Zencare Podcast

“Inattention is harmful. Attention is a refuge.”   Have you noticed how often we can lose contact with what’s around us? Even with the ones we love the most? Koshin Sensei invites us to consider this separation – to actually notice it and be embarrassed by the distances we create – and change our behavior. […]

The post The Dignity of Each Moment | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“There is so much energy around being sure… Thinking ‘I know,’ we become so narrow.”   Do you ever think ‘I am right’ and ‘you are wrong’? “I, you, all of us, can get caught up in deeply entrenched ideas of truth.” Koshin Sensei invites us to pay attention to our minds, to these thoughts […]

The post The Perils of Certainty | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“How does what you say and do really benefit living beings?”     We live in a world filled with beauty and terror. Whether we are experiencing euphoric glee, wrenching pain, or something in between, can our feelings lead to actions that benefit living beings? And not just some beings from the specific groups we […]

The post Doing What is Beneficial and True, Not Popular | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Our commitment to distractions and our commitment to not committing actually takes a lot of effort.”     The newest telescopes can see stars being born hundreds of millions of lightyears away. Innumerable stars, like the sun in our solar system, are scattered across the farthest reaches of the cosmos. It boggles the mind, challenging […]

The post Innumerable Stars: Returning to the Original Place | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Those without virtue are to be pitied.”          As Dogen Zenji reminds us, giving, kind speech, beneficial actions, and cooperation are the “Four Attractions of the Bodhisattva”. How often throughout your day do you lift these virtues up, even praise them? What would it look like in your life to embody the […]

The post Practicing Interdependence Through Kind Speech | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

Koshin Sensei was recently featured on the KevinMD podcast where he explored the transformative power of contemplative medicine.   Koshin and Kevin also delve into topics such as reconnecting with patients, navigating difficult emotions in the workplace, and cultivating resilience and compassion in health care practice.   We share the twenty minute clip of the […]

The post “How Contemplative Medicine Revived a Doctor’s Passion”: KevinMD with Koshin Sensei appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“It is not enough to have good intensions. It really matters what you do. It really matters what you say.”       Our human ancestors have been caring for one another for at least 75,000 years. We survive, carry on, thrive, and even flourish when we show compassion.  It is not about what we […]

The post Just Do. Without Regressing, Without Adulteration | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“This practice has kept me alive.”     When what has been lost brings the return of something new, when the debilitations of illness remind us of the deep dignities of being alive, these are the healing stories of care and compassion.         During the final evening of the Closing Retreat for […]

The post Stories of Loss and Return, Illness and Healing | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“…those whose lose mindfulness, lose.”       From Shakyamuni Buddha, down through generations of ancestors, including Dogen Zenji, and into the present moment have come a series of teachings on the eight awarenesses of awakened beings. One is called Maintaining Right Mindfulness or Not Neglecting Mindfulness. Practicing this in the midst of our tumbling […]

The post Always New and Coming Back | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“This practice is actually about liberation, not about being comfortable, feeling good, or getting a reward.”   What are you afraid of? Can we remain focused and grounded when what we fear is right in front of us?   In this recent Zazenkai dharma talk, Koshin Sensei challenges us to look our fears in the […]

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