The Zen Studies Podcast

Here again with recommended episodes for you to listen to while I'm on my August sabbatical from Zen teaching and writing. Your chosen form of meditation may be what I call "Directed Effort" meditatio...

25 Aug 20232min

I take a sabbatical from my Zen teaching one month a year, and this year it's in August. In this announcement I explain (and thank you for your patience), and recommend one of my 236 past episodes to ...

17 Aug 20232min

In Part 2 of my "Sangha Challenges" discussion, I talk about various reasons you may resist joining a Buddhist community or find it challenging to maintain your relationship with one over time. I pres...

31 Jul 202325min

Should you join a Sangha? Sangha, or community, is one of the "Three Treasures" of Buddhism, but is it really necessary? How important is it? There are many "Sangha Challenges" - reasons you might fee...

27 Jul 202323min

Seated Zen meditation – zazen – is less like the meditative practices of many other spiritual traditions, and more like prayer in theistic traditions. This is not because we believe in God (although w...

17 Jul 202330min

Understanding the teachings of Buddhism starts with becoming familiar with the Buddha's life story. This isn't because he is believed to have been divine, or even a prophet. Instead, his story is impo...

30 Jun 202338min

One of Zen master Dogen's most beloved writings is a relatively short essay called "Sansuikyo," or the Mountains and Waters Sutra. In this episode, I reflect on two aspects this work: The statement th...

23 Jun 202327min

Buddhist and Zen masters through the ages have begged us not to "waste time." What does this really mean? How do we know if we're wasting time, and does it really matter?

16 Jun 202338min