In the fifth talk of Dai Sesshin, Jiryu offers this: We waste our lives chasing temporary, superficial things, and our disappointment leads to grief. Here’s a practice that loosens greed’s grip on our minds, and frees us to appreciate this moment.

In the fourth talk of Dai Sesshin, Gessho tells the story of female chan master Moshan Lioran.

In the third talk of Dai Sesshin, Fusho uses a story from the Vimalakirti Sutra to examine how our constant transformation can be a means for good.

In the second talk of Dai Sesshin, Kenko reflects on householder practice and leaving home for sesshin.

July 21, 2019 Gessho explores the life and teachings of Prajnatara, who is part of both our male and female ancestral lineages.

Jo An shares about a visit from his in-laws. He talks about the dangers of our reflexive conditioned thinking and “getting stuck”.  Jo An voices concern that not looking at our intrinsic bias and conditioning allows for the three poisons to increase.

On a day of competing Pride marches, Yuuka wrestled with limits of many varieties. Stories from female ancestors Punnika, Khujjutara, and Darlene Cohen guided the way.

June 13, 2019 In this talk, Soten offers teachings from our Dharma ancestors Yunmen and Robert Genjin Savage.  “Yunmen’s two sicknesses” and the “AIDS Ward Scherzo” illuminate notions of sickness and health in our zen practices and our lives.

In this talk Musho explores our Zen Practice with the help of a paragraph from Taizan Maezumi Roshi’s book “Appreciate Your Life.” Maezumi Roshi invites us to practice “over and over and over” and not to separate practice from realization. Musho then compares this to his own experience as a visual artist, musician and Zen […]

Fusho offers an examination of how our zazen practice can help us let go of what we think we “know,” in order to enliven our relationships and in turn, live our lives more fully. Recorded May 26, 2019.