Unpack the gift Description: Beginning with a discussion of concentration practice, this talk focuses on the famous koan “The Sound of One Hand” and its origins. Just as we sit, Hakuin took these words from Setcho into his body: “The single hand doesn’t sound without reason.” This process is life-changing, allowing a radical change in […]

We are giving ourselves to this moment  Description: This talk is about general points of practice with a focus on five areas: relaxing the body; general mindfulness; concentration (samadhi); awakening; returning to the world—to help. The common denominator to all of these elements is Love. In beautiful excerpts from Bruce Springsteen’s memoir, we can catch […]

Description: This talk recounts a recent teacher’s retreat in Germany with the Abbot of Sanbo Zen, Yamada Ryoun Roshi. It begins with the story of Father Lassalle, a Jesuit priest and Zen teacher who built the zendo in Germany where the retreat took place. Practice does not end; there is no I’ve-got-this moment. Or we might […]

The world is nothing but metamorphosis and life is nothing but an opinion. ~Marcus Aurelius Everybody’s got a hungry heart. ~Bruce Springsteen  Description: In The Gateless Gate, the last line of this koan reads, “The monk attained some realization.” What did the monk realize? Why is this seemingly ordinary dialogue between the great master Jôshô […]

“We become the empty bowl that can receive the water.” Description: Case 88, taken from a sutra, is an unusual koan. It diverges from the narrative form that typically demonstrates how Zen is continuously pointing to the ordinary moments of life. This expansive talk explores the Ryôgon Sutra and poses three key questions about “seeing”: […]