24 – Deepen Your Zazen by Not Getting Stuck in Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction
It's tempting, particularly in Mahayana Buddhism, to get stuck in a kind of superficial satisfaction with your zazen and practice. Of course, it's possible to get stuck in dissatisfaction as well. In ...
27 Juli 201739min
23 - How Buddhists Should Behave: Evolution of the Buddhist Precepts Part 2
I continue with the story of the Theravadin precepts - particularly how the Vinaya has affected the ordination of monks and nuns, and how lay people participate in precept practice. Then we move on to...
21 Juli 201736min
22 - How Buddhists Should Behave: Evolution of the Buddhist Precepts Part 1
Many people are unaware that, from the beginning, Buddhism has said as much about how you should behave in your daily life as it does about meditation or study. In this episode, I cover the first Budd...
13 Juli 201737min
21 – Sesshin: 24-7 Silent Meditation Retreats
Buddhists all over the world regularly gather for silent meditation retreats with a 24-7 schedule. In this episode I describe a Zen retreat, or sesshin, including what a typical day is like, and the c...
29 Juni 201734min
20 - The Heart Sutra Part 2: Line by Line Explanation, Continued
In this episode I complete my line-by-line exploration of the Heart Sutra. I cover what the sutra means when its says "there is no" such-and-such, why it proceeds through such long lists of things tha...
21 Juni 201742min
19 - The Heart Sutra Part 1: Introduction to the Most Common Mahayana Text
The Heart Sutra is probably the best-known Buddhist text in the world. It's less than 250 words long and considered to present the essence of Mahayana Buddhism. However, its meaning – and its attracti...
15 Juni 201735min
18 - Zen Forms (Customs and Rituals) and Why They Matter
In traditional Zen practice, we have a lot of what we call "forms." Forms are the established ways we enact our practice with our bodies… including the ways we move in the meditation hall, sit in the ...
8 Juni 201723min
Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Part 3: First Sermons and Students, and the Early Sangha
In this first of two episodes about the Buddha's 45-year teaching career and the early Buddhist community, I'll talk about the Buddha's first sermons, the enlightenment of the first disciples, the fir...
1 Juni 201738min
