Hardcore Zen

By hardcorezen

What's Hardcore Zen about?

Zen teacher/author Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen, Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen, Don't Be a Jerk, Sit Down and Shut Up, and many more books about Zen, shares his thoughts about Zen and other stuff.

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Hardcore Zen episodes:

04.12.2023
Ghosts and Enlightenment Experiences with Ben Goldman
In this episode I talk with my nephew Ben Goldman about ghosts and enlightenment experiences. We also get into Scooby Doo.
03.15.2023
Gods, Aliens, and Jabberjaw with Ben Goldman
My nephew Ben Goldman joins me for a wide-ranging discussion about gods and divinity in Buddhism, whether aliens could get enlightened, and how Jabberjaw is a rip-off of Scooby Doo.
03.11.2023
In The Light - Dogen’s Divine Light Part Five
The roaring finale of my series on Dogen's essay Komyo (aka Divine Light)! In which everything is explained.. or is it?
02.17.2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Four
More commentary on Dogen's essay Komyo (aka Divine Light or Brightness). Also why just hearing this podcast means you've encountered the Buddha himself!
02.03.2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Three
Another deep dive into Dogen's essay KOMYO (aka Divine Light). This time with Ziggy the dog barking at birds! Plus more insights about the nature of reality!
01.20.2023
In The Light- Dogen’s Divine Light Part Two
Episode Two of my commentary on Dogen's essay KOMYO (Brightness). In this episode I talk about Milk Medicine, the Gospel of John, how consciousness is like a move, and we hear Ziggy the dog bark!
01.14.2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part One (Re-Upload)
Dogen's essay KOMYO is one of his most mystical pieces of writing. This series will examine this fascinating essay in detail.
01.13.2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part One
Dogen's essay KOMYO variously translated as "Brightness," "Radiant Light," or "Divine Light" is one of his most mystical pieces of writing. In this episode I present my paraphrase of the essay in the style of my other Dogen paraphrases from...
08.12.2022
Women and Misogyny in Zen Buddhism
On a recent YouTube video I talked about misogyny in Buddhism and the pro-female ideas Dogen expressed in Shobogenzo. In this talk from March 16, 2016, I go into greater depth about both subjects in front of an audience at...
06.24.2022
Dogen’s ”Mind Alone is Buddha”
This is a talk I gave at the Rochester Zen Center on April 24, 2016 about Dogen and his essay "Mind Alone is Buddha." What the heck did he mean by that? Here's my attempt at answering that question.
06.14.2022
God is Closer Than Your Jugular Vein
Here's a conversation I had with Sufi sheik Ingo Taleb Rashid at Benediktushof Meditation Center in Germany on September 27, 2017. We talk about God and Star Trek and take questions from the audience.
05.16.2022
Preview of My NEW BOOK! The Other Side of Nothing
In this episode I read from the chapter "Who Walked My Dog" from my new book, The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being." It's a sneak preview of the book, which is available now,...
02.04.2022
The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self
This is a lecture I gave in Vienna in 2018 about Dogen's famous essay "The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self."
01.21.2022
The Grand Canyon and Enlightenment
Here's a talk I gave in Phoenix, Arizona in 2012 about the Grand Canyon and Enlightenment.
01.10.2022
Good Zazen vs. Bad Zazen
In this Q&A session from 2019 in Finland I talk about what it means to be a Zen teacher and then we get into the subject of "good zazen" vs. "bad zazen."
12.17.2021
No Self in a Bar in Texas
In 2016 I spoke in a bar in Texas about the concept of "No Self" as expressed in Dogen's most famous essay Genjo Koan (The Realized Universe). Here's the recording!
12.10.2021
The Heart Sutra and Hitler‘s Golden Elevator
Here's a talk I did in 2015 at Felsentor, a Zen monastery in Switzerland that was established by a dharma heir of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, my first Zen teacher's teacher. It's about the Heart Sutra but I also talk...
12.03.2021
Are We Wasting Our Time
In today's podcast I ask a group of Germans at a Zen retreat "Are we wasting our time doing this?" I also present a long quote from Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, one of the greatest contemporary Zen teachers.
11.26.2021
Did Dogen Believe in Reincarnation and Does It Matter If He Did?
Lots of people ask what Zen teaches about life after death. Here is my really long answer!
11.19.2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Six
The explosive conclusion of my series of commentaries on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas!
11.12.2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Five
What do Buddhists do when they have a "bad hair day"? Here is Zen Master Dogen's answer! Plus an explanation of the universe as it really is.
11.05.2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Four
Part Four (4! Count 'em!) of my commentary on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas. In this one I say some weird stuff about astrology and astronomy.
10.29.2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Three
Part Three of my translation and commentary on Dogen's essay Yui Butsu Yo Butsu, aka Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas.
10.22.2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Two
Part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas.
10.15.2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part One
My paraphrase of Dogen's essay "Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas" in the style of the Dogen paraphrases I did for my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Came From Beyond Zen.
10.08.2021
Buddhist Ordinations and Institutions
Here's a talk I gave in Lammi, Finland in 2019 on the subject of Buddhist ordination and Buddhist institutions.
10.01.2021
One Bright Pearl in Finland
Here's a talk I gave on September 3, 2021 in Lammi, Finland while on my recent European tour. The subject is a koan called One Bright Pearl as well as the teachings of Zen Master Huangpo, who is also known...
09.21.2021
Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Three
The thrilling conclusion of my three-part talk about Hyakujo's Fox at Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany in September, 2021. The Q&A gets a little funny in this one, but it's sort of interesting too.
09.18.2021
Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Two
Here is the second part of my series of lectures about the old Chinese Zen teaching story, Hyakujo's Fox. This talk took place in September, 2021 at the Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany.
09.15.2021
Hyakujo‘s fox Part One
Here is part one of a three part lecture I did at the Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany. I'm discussing Hyakujo's Fox, a very old Zen famous koan (teaching story). Parts two and three will follow shortly.
09.05.2021
Aliens, Socks, and Sweat in Finland
Here's a recording of a discussion I had on September 4, 2021 with the group at my recent retreat in Lammi, Finland. We talked about aliens, socks, and sweat — three vital topics in Zen Buddhism!
08.31.2021
Getting Rid ofWhat Does Not Originally Belong to Us
Nishijima Roshi said that zazen is getting rid of what doesn't originally belong to us. It's kind of an interesting to say.
08.23.2021
Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Three
Here is the final part of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Bussho (Buddha Nature). In this episode, Dogen says, "Grasses, trees, and even land are mind itself. Because they are mind, they are living beings and they have...
08.20.2021
Hacking Enlightenment?
Years ago I made a joke commercial about a machine called The Enlightenizer that gets you enlightened in minutes. Now someone has created the Enlightenizer for real!
08.16.2021
Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Two
At last! Here is part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay "Bussho" or "Buddha Nature." The commentary is far more extensive this time so the episode is twice as long as part one! Dogen discusses the deep...
08.13.2021
Dream (for Franz)
The second episode of my series about Buddha Nature isn't ready yet. So I'm putting up the audio from the video tribute I made for my friend Franz Kummer in Germany who passed away a few weeks ago. He was...
08.11.2021
Buddha Nature A Brief Synopsis
I'll be back soon with more of my in-depth analysis of Dogen's essay about Buddha Nature. But here's the audio of a brief video I did on the subject. It may serve as a good introduction to the subject.
08.09.2021
Dogen on Buddha Nature Part One
This is part one of my podcast about Dogen's essay Bussho or "Buddha Nature" from Shobogenzo. I paraphrased the essay in the style of my Dogen paraphrases from my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Came From Beyond Zen,...
08.06.2021
When Buddhism Goes Bad
Sometimes scary things happen during meditation. Sometimes it can be really, really scary. Let's talk about that.
08.04.2021
An Experience of Enlightenment
My reaction to a story about an enlightenment experience.
08.02.2021
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
It's one of the most popular Buddhist books in the world, but up until a few months ago I had never read it. Now I have. Here are my thoughts about the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
07.30.2021
Some of My Favorite Zen Books
If you always wondered what my favorite Zen books are, well, here are some of them!
07.28.2021
Polishing a Tile to Make a Mirror
Zazen is supposed to be a practice without a goal. What does that mean?
07.26.2021
The King of Samadhis
Dogen describes zazen as the King of Samadhis. What the heck does that even mean?
03.25.2020
Zentertainment with Rylend Grant
This episode was recorded in the pre-pandemic days. But I think we all need a break from that stuff, so here it is. In this episode, I talked to my friend Rylend Grant, a professional Hollywood screenwriter and member of...
02.12.2020
The Meaning of Life
In this episode's letter to my dead friend Marky, I try to address the idea of the "meaning of life." You always hear that phrase, "the meaning of life." But what the heck does it mean? What does it mean...
01.16.2020
Zen and the Paranormal
This episode was recorded at Mystic Journeys Bookstore in Venice, California. I love Mystic Journeys Bookstore! But it's not exactly a Zen space. They sell healing crystals, offer psychic readings, and sell books about all sorts of new age topics....
12.16.2019
Time is Weird
In this episode's letter, I wrote to my dead friend Marky about some of the weirder claims Zen Buddhists sometimes make -- like their occasional claims of experiencing oneness with everything. If some Zen guy has an experience of oneness...
11.23.2019
The Heart Sutra in the Heartland
I didn't include a letter to Marky about the Heart Sutra in Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen because I had written a chapter about it in my first book, Hardcore Zen. But the Heart Sutra is probably the...
11.12.2019
"Zen Beginnings"
Recorded October 12, 2019 in Akron, Ohio. In this episode I write to Marky about how I got started in Zen. This talk was delivered before a group that included a number of people who knew the real people upon...

