Mountain Cloud Zen Podcasts

By Henry Shukman: Associate Master Sanbo Zen

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Santa Fe, NM

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Dharmatalk: Diamond Sutra a...

03.17.2023

“Abiding no-where mind comes forth.” Maria Habito returns to Mountain Cloud’s zoom zendo and talks about the Diamond Sutra. When we enter deep silence, the diamond cuts through every notion

Mountain Cloud Zen Podcasts episodes:

03.17.2023 Dharmatalk: Diamond Sutra and Living Beings with Maria Habito “Abiding no-where mind comes forth.” Maria Habito returns to Mountain Cloud’s zoom zendo and talks about the Diamond Sutra. When we enter deep silence, the diamond cuts through every notion
03.07.2023 Rohatsu 2022: Day 6, Vibes, Awakening and What then? with Henry Shukman For this final Rohatsu talk, Henry looks at three questions. What are we doing here, just sitting with each other? What is awakening? and What then? We are living “it”
02.28.2023 Rohatsu 2022: Day 5, Cannot Get Wet, Cannot Get Dry with Valerie Forstman In this talk from day 5 of the Rohatsu sesshin, Valerie picks up on the previous day’s talk by Henry where he presents the title and first line of the
02.07.2023 Rohatsu 2022: Day 4, Prajnaparamitra, The Heart Sutra with Henry Shukman What is this practice? Why do it? Essentially, it’s all about slowing down and things falling away. Our very existence, our being gets simpler. Henry looks at the title and
01.17.2023 Rohatsu 2022: Day 3, All-Inclusive Awakening with Valerie Forstman In celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s awakening, Valerie takes up the Head Chapter of the Denkoroku or Transmission of Light. “I and the great earth and all beings simultaneously attain the
01.12.2023 Rohatsu 2022: Day 2, What Matters Most with Henry Shukman Henry asks the question, matters most? When you reflect on this question, have any open mind, beyond ordinary or day to day concerns. He asks, what is this experience and
01.03.2023 Rohatsu 2022: Day 1, Light Sitting in Light with Valerie Forstman In this talk from the first day of the Rohatsu sesshin, 2022, Valerie offers a tribute to Sr. Elaine MacInnes, Roshi, who died a week ago and whose celebration of
12.13.2022 Dharmatalk: Zen Jhanas with Stephen Snyder Guest speaker Stephen Snyder of the Jhana tradition visits Mountain Cloud and offers a teisho on the Buddha’s first and last practice. Jhana practice predates the Buddha by at least
12.08.2022 Dharmatalk: Life is Not Suffering with Rick Hanson It is said that the Buddha teaches only suffering and its end, but what is suffering? Guest speaker Rick Hanson attempts to define this suffering, challenging that suffering is only
11.29.2022 Dharmatalk: Towards Healing with Peggy Sheehan “We don’t study koans, we use koans to investigate our life.” ~ Maezumi Roshi Guest teacher Peggy Sheehan from Zen Center Denver says that koans have been a life long
11.15.2022 Dharmatalk: Complete Exposure of the Golden Wind with Matt Sweger On this first day of Fall, Teshin takes up case 27 of the Blue Cliff Record, Unmon’s Complete Exposure. The Case reads as follows: A monk asked Unmon, “What is
11.08.2022 Dharmatalk: Each is All, All is One with Valerie Forstman Upon being welcomed home from Germany, Valerie describes briefly what it’s like being thrown immediately into the chaotic activity of moving from her home in Dallas to Santa Fe: “Constant
11.01.2022 Dharmatalk: Coming Home, I am Already That with Valerie Forstman In this talk – an offering of gratitude for the life of a beloved sangha member, Valerie turns to Case 41 in the Transmission of Light or Denkoroko. A monk
10.25.2022 Dharmatalk: The World Honored One, Just Sat Still with Scott Thornton Scott explores Case 32 from the Gateless Gate, A non-buddhist questions the Buddha. The non-buddhist says, in all earnestness to the Buddha: I do not ask about words, I do
10.18.2022 Dharmatalk: Endless Depth of Field with Valerie Forstman In this talk from our Thursday night series, Valerie takes up Case 26 of the Gateless Gate, Hogen’s “Two Monks Roll Up the Blinds.” The setting is in Master Hogen’s
10.11.2022 Dharmatalk: An Offering to the World with Shana Smith “Your sitting is not for the world, it is the world.” How can our practice be an offering to the world? asks meditation teacher Shana Smith. The question arose from
