Rev. Myo departs from the usual format of a dharma talk and elicits questions from the Sangha about practice.

Rev. Myo explains the difference between contrived and spontaneous joy, and describes how practice sensitizes us to the natural current of joy that runs through all of experience.

How the dharma flows between teacher and student. What is a teacher/student relationship? How does  it manifest?

Rev. Cynthia Kear explains in personal terms the meaning and experience of the Three Refuges and their vital importance on the path of practice.

Rev. Myo Lahey recommends not to get caught up in thinking too much about one’s own practice, and instead to seek refuge in the three treasures.

Ayya Anandabodhi speaks about right intention.

Rev. Myo Lahey talks about the issues that came up at two Soto Zen conferences he attended in Oregon and discusses the current state of Zen in the West, comparing it to the transmission of Zen from China to Japan and how Zen has developed in Japan in modern times.

Rev. Jordan Thorn describes what happens when one sits zazen and how to deal with the challenges that arise from doing so. There is an unexpected opportunity for interfaith dialogue partway through as a Christian minister attempts to interrupt the talk to speak out against “false doctrines.”

Rev. David Zimmerman reads from the book And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran, a blind French resistance fighter during World War II, and relates his description of interacting with the world without sight to Buddhist teachings of interdependence, mindful awareness, and compassion.

City Center Director Rev. Tova Green talks about her history engaging in causes for peace and social justice and explains the relationship of inner peace to world peace. She then discusses the current undertaking of the San Francisco Zen Center to foster greater diversity in the sangha and increase awareness of the effects of white privilege.