Using the koan “Seijo and her Soul are Separated,” Tokuyu looks at ways we separate from ourselves, and how we can use practice to find our way home.

Grief, loss, unexpected changes — Seizan explores how the impermanent nature of our lives can reveal the Dharma to us. Through difficult times, practice opens our heart to reality, just as it is, and sustains us when we think we can’t face up to the challenges life brings.

In this talk by Musho, he opens with a short memorial to Chris Cornell, song writer and singer of the 1990’s rock band “Soundgarden” who committed suicide on May 17, 2017. From there Musho reviews the Four Nobel Truths and opens a Zen eye to the subject of Equality. He ends with comments on the famous koan […]

When we’re feeling overwhelmed, how is our grasping mind contributing? Our zazen practice allows us to drop our thoughts. We return to the present moment, to the reality of our life as part of the universe.

In this poignant talk, Bokushu draws our attention to the interdependence of all things — more specifically, how we are not separate from Donald Trump — and urges us to practice steadfastly, not just for ourselves, but for the sake of the whole world.

Our daily experience tells us that the world and our bodies are material things, made of “stuff.” Our Buddhist traditions however tell us otherwise, that the appearance of materiality is an illusion. In past talks Dr. Neil Soten Theise has described his views that the universe is not material, but arises from the self-organization of quantum level entities […]

Traven Fusho Rice encourages us to examine how we respond to our own personal challenges on a daily basis.

In this talk Musho comments on the koan “Basho and a Stick” and uses the whack of the Kyosaku to draw attention to the koan’s theme of going beyond beliefs and appearances to see the Zen Truth. Musho passionately urges us to open the Dharma Eye and see racism, sexism and nationalism as belief systems […]