This talk explores right intention, or right thought, as the second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path and emphasizes that the path is an interconnected, circular practice rather than a linear progression. Drawing on Buddhist teachings, it examines how right view gives rise to intentions of renunciation, goodwill, and non-harming, and how meditation helps us recognize and cultivate thoughts that support beneficial action.

Historically it is said that after his elightenment experience, The Buddha's first discourse was defined as the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. He offered the first teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path to five fellow seekers, who at first denied him an audience...but after noticing something different in him, sat and listened. They became the first Sangha; the community. These Truths are the very essence and core of the Buddhadharma which asks us to return to them time and time again, taking refuge in the lived experience of what they offer: a way to perceive and participate in the great reality. So, understanding and practice leads to wisdom, and wisdom leads to actualization...to make it real.

Sensei Emyo considers environmental responsibility from a Buddhist perspective, emphasizing interdependence and our intimate relationship with the natural world. Earth care is not limited to a single observance; it becomes an everyday practice expressed through awareness, gratitude, and responsible choices.

Donen explores the Zen admonition to "kill the Buddha" as an invitation to release attachments to fixed ideas, beliefs, and even cherished images of Buddhism itself. Practice asks us to see through the mind's illusions and meet reality directly rather than clinging to concepts about awakening.

Genjo uses the familiar imagery of angels, devils, heaven, and hell to examine the dualistic judgments through which we divide experience into good and bad, pointing instead toward the innate wisdom and Buddha nature underlying those distinctions.

Donen reflects on enlightenment not as a perfected state free from suffering or emotion, but as an unfolding realization of our inherent Buddha nature and an increasingly embodied wisdom for meeting suffering as it arises.

Sensei Emyo explores how liturgy, ritual, prayer, and a home altar can extend Zen beyond formal meditation, transforming ordinary activities and spaces into opportunities for sacred practice.

This teaching introduces Right View as the foundation of the Noble Eightfold Path, emphasizing that spiritual practice requires examining the assumptions, conditioning, and attachments through which we interpret our lives. Through meditation and self-inquiry, we can learn to see more clearly, respond skillfully to changing circumstances, and choose actions that lessen suffering and foster greater peace, compassion, and connection.