In this talk Yuuka celebrates Mother’s day by examining and questioning the various notions of motherhood. Must they subjugate their own desires? Conform to the oppressive standards,  engage in permitted suffering, hide their passions and somehow create unattainable happiness for their families? As Yuuka watches a single leaf dance, suspended in mid air by a […]

In this talk senior student Ryoshin is inspired by the book “Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale” by Frederick Buechner. “A sermon arises out of silence” says Buechner, and Ryoshin sees our Zen practice in a similar way. Our meditation allows us to point ourselves directly at the truth, which […]

In this talk senior student Seizan appreciates the opportunities he has had to be the Tenzo (chief cook) for our temple. Subtle and profound are the black-eyed peas that he has prepared for us, with a hint of smoked paprika. As Seizan enjoys the detail and care of our liturgy and and chanting, so he […]

On Earth Day Senior Student Fusho takes up case 33 from The Blue Cliff Record “Ministry President Ch’en Sees Tzu Fu.” Inside that koan Fusho asks what is it that we include or leave out of the circle of our lives? A whale who dies on the beach with a belly full of plastic waste, […]

Senior Student Kansho takes a deep look into his own long history of anxiety. His shyness as a child, his inclination to worry, and his bouts with serious illness compounded his troubles.  Only when he took up a career in acting was he able to put aside his worries while playing someone else. From that […]

Senior student Jisei starts with the prayer of Sister Theresa of Calcutta. She then talks of a recent documentary about mountain climbing called “Meru.” Jisei compares the arduous and moment by moment practice of seasoned mountain climbers with our Zen meditation practice. The challenges of studying the self are daunting and full of obstacles like […]

In this Zazenkai Dharma talk Kaku looks deeply into Dogen’s essay “On the Endeavor of the Way” and see it as Dogen’s direct expression of his central question; If we are perfect and complete, lacking nothing, why do we need to practice? Kaku then puts the question to us. What is your own driving spiritual […]

In this talk Tokyu finds his inspiration while on a crowded New Jersey Transit train. While watching a man trying to keep an extra seat to himself, Tokyo sees how we all want to try to turn away from what is uncomfortable or unwanted. Our aversions become “the elephant in the room” that we don’t […]

According to US government averages, senior student Bokushu calculates that he has only 23 more years to live. Starting there Bokushu wonders how to evaluate the truth of life while caught in a culture that devalues information and life itself. He questions the fantasies and imagined realities of himself and others. He sees our Zazen […]

(editors note: This talk by senior student Seizan opened with a few minutes of silent knitting. For the published recording here that time was edited into less that a minute.) In this talk Seizan compares knitting to a whole way of living within the Dharma. He starts out with his discovery of knitting at age […]