“We have to release the clamp of our own jaw around our suffering. The uniqueness that we want to hold on to is usually not our actual uniqueness. We get into a habit of holding on to some gunky old stuff that I call ‘me’. We maintain this strange altar of our own suffering and […]

Running On the Edge of a Sword | Koshin Paley Ellison

Listen to dharma talks from the teachers and guest teachers of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Buddhist teachings are woven into topics such as contemplative care, engaged Buddhism, social change, meditation and stillness, dealing with addiction, being with suffering, and the arts and challenges of care for the self and others.

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“Non-doing allows us to cultivate compassionate presence.”         Doing nothing is not about inaction. In this dharma talk, Chodo Sensei invites us to set down our preoccupation with doing – excessive striving, frenetic working – and consider the generative possibilities of non-doing. Can we practice full presence, broad awareness, and deep compassion? […]

The Art of Non-Doing | Chodo Campbell

“The way of belonging is doing.”         On the occasion of Hana Matsuri, a ceremony to celebrate the Buddha’s birth, Koshin Sensei invites us to set down our demand for things to be a certain way, for things to be perfect, and to fully enter the world in all its messy beauty. […]

The Magic of Entering the World | Koshin Paley Ellison

“How do you practice not wasting time?”   Stories have impact. Our thoughts and beliefs can take over our minds and actually take us out of relationship. Koshin Sensei reminds us, “We waste a lot of time indulging our thoughts.”   In this recent dharma talk, Koshin draws on the myths and narrative resonances of […]

Non-thinking: The Art of Seated Meditation | Koshin Paley Ellison

“It is a form of generosity, how we show up.”         What do we do with the stories we often tell ourselves about ourselves? Many of us worry, ‘Am I good?’ or think, ‘I am no good’. Many of us feel, ‘No one sees me,’ or are sure that ‘Everyone is judging […]

Engaged and Playful | Koshin Paley Ellison

“How do your opinions and preferences take you out of relationship and a life of practice?”     Honoring the Buddha’s death, Nehan-e observance is an opportunity to pay closer attention to your life, to show up and step forward. How will you life your life without regret?       In this dharma talk, […]

Running On the Edge of a Sword | Koshin Paley Ellison

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