On the stories we carry with us and don't know how to let go.

Dogen said, "When someone asks about the dharma or the essentials of practice, Zen monks must reply on the basis of the true dharma. Do not answer on the basis of expedient means that are not true, thinking the person is not a vessel (of the dharma), or is incapable of understanding because he is only a beginner."

Dogen said, "If you first change your physical behavior, your mind will be reformed as well."

On the parable of the burning house, skillful means, and lying.

On Buddhist teacher scandals and the notion that we should "not confuse the teachings with the teacher." Can we even do that? And if not, then what?

Dogen in "Record of Things Heard": "You must practice the Way with the attitude of a person owing a vast debt and being forced to return it despite being penniless. If you have this frame of mind, it is easy to attain the Way.'"

“I desire to practice the Way, but the world is in its last period (which is degenerate) and I have only inferior capabilities. I cannot endure the formal practice which accords with the dharma. I want to find an easier way which is suitable for me, make a connection, and attain enlightenment in the next lifetime.” Dogen replies, "This is entirely wrong."

Causation: how did we get here from there? And now what?

"We should not necessarily rely on the words of the ancients, but we should grasp just true reality." From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard" 4-2.

Buddhahood, artificial intelligence, and how we see ourselves in others.