10.04.2022 Dharmatalk: Valerie Forstman on The Two-Fold Truth: Genjokoan “Showing their backs then their fronts – falling maple leafs.” ~ Ryokan “Resolving the matter of Life and death is of prime importance.” To explore this phrase which is recited
09.27.2022 Dharmatalk: Henry Shukman on Presence “Your consciousness does not exist separately from what it contains” Henry explores presence from several different angles, including Internal Family Systems (IFS). The word presence includes some of what mindfulness
09.19.2022 Dharmatalk: Within Practice We Meet Ourselves Guest Speaker Karin Kempe of the Zen Center of Denver joins our Thursday Night Sit to offer a talk on Dogen’s statement, “Practice is Enlightenment, Enlightenment is Practice.” While this
09.13.2022 Dharmatalk: Infinitely Open, Endlessly Bright with Valerie Forstman Valerie takes up case 29 of the Denkoroku, the record of the ‘transmission of light’ from Bodhidharma to Eka or Huike, as a way to explore the boundless clarity that
09.06.2022 Introduction to Meditation Weekend, Talk Two: All “Love sitting in Zazen, as if putting out a fire on top of your head” ~ Dogen Valerie Forstman gives the second talk during the April Intro to Meditation weekend.
08.30.2022 Introduction to Meditation Weekend: Q&A 1 with Valerie Forstman Description: This is Question & Answer session 1 from the Introduction to Meditation Virtual Weekend. Valerie Forstman is the speaker and teacher for this session. And, here’s a link to
08.23.2022 Introduction to Meditation Weekend, Talk One: What is the Shout? Listen to this talk by Valerie Forstman from the April 2021 Introduction to Meditation Weekend Retreat. A talk at a Zen retreat is traditionally called a teisho which means, Presentation
08.16.2022 Introductory Day of Zen: Beginner’s Mind with Valerie Forstman Valerie examines beginner’s mind and explores the question”what is Zen?” during our March 2021 one-day Introduction to Meditation retreat. Suzuki Roshi – a Japanese Zen master who brought Zen teaching
08.09.2022 Dharmatalk: Compassion and Curiosity, Part 1, Valerie Forstman “Zen is awakening to the dynamic reality of the present moment…..Zen is finding love in all things at all times. ” ~ Ruben Habito Valerie explores Zen practice from the
08.02.2022 Dharmatalk: Case 20 from the Book of Equanimity with Valerie Forstman “… Zazen has been described as silently not influencing anything …” Koans can provide helpful perspectives for dealing with the uncertainty of current world events. In this talk, Valerie Forstman
07.26.2022 Dharmatalk: Reflection on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi with Will Brennan Description: Senior Student Will Brennan gives a dharma talk, offering reflections on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi, Recommending Zazen to all people. Will has recently been appointed as a Sanbo Zen Assistant Teacher and
07.19.2022 Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Love (Part 6 of 6) “Anyone who wants to gain enlightenment, do not enter.” Description: Valerie turns to Love, which knows nothing of rank and order. She looks at a koan from Keizan’s Transmission of Light
07.12.2022 Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: The Invitation (Part 5 of 6) “Who would waste the spark from a flint stone?” – Dogen Description: Anything could be that spark. Ryoun Roshi says “koans are a message from the oneness world.” They offer
07.05.2022 Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Zen’s Origin Story Q&A (Part 4 of 6) Description: This is the Question & Answer companion to Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Zen’s Origin Story, Part 3. Valerie Forstman is the speaker and teacher for this session. And,
06.28.2022 Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Zen’s Origin Story (Part 3 of 6) Description: Valerie explores Zen’s origin story about the flower, a smile and universal space, case six from the Gateless Gate. And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this
06.21.2022 Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Stop & See Q&A (Part 2 of 6) To be able to hear the dharma is truly rare. To do so we must: Stop and see, sit still and let go. Description: This is the Question & Answer
06.14.2022 Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Stop & See (Part 1 of 6) Empty, new and utterly fleeting, arriving now but already done. Description: In this first Teisho from the Encounter of the Heart Retreat, January 2021, Valerie Forstman reminds us that this
