The OzZen Podcast

We often view life as a problem to be solved – we are either living a successful life, a good life, or we feel we are a failure at living. We might try one self-improvement project after another, and they can work for a certain period of time. But in the end, we cannot escape the inevitable – impermanence and interdependence. Impermanence and interdependence are experienced often as suffering – and when we resist impermanence and interdependence, we add another layer of suffering from our attempt to separate out from the fact that we are embedded in life and relationships with other human beings that ultimately, we cannot control. The alternative to viewing life as a problem is to view life as a koan to be lived to the full.

In this guided meditation we explore the distinction between awareness and mindfulness – with awareness being described as effortless presence and mindfulness being described as remembering to be aware of a particular object or to be aware of awareness itself (objectless meditation).

In this dharma talk OzZEN Facilitator Phil Genkai explores consciousness through the lens of the Buddhist teaching of the five aggregates of no-self and through the lens of contemporary scientific theories. The talk concludes with a discussion about the practical implications of these teachings.

In this guided meditation Sono recites Torei Zenji’s Bodhisattvas’ Vow to open the heart to practice loving kindness towards those who have hurt us or done us harm.

Make room for space.

Todays guided meditation is about making space in our life for life.

We all know what a cluttered house feels like. Stressful, busy. noisy. Everything seems to be calling for our attention.

Have you too much stuff in your inner world?

Is your life too busy?

It’s not about what you feel cluttered by, it’s about what you value deeply and what serves a useful purpose.

What brings you joy?

In this guided meditation by OzZEN Facilitator Phil Genkai, we are introduced to the metaphor of “cooking” to describe the process of just sitting in zazen. The meditation is based upon the text by Master Dogen, translated as How to Cook your Life, with a commentary by Kosho Uchiyama. Genkai invites us into this process of cooking our lives with minimal instructions, leaving plenty of silence to cook and transform the ingredients we bring to our sitting practice.

The Place of Sangha in Post-Monastic Zen Practice, by Andrew Sono Tootell by

In this dharma talk Kodo gives a very accessible summary of Zen Master Dogen’s "Bendowa" ("On the Endeavor of the Way"). The Bendowa is a seminal essay that articulates the heart of Soto Zen practice as brought from China to Japan in the early 13th century. In this work, Dogen emphasizes the supreme importance of zazen, or seated meditation, asserting it as the very embodiment of enlightenment rather than a means to an end. Through a question-and-answer format, Dogen addresses doubts and misconceptions about the practice, clarifying that all beings inherently possess Buddha-nature and that enlightenment is not something to be attained in the future, but realized here and now through wholehearted practice. He challenges the view that meditation is only for the elite or monks, insisting that the genuine endeavor of the Way is accessible to everyone, regardless of status or learning. Dogen also discusses the direct transmission of the Dharma from Shakyamuni Buddha through the generations, affirming that authentic practice and realization are inseparable. Ultimately, "Bendowa" urges the practitioner to let go of dualistic thinking and to trust in the subtle, transformative power of simply sitting, as this is the gateway to true understanding and liberation.

In this talk I discuss the principle of the middle way. In particular, the middle way between self and no-self and the middle way through the absolute and the relative. After establishing that our self, just as it is, is already Buddha nature, I discuss how difficult it can be to recognise this. The talk reflects on the preciousness of our impermanent and interdependent, self which arises in relation to other selves. It focuses on the importance of cultivating a healthy self and healthy relationships, on the basis of safety, trust, recognition, reliability and the willingness to mend that which can be mended.

See part one here: https://soundcloud.com/ordinary-mind-zen/our-core-practices-part-one-by-sono

In this guided meditation Shinsho takes us through the various steps of labelling thoughts and emotions and mental states with kindness, patience and curiosity leading to an great sense of freedom from reactive states of mind.