What's Hardcore Zen about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Hardcore Zen episodes:

Ghosts and Enlightenment Experiences with Ben Goldman

Gods, Aliens, and Jabberjaw with Ben Goldman

In The Light - Dogen’s Divine Light Part Five

In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Four

In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Three

In The Light- Dogen’s Divine Light Part Two

In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part One (Re-Upload)

In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part One

Women and Misogyny in Zen Buddhism

Dogen’s ”Mind Alone is Buddha”

God is Closer Than Your Jugular Vein

Preview of My NEW BOOK! The Other Side of Nothing

The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self

The Grand Canyon and Enlightenment

Good Zazen vs. Bad Zazen

No Self in a Bar in Texas

The Heart Sutra and Hitler‘s Golden Elevator

Are We Wasting Our Time

Did Dogen Believe in Reincarnation and Does It Matter If He Did?

Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Six

Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Five

Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Four

Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Three

Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Two

Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part One

Buddhist Ordinations and Institutions

One Bright Pearl in Finland

Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Three

Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Two

Hyakujo‘s fox Part One

Aliens, Socks, and Sweat in Finland

Getting Rid ofWhat Does Not Originally Belong to Us

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Three

Hacking Enlightenment?

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Two

Dream (for Franz)

Buddha Nature A Brief Synopsis

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part One

When Buddhism Goes Bad

An Experience of Enlightenment

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Some of My Favorite Zen Books

Polishing a Tile to Make a Mirror

The King of Samadhis

Zentertainment with Rylend Grant

The Meaning of Life

Zen and the Paranormal

Time is Weird

The Heart Sutra in the Heartland

"Zen Beginnings"