In this quietly powerful talk, Jokai Blackwell reflects on how Zen practice invites us into a deeper intimacy with life — not by escaping discomfort, but by softening our resistance to it. He shares personal stories and teachings from Zen and early Buddhism that reveal how clinging to control or certainty only increases suffering.

Instead, Jokai encourages listeners to cultivate a practice of surrender: of returning, again and again, to the grounded experience of the body, breath, and present moment. This embodied awareness becomes a gateway to wholeness — not a fixed state, but a dynamic unfolding that includes everything, even the messy and uncertain.

He outlines several key teachings to support this shift toward presence:

• Wholeness is not perfection: It's the capacity to include and be with whatever arises.
• Grasping and aversion fragment our experience: They reinforce the illusion of separation.
• The body is a reliable refuge: Returning to bodily sensations helps us drop into direct experience.
• Letting go is active, not passive: It's a courageous practice of turning toward, not away.
• Practice is relational: Awakening unfolds in connection — with self, others, and life itself.

Jokai’s words are both spacious and grounded, inviting listeners into a felt sense of trust — not in outcomes, but in the wisdom of showing up fully to the life that’s already here.

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Jokai moved to Southern California from the UK in 2000 to study residentially at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center. During his formal training, Jokai completed the full Zen koan curriculum. In 2014, he received Dharma Transmission (authorization to teach) in the White Plum lineage of Zen Buddhism from Charles Tenshin Fletcher Roshi, and Inka (final approval) in 2022.

Jokai emphasizes the direct experience of awakening using contemporary language and time-honored methods. He is the Guiding Teacher for Long Beach Meditation, and serves as a member of Insight Community of the Desert's Guiding Council. After completing 20 years of residency at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, he now lives in Palm Desert with his family.

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CREDITS
Audio Production: George Hubbard
Producer: Tom Bruein
Music/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter