Roshi sees the personal and world implications of this old koan — now, in these difficult times.

In her talk from this month’s Zazenkai (our monthly day-long retreat), Myoko Sensei explores intimacy as conveyed in Dogen’s Dotoku — Expressions — our study text for this Winter Ango.

Roshi’s talk on “Magu Shakes His Staff” (Case# 16, Book of Serenity) explores our tendency to get stuck in a groove, and the futility of depending on ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’

What is Buddha? In his talk, Jiryu stirs up this question with Unmon’s famous device.

In the final talk of our winter 2017 retreat, Joshin Sensei asks what is it that we recognize as worthy of our attention. She questions Dogen’s view from his monastic background, and goes on to question all monastic settings, as well as authoritarian structures of any kind. She sees lay Zen as courageous and iconoclastic, […]

In this talk on our winter 2017 retreat Ryotan Sensei explores Dogen’s “DoToKu” by looking carefully at what true expression is and how is it verified. What is the context? What is the meaning of “body and mind dropping away?” Ryotan talks about this as a form of Samadhi where “the self is selfing the […]

In this talk on our winter 2017 retreat, Shinryu Sensei presents us with 18th century abolitionist and radical dissident Benjamin Lay. Based on the book “The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist” by Marcus Rediker. Benjamin Lay was a Quaker radical and eccentric whose example Shinryu asks us to examine. […]

On the second day of our winter 2017 retreat, Myoko Sensei investigates a passage from our study text “Dotoku” by Dogen. Myoko conjures karmic melons dropping, allowing more room for what is showing up right now. In her pottery as well as our Zen practice tiny subtleties can create worlds of difference. In noticing this […]

In the first talk of our 2017-18 Winter retreat, Enkyo Roshi asks us to stop and breathe, reset our compass and appraise our life expression. She comments on Dogen’s “DoToKu” the study text of the retreat, and finds our true expression shining forth all the time. See the talk as it was recorded live on […]

Fusho explores what it means to be vulnerable in a world that tells us to deny our emotions.