06.07.2022 Dharmatalk: Nansen Kills the Cat “… Does Nansen really kill the cat? …” Description: Maria Reis Habito gives a teisho on Case 14 from the Gateless Gate, Nansen Kills the Cat. And, here’s a link
05.31.2022 Dharmatalk: Meet your Life Description: Natalie Goldberg gives an inspiring talk about Zen in action. She describes some of her background experiences in both Zen and writing and how they interact and nourish each
05.24.2022 Dharmatalk: Dosho Port speaks about his new book The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans Description: Dosho Port teaches with the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training and at the Nebraska Zen Center in Omaha, and he has been practicing Zen since 1977.
05.17.2022 Dharmatalk: Empty Hands “We are always looking for the lack, like Eka (Huike) searching for his mind – this lack is so convincing and so untrue. It blinds us to who we really
05.10.2022 Dharmatalk: Reflection on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi Description: Newly appointed assistant Sanbo Zen teacher Will Brennan offers reflections on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi, (Recommending Zazen for all People) about how to practice, why practice, a beginner’s primer and much more.
05.03.2022 Dharmatalk: Three Simple Lines Description: Natalie speaks about her new book Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku. The final section includes a short exchange with Sanbo Zen
04.26.2022 Dharmatalk: Introduction to Meditation Retreat: Abundant Advantage (Part 2 of 2) “May each and everybody whether staying still or standing up have ten thousand blessings….Today I have advantage after advantage, now, please practice.” ~ Dogen Description: Valerie explores the dharma hall discourse
04.19.2022 Dharmatalk: Introduction to Meditation Retreat: Invitation to Trust (Part 1 of 2) “When you sit, the whole world is sitting… We really don’t have to do anything, just show up”. Description: The invitation of Zen practice is to sit with the world,
04.12.2022 Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: Bright Light (Part 4 of 4) Description: Valerie and Henry explore Unmon’s Bright Light, Case 84 from the Blue Cliff Record in this final talk from our 2020 winter solstice retreat. Valerie opens with the Great
04.05.2022 Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: Beginner’s Mind (Part 3 of 4) “… The knot of self has become untied …” Description: Henry returns to the basics of practice in this third talk from the 2022 winter solstice retreat picking up on
03.29.2022 Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: The Origin Point (Part 2 of 4) “… the awakening of Shakyamuni Buddha and the simultaneous awakening of all existence, past, present and future …” Description: To explore the origin point of practice in this second talk
03.22.2022 Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: It’s All Empty (Part 1 of 4) “… This moment – just as it is – is our reality. …” Description: Henry describes how meditation practice exclusively focused on awakening (kensho) can bypass the enormous gains practice
03.15.2022 Dharmatalk: Moving Toward the Winter Light Description: Valerie Forstman explores the silence when Vimalakirti is asked, what is the bodhisattva entering the dharma-gate of non-duality (or the gate of not two)? Vimalakirti opens a portal to
03.08.2022 Dharmatalk: The Context of Practice Description: Henry reminds us that training is our own work, effort, commitment and investment of time and energy. Yet the context of practice pulls us outside of ourselves, out of
03.01.2022 Dharmatalk: The Unadjusted Step The unadjusted step is a way of naming this moment. Valerie Forstman Description: Valerie Forstman offers this post-election talk and acknowledges our deeply divided nation. She introduces the taoist
02.22.2022 Dharmatalk: Samadhi, Unification “… samadhi … bringing together or unification …” Description: Our Sanbo Zen lineage has traditionally focused on kensho (sudden awakening) experiences which offer a complete, though often brief, shift in
02.15.2022 Dharmatalk: Fierce Compassion “… This very moment is awakening ...” Description: Valerie Forstman’s dharma talk probes Case 23 from the Blue Cliff Record, Hofuku and Chokei on an Outing. Hofuku says “This very moment

