269 - Making a Vow of Inner Nonviolence and Complete Acceptance
We all have negative aspects of ourselves we want to fix, disown, or even expunge completely from our being, but even with practice some things are extremely hard to change. As we strive to break free...
14 Mai 202435min
268 - Teisho, An Encouragement Talk During Zazen
Last week I led a sesshin, or silent Zen retreat. Participants participated in a 24-hour schedule of zazen, chanting, silent work, formal meals, and rest. Once or twice a day, I offered a "teisho" dur...
30 Apr 202429min
267 - Ten Fields of Zen, Field Three - Mindfulness: Cultivating Awareness Every Moment
The third Field of Zen practice is Mindfulness, which is cultivating clear awareness of what is happening, moment by moment, within you and around you. Mindfulness is absolutely fundamental to Zen pra...
22 Apr 202428min
266 - What Would the Buddha Say About the Suffering in the World?
Recently, someone submitted a Dharma question for me to address: "I wonder what Buddha would say to us about the crises facing humanity, particularly the suffering of our own making?" I can't know, bu...
15 Apr 202421min
265 - Ten Fields of Zen, Field Two - Zazen: Our Total Response to Life (3 of 3)
This is the third episode of three comprising the "Zazen" chapter of my book, "The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners." I start by offering what I should have put at the beginning ...
30 Mar 202422min
264 - Ten Fields of Zen, Field Two - Zazen: Our Total Response to Life (2 of 3)
This is the second episode of three comprising the "Zazen" chapter of my book, "The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners." I finish my discussion of the five efforts of Zazen, coveri...
26 Mar 202431min
263 - Ten Fields of Zen, Field Two - Zazen: Our Total Response to Life (1 of 3)
The second Field of Zen practice is Zazen. "Za" means seated, and "zen" means meditation. However, as 13th-century Zen master Dogen famously stated, "…Zazen is not meditation practice." Superficially,...
18 Mar 202437min
262 - The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma Friendships (2 of 2)
The Buddha famously said "admirable friendship," or what I'm calling Dharma friendship, is the entirety of the holy life. In the last episode, I discussed the value and nature of personal Dharma frien...
1 Mar 202429min
