To live in a time and place where we can actively seek and find the Buddhist teachings is remarkable. If you’re wondering how this might unfold in your life in a way that leads to the liberation of all beings, look to the Buddha’s path. This talk draws on the life of Shakyamuni Buddha and more.

In the midst of what can be an awesome fear, and grief, the teachings on

death and dying can also be a source of great power, wonder, and love.

Zuisei shares just how the practice of love is the heart, the path, and the

realization of the Buddhist teachings.

We say this often, Be present. But what does it really mean to be present? How can we be present to the teachings offered to us in every moment or even just this very moment?

Zuisei guides us through the Dutiyakālasutta, a Buddhist teaching from the Pali Canon that, through four steps, shows how, with care, patience, and faith in ourselves, we can simply and actively pay attention, allowing our life to be as full, rich, and purposeful as it is.

This talk draws on the koan from the True Dharma Eye, Case 111, Fayan’s Eye of the Way, the Dutiyakālasutta and the work of author Ursula K. Le Guin and poet Hillary-Anne Farley.

There’s a slow and quiet changing of a mind, even when we think nothing is happening. We can just begin or continue our steady effort to get close to all of it—the joy and the mess—as it is. It’s a simple instruction, but maybe the most difficult to put into practice.

So what can you do when the mind gets in the way of getting close and your thoughts become obstacles? SWITCH. In this talk Zuisei discusses SWITCH, a helpful way to understand and to remember the Buddha’s teachings on how to work with the mind skillfully and directly at these times.

This talk draws on the poetry of Ada Limón, the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, and more.

Not only did the Buddha teach that we need good friends along the spiritual path, the heart of Buddhist practice gives us the tools and concrete guidance on how to be that resource for others. This talk draws on teachings from Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism, including a couple of the Pali Canon’s sutras, as well as the "Prajnaparamita in 8,000 lines."

The Ocean Mind Sangha’s first Jukai ceremony - listen to and join in as

Brian Pontolilo formally commits to a life guided by the ethical teachings

of Buddhism with his teacher Zuisei, and the sangha.

There is a real medicine for loneliness. Reaching in all the ways we do to assuage it only touches its surface. How can we truly root out the hunger that keeps our phones in our hand and our gaze outward?

Zuisei teaches how the heart of Zen, a practice of being completely and intimately alone, is the most powerful way to face the heart of loneliness, and to shed the ignorance that sustains it.

Zen training can prepare us to move skillfully through times of apparent isolation and disconnection that we may encounter in our day to day. This talk is a deep dive into one aspect of training that addresses just this—koan study—in which the teacher presents a case and asks a question. Answering requires entering into and vowing to stay with the question and the world it entails, as ungraspable as it is. Being fully immersed, we see clearly. Disconnection is not an option.

Zuisei suggests that we stay with the questions, in our training and in our lives, with love and care. In fact, lovingly may be the only way to do this utterly. This talk focuses on Zen Master Dogen’s Case 114, Zhaozhou’s Dog (Does a dog have Buddha Nature?).

Could your next meal be a celebration of the sacred, no matter where or

with whom? This mondo on mindful eating dives into the many ways we relate

to food in light of Buddhist practice, from eating disorders and the art of

parenting, to dinner parties and dining alone.