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Mountain Cloud Zen Podcasts

What's Mountain Cloud Zen Podcasts about?

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Mountain Cloud Zen Podcasts episodes:

Dharmatalk: Diamond Sutra and Living Beings with Maria Habito

Rohatsu 2022: Day 6, Vibes, Awakening and What then? with Henry Shukman

Rohatsu 2022: Day 5, Cannot Get Wet, Cannot Get Dry with Valerie Forstman

Rohatsu 2022: Day 4, Prajnaparamitra, The Heart Sutra with Henry Shukman

Rohatsu 2022: Day 3, All-Inclusive Awakening with Valerie Forstman

Rohatsu 2022: Day 2, What Matters Most with Henry Shukman

Rohatsu 2022: Day 1, Light Sitting in Light with Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: Zen Jhanas with Stephen Snyder

Dharmatalk: Life is Not Suffering with Rick Hanson

Dharmatalk: Towards Healing with Peggy Sheehan

Dharmatalk: Complete Exposure of the Golden Wind with Matt Sweger

Dharmatalk: Each is All, All is One with Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: Coming Home, I am Already That with Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: The World Honored One, Just Sat Still with Scott Thornton

Dharmatalk: Endless Depth of Field with Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: An Offering to the World with Shana Smith

Dharmatalk: Valerie Forstman on The Two-Fold Truth: Genjokoan

Dharmatalk: Henry Shukman on Presence

Dharmatalk: Within Practice We Meet Ourselves

Dharmatalk: Infinitely Open, Endlessly Bright with Valerie Forstman

Introduction to Meditation Weekend, Talk Two: All

Introduction to Meditation Weekend: Q&A 1 with Valerie Forstman

Introduction to Meditation Weekend, Talk One: What is the Shout?

Introductory Day of Zen: Beginner’s Mind with Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: Compassion and Curiosity, Part 1, Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: Case 20 from the Book of Equanimity with Valerie Forstman

Dharmatalk: Reflection on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi with Will Brennan

Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Love (Part 6 of 6)

Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: The Invitation (Part 5 of 6)

Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Zen’s Origin Story Q&A (Part 4 of 6)

Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Zen’s Origin Story (Part 3 of 6)

Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Stop & See Q&A (Part 2 of 6)

Dharmatalk: Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Stop & See (Part 1 of 6)

Dharmatalk: Nansen Kills the Cat

Dharmatalk: Meet your Life

Dharmatalk: Dosho Port speaks about his new book The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans

Dharmatalk: Empty Hands

Dharmatalk: Reflection on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi

Dharmatalk: Three Simple Lines

Dharmatalk: Introduction to Meditation Retreat: Abundant Advantage (Part 2 of 2)

Dharmatalk: Introduction to Meditation Retreat: Invitation to Trust (Part 1 of 2)

Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: Bright Light (Part 4 of 4)

Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: Beginner’s Mind (Part 3 of 4)

Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: The Origin Point (Part 2 of 4)

Dharmatalk: Winter Solstice Retreat: It’s All Empty (Part 1 of 4)

Dharmatalk: Moving Toward the Winter Light

Dharmatalk: The Context of Practice

Dharmatalk: The Unadjusted Step

Dharmatalk: Samadhi, Unification

Dharmatalk: Fierce Compassion