It’s been a surreal week. We must recognize that we are in a fundamentally altered reality. It’s quite disorienting, so perhaps we can come together and begin to explore how to navigate it. Peg offers this Dharma talk: “What are we seeking?” It’s an important inquiry, so we hope you will join us!

Photo by Ben Syverson

Chicago, July 16, 2026

Case 37,

A monk asked Jōshū,

“What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming to China?”

Jōshū replied,

“The oak tree in the garden.”

Case 5, titled “Kyōgen’s Man Up a Tree.”

Kyōgen said:

“It’s like a man up a tree, hanging from a branch by his mouth.

His hands can’t grasp a bough, his feet can’t touch the trunk.

Another man comes and asks from below,

‘What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?’

If he doesn’t answer, he evades his duty.

If he answers, he falls and dies.

What must he do?”

2026-07-13 | Depth In Practice | The Sutra of Hui-neng Grand Master of Zen by Appamada

The Buddhist Precepts are not a checklist. They are a practice — a genuine looking at the ways we speak, take, react, and cause harm without quite meaning to. For the past year, a group of students has been sitting with these teachings and letting them ask hard questions. Come be part of the ceremony that honors their practice.

Yunyan was sweeping the ground.

Daowu said, “Too busy.”

Yunyan replied, “You should know there is one who is not busy.”

Daowu answered, “If so, then there is a second moon.”

Yunyan lifted what he was holding and asked, “Which moon is this?”

2026-07-06 | Depth In Practice | The Sutra of Hui-neng Grand Master of Zen by Appamada

Joel shares reflections on Pema Chodran’s book “How We Live is How We Die” and Tibetan Buddhists’ work to live life to prepare for the transition from life to death. Joel also reads from Stephen Levine’s book “A Year to Live.” We hear a reading from the chapter titled “Fear of Fear." Joel leads us in Levine’s “soft belly meditation.”

2026-06-30 I Inquiry I No bridge needed? I Joel Barna by Appamada

2026-06-29 | Depth In Practice | The Sutra of Hui-neng Grand Master of Zen by Appamada

What might it look like to live a life energized by something other than preference? Recently, while getting feedback on a decision the teachers were considering, Nate was challenged by a council member to consider if a life outside of preference is even possible. Nate thinks it is, though it’s not easy to come by. In this talk, we explore possibilities together.

The text of the Hsin Hsin Ming can be found in the Appamada chant book at https://appamada.org/study.