February 23, 2020 Fusho examines the ecological benefits of oysters and how they relate to the wisdom that emerges in zazen.

You can work with fear, so long as you remember who you are and your intention to practice. Panic, however, obliterates you. It leaves you naked and alone in the dark. This talk offers two methods to prevent fear from growing into panic. Recorded January 23, 2020.

Gessho explores our relationship to planetary crisis through the koan Nanquan Kills a Cat

Jiryu give the third talk of our winter retreat: The conventional image of Zen is a monk in robes, sitting in lotus position. But whoever you are, wherever you are—on retreat, at home, or even in a floating jail—you’re Zen when you improvise a response to the situation.

Yuuka confronts an ALS diagnosis with the help of Baochi’s verse from Case 27 of Zen Echoes. Where is the true person without rank? (Note: The talk begins with a few moments of Noble Silence) Recorded December 28th, 2019.

In this talk senior student Ryoshin celebrates Rohatsu, the anniversary of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, and the gift of the teachings that have been passed down to us.  What did the Buddha realize after sitting for six long years under the Bodhi Tree?  His realization, and ours, is that we are fundamentally free, and not separate […]

Senior Student Musho gave this talk on Rohatsu, the Zendo’s annual all night meditation retreat. Musho gives two reasons for sitting all night long: First to celebrate the radical and inclusive enlightenment of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha and founder of Buddhism. Second to save the world. Recorded December 8th 2019 The talk mentions a recent […]

When The Buddha Met A Murderer Senior Student Jiryu explains that everyone deserves the opportunity for redemption. Everyone deserves a place in our sangha so we can practice together. Recorded December 5th, 2019

In this talk Senior Student Musho enters Case 36 from the Blue Cliff Record “Ch’ang Sha Wandering in the Mountains.” There he makes a case for wandering and noticing the subtle changes all around us. Recorded November 14, 2019.

November 7, 2019 Gesshō looks at the story of the Bodhisattvas who refuse to visit Vimalakirti while he is sick and reflects on our own reluctance to connect with suffering.