Katie Yosha Scott-Childress, Senior Lay Student - ZMM - 10/26/23 - The 59 Slogans of the Lojong mind training provide guidelines for practice and aspiration on the Buddhist path. Yosha explores how this specific slogan helps loosen up the tangled strands of our habitual, unskillful reactivity and patterns in our behavior, bringing in loving-kindness and compassionate activity.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 10/25/2023 - Shugen Roshi asks us to examine the negations we hear in the teachings, for instance in the precepts, amongst the 59 Atisha Slogans, in the Heart Sutra, etc. How we can we see them as helpful aspirations?

Bear Gokan Bonebakker, Senior Monastic and Dharma Holder - ZMM - 10/22/23 - From The Eight Awarenesses of the Enlightened Person. - Gokan reminds us, in the Buddha's words that: "If you practice meticulous effort, nothing will be difficult to accomplish."

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 10/22/2023 - What happens to the moon when its reflection vanishes? In the same vein, where do we go when we truly open up and let go? Becoming more aware that we and all things are without self, we'll experience the freedom to choose; to "hold it together" or "let things fall apart", in accord with our situation.

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 10/21/23 - During this Zazenkai talk it’s brought out that as we practice we see how much strength and training the mind needs so it doesn’t go off the rails. Zazen may be the most useful skill to develop in bringing the mind to the end of suffering, something no other skill can do. How fortunate we have Zazen and the path in our lives.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 10/15/23 - From Master Dogen's 300 Koan Shobogenzo (The True Dharma Eye), Case 34 - The World-Honored One's "Intimate Speech" - Is intimate speech just speech? Or is it more; our whole manifestation in this continuous moment?

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 10/15/2023 - How do we walk the path of peace in this life, especially in times of great conflict and violence? How do we practice intimacy with our tendency to create conflict in our actions, words, and thoughts? And how do we manifest (as Shantideva puts it) "May even acts of harm help the violent to awaken"?

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 10/08/23 - Where do we find stability and balance if not in the midst of the noise, thoughts, myriad events of the day? Where and when are the opportunities to pause and remember to practice? Shugen Roshi continues with his Lojong commentary, on slogan #16: "Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation", while illustrating with Dogen's True Dharma Eye koan "Baizhang's Wild Geese."

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 10/01/23 - Looking at the Lojong Slogans 11, 12 and 13, Shugen Roshi challenges us with questions about how we experience and practice these in our daily lives. How do we transform evil? What does transformation mean in the context of "the path of realizing the self as empty"? How can we drive all blame into one? What does it mean to do that? And how can we be, all the while, grateful to everyone?

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - ZMM - 9/30/23 - From the Lojong Slogans of Atisha # 14 & 15 - We normally view confusion as undesirable and it's easy to react to it in a negative way. What if we refrain from reacting and stay open, calm, connect with our faith in our practice and allow ourselves to look closely at the process?