any kind of work.”
Read moreZen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Beginning with Ourselves
Seigen Johnson presents on Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Beginning with Ourselves.
New Year’s Resolutions
Anshi Zachary Smith asks - and attempts to address - the eternal question, What would Suzuki Roshi or Dogen say about New Year’s Resolutions?
The "Wild and Weird" Season of the Winter Solstice
Anshi Zachary Smith delivers a talk on the particular flavors and possibilities of this weird - in the original sense of the word - mini-season between the Winter Solstice and the New Year.
'Mu' and Buddha Nature
Heather Shoren Iarusso discusses Buddha Nature in relation to the single syllable word ‘Mu’ and the Koan, “Does a dog have Buddha Nature?”
Heather is a resident priest at City Center who arrived at Tassajara in 2008 and was ordained as a priest in 2015. She currently serves as Zen Center's Online Practice Center Director.
The Gift of Nothing
Eli shares another childhood tale about one of the greatest gifts you can give. "The Gift of Nothing". All are welcome. A cup of tea or a hot beverage is encouraged but not mandatory.
Kshanti Paramita
Michael McCord talks about "Kshanti Paramita" - The perfection of patience, forbearance, tolerance is the foundational paramita (character quality) of Buddhists. How do we work in this way while living in what feels like a competitive and aggressive world? How can we work with the key principle of Zen practice and have appropriate boundaries with those around us? How can we cultivate this quality in our relationships that do not feel spacious?
Generosity - why does it make us feel abundance?
Kodo hosts guest speaker Myles Cowherd for a conversation about: Generosity - why does it make us feel abundance?
A Tale of Drunken Enemies
Heather Iarusso speaks on “A Tale of Drunken Enemies”.
“I am a lover of stories and unfortunately, a binger of Netflix. Since I've spent seven of the past 13 years in a Zen monastery, I had a lot of binging to catch up on! I landed on the ‘Black Mirror’ series created by Charlie Brooker. I devoured all 23 episodes in a matter of days. Most of the stories were haunting, innovative, and prescient; however, there was one in particular titled ‘Men Against Fire,’ that has left an indelible impression because of its Dharmic lesson.”
Heather is a resident priest at City Center who arrived at Tassajara in 2008 and was ordained as a priest in 2015. She currently serves as Zen Center's Online Practice Center Director.
Mistakes in Practice
Eli shares some commentary on a chapter in Zen Mind Beginner's Mind titled Mistakes in Practice. Come one come all, mistakes and all!
The Koan of "Self Help"
Tonight Michael McCord explores the Koan of "Self Help": Is Buddhism so stuck in acceptance that nothing ever changes?
We'll explore what it is to be with our inclination to push away some things, as well as what it is to not hold on to ways of escaping that which is arising. In this "middle way" of working with our attraction and aversion, how do we actively plan for positive change without living in a dissatisfied state, not accepting what is happening now?
Rev. Myo's Three Pillars of Soto Zen
The gate of Dharma is unsurpassably wide. All beings may enter. So what does it mean to have a family style? How can we think about what teachings are essential to the Soto Zen way that we have inherited from Suzuki Roshi? This talk can serve as a summary introduction to three keys of our living tradition.
Grappling with the Fearful Mind
“I'll take this opportunity to give a talk about koan #23 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate), a tale of the Sixth Ancestor and his encounter with his Dharma brother Huiming. I'll touch on mudita/empathetic joy and therefore the four brahmaviharas/divine abodes, but I hope to talk mainly about how to skillfully face fear, and how the encounter with what we fear can lead us to a deeper exploration of the sense of self.”
Read more"Mr. Right is Dead"
Buddha describes Nirvana as a nectar-like Dharma that’s free from reference points. What are these reference points and how can investigating them help us alleviate our suffering? A talk by Heather Iarusso.
A Childhood Tale about the Path of the Bodhisattva
Eli Brown-Stevenson shares a favorite childhood tale of his about the path of the bodhisattva along with an exercise.
The great practice of Karma
In this talk Dharma talk Anshi Zachary Smith discusses the laws of Karma and their relation to cause and effect.
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 Way and the Path - Anshi Zachary Smith
We will explore the relationship between the Noble Eightfold Path, as outlined in the Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths, and The Way (Tao), which was adopted from Taoism by Chinese Buddhists during the period of cross-fertilization that led to the Ch’an School.
Prompts:
In your experience what is it that supports this sense of connection and being present?
How does that sense of presence and connection affect your actions in the world?
Ven. Sāriputta & The Third Noble Truth
Kodo Conlin discusses three manifestations of the Third Noble Truth--the cessation of dukkha--and how they can be recognized and realized in practice.
Vulnerability & Tenderness
Eli Brown-Stevenson offers a talk on the topic of Vulnerability & Tenderness as bases for Wisdom and Compassion.