A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks

When we practice mindfulness of what we're experiencing here and now, we can be at peace and free of worry. But we can go much deeper than that. Buddha taught that we can see through our greedy, self-centered delusions and clearly comprehend the truth of our lives.

Each new year, Americans resolve to work harder and be more austere, for no reason. Let's stop torturing ourselves.

The old stories all have the same punchline: the monk was suddenly enlightened. What really happens when we have an experience of insight?

Transcript: https://emptysqua.re/blog/the-day-yunmen-broke-his-foot/

If we treat the Zen precepts as a set of rules to obey, that's just conformity. Let's use them instead as a tool for busting the hierarchy!

Transcript: https://emptysqua.re/blog/rules-for-hyenas/

What if you knew you had 30 minutes to live? Would you want to be awakened?

In the Blue Cliff Record, Case 32, a monk named Jo asks Master Rinzai, "What is the essence of Buddhism?" In response, Rinzai grabs the monk and slaps him. Why?

In this talk I explain what all this hitting and slapping is about in Zen. There's a lesson in this story, about sustaining our own meditation practice over the long haul.

A monk asked Unmon, "What is Buddha?" Unmon replied, "A dry shit stick." Why? Where is Buddha in this regular, shitty, unsatisfactory experience? I've heard a thousand times that ordinary mind is Buddha. Here, I try to explain how to actually practice this truth.

Running a half marathon, serving a prison term, practicing Zen for a lifetime: I'm trying to learn how people make friends with time, and how to appreciate each moment within an eon.