The Zen Studies Podcast

Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama experienced a spiritual awakening over 2,500 years ago in India, and became an "awakened one," or Buddha. Over the course of two episodes, I tell the story of the Buddha's life from birth to death, while carefully explaining the sources of information we have about his life - because that's an important part of the history, too!

Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama experienced a spiritual awakening over 2,500 years ago in India, and became an "awakened one," or Buddha. Over the course of two episodes, I tell the story of the Buddha's life from birth to death, while carefully explaining the sources of information we have about his life - because that's an important part of the history, too!

If you've spent any time in a Zen community, or reading Zen books, you will have encountered the term "practice" countless times. Buddhist teachers throughout the centuries have told us to "practice" diligently. Students of Zen are called "practitioners" and we talk to one another about our "practice." What Is "Zen Practice," anyway? In this episode I present three important meanings of "practice," and how you can define practice in a traditional sense (Zen teachings, methods, conventions, etc.) or an experiential sense (how you face your life right here, right now).

Buddhism began over 2,500 years ago with the spiritual enlightenment of a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who became the "Buddha," or "awakened one." What exactly did the Buddha realize upon his enlightenment?

Zen Buddhism is a non-theistic religious tradition. However, it's not entirely correct to say that there is no God in Zen. While we don't conceive of, or worship, an omnipotent personification of the Divine, at the heart of our tradition is the teaching that reality itself is luminous, precious, and infused with compassion. We don't ascribe an agenda, personality, or gender to That-Which-Is-Greater, but we long to live in harmony with It, and personally experience intimacy with It. These longings infuse our spiritual practice with meaning.

This episode is a Dharma Talk, where I present my own take on traditional Zen and Buddhist teachings & practices.

In this talk I present an alternative to mindfulness practice, because I believe the concept of mindfulness – at least the way it is typically understood – may limit our spiritual development. It can become a dualistic trap that causes us to reject much of what we are as human beings.

This episode is a Dharma Talk, where I present my own take on traditional Zen and Buddhist teachings & practices.

In this talk I present an alternative to mindfulness practice, because I believe the concept of mindfulness – at least the way it is typically understood – may limit our spiritual development. It can become a dualistic trap that causes us to reject much of what we are as human beings.

This episode is a continuation of episode 5, which focused on the historical and religious context in India before the Buddha, and how social, economic, and political changes inspired new, alternative religious movements around the time of the Buddha (500-400s BCE). I continue that story by talking about the new movements, their major spiritual questions, and how they answered them. This should give you a sense of how Buddhism compared to the other new religions of its time, and how the Buddha's approach differed from those of his contemporary spiritual teachers.

This episode is a continuation of episode 5, which focused on the historical and religious context in India before the Buddha, and how social, economic, and political changes inspired new, alternative religious movements around the time of the Buddha (500-400s BCE). I continue that story by talking about the new movements, their major spiritual questions, and how they answered them. This should give you a sense of how Buddhism compared to the other new religions of its time, and how the Buddha’s approach differed from those of his contemporary spiritual teachers.

This is the first episode in my "Buddhist History and Seminal Texts" series. I discuss the historical and religious context for the beginnings of Buddhism in India in the 500s BCE. I give you a brief overview of the history of civilization in India, and a sense of the dominant religious traditions of northern India from around 2000 BCE through the time of the Buddha. Then I describe the period of social and economic changes starting around 800 BCE that apparently paved the way for new schools of religious thought and practice, including Buddhism.