Zencare Podcast: Recent Episodes
Zen
Listen to dharma talks from the teachers and guest teachers of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Buddhist teachings are woven into topics such as contemplative care, engaged Buddhism, social change, meditation and stillness, dealing with addiction, being with suffering, and the arts and challenges of care for the self and others.
“When I forget who I am, I return to the Buddha. When I’m lost in confusion, I return to the Dharma. When I feel alone, I return to the Sangha.”
In this tender and luminous talk, Chodo Sensei reflects on the Three Refuges of Buddhism—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—through the lens of impermanence, community, and compassion.
With stories of accompanying his dear friend Rande in her final days, and reflections on awakening amid global unrest, Chodo reminds us that refuge is not found in escape, but in presence.
To take refuge, he says, is to return, again and again, to what is real:
the Buddha within each of us, the Dharma revealed in every moment, and the Sangha that holds us when life unravels.
This talk invites us to wake up to grief, to change, to each other, and to remember that the path of practice is nothing less than the ongoing act of returning home.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“I love birthdays because they remind us: I was born, and I’m going to die. This is my one shot.”
In this talk from his birthday this past Sunday, Koshin Sensei reflects on the gift of being alive and the simplicity of a nourishing life.
Drawing on the teachings of Bodhidharma (who, legend has it, share's Koshin Sensei's birthday), he explores the four all-inclusive practices: suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and practicing the Dharma.
Through humor, tenderness, and vivid stories—childhood friends reuniting in the zendo, watching the sunrise, creating our own suffering by dragging favorite stories out of the cupboard—Koshin reminds us that awakening begins in the ordinariness of our lives.
What happens when we stop laying on the horn of our feelings and trust our actual experience rather than our preferences?
Discover why feeling unimportant is liberating, and how to give your time and attention without needing recognition for it.
“The true way is not something bestowed by others... it is found in the depths of your own heart-mind.”
On the 68th day of our recent Commit to Sit, Koshin Sensei reflects on teachings from Shakyamuni Buddha, Dogen Zenji, and Uchiyama Roshi, reminding us that practice never ends—not even for the great teachers.
Through stories both profound and playful (including an unexpected giant Labubu doll appearing in the zendo), he challenges us to see failure not as weakness but as the essence of practice.
How can we stop outsourcing our meaning to external forces, and to notice how often we grasp, like zombies, for validation instead of simply living?
This talk invites us back to the simplicity of wholehearted practice, to embrace life as it is, and to rediscover freedom in letting go of the endless search for more.
“The discipline of zazen is the refusal to be manipulated by your own mind.”
In this talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on the liberating power of discipline, the courage to make effort, and the serenity that comes not from outer conditions but from the clarity of mind itself.
Drawing on the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, Dōgen Zenji, and Uchiyama Roshi, he explores how daily reverence for concentration allows the Dharma (wisdom) to flourish in our lives.
From the story of Dōgen meeting the tenzo (head cook at a monastery) who walked 20 miles for mushrooms to the simple mirror-like nature of zazen, this talk invites us to return again and again to the freshness of the present moment.
"A boat without a rudder drifts with the current, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but always away from the true shore."
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to reflect deeply on what it means to “not lose sight of true dharma.”
Drawing from Shakyamuni Buddha’s final teachings and Dogen Zenji’s commentary, Koshin reminds us that vigilance and effort are not punishments but the armor and encampment that protect us from distraction, defensiveness, and the pull of the senses.
With humor and tenderness, he shows us how forgetting is simply the natural drift of an unmoored mind, and how remembering, again and again, brings us back to clarity, presence, and freedom.
“The challenge is not sustaining the silence (on retreat), but bringing the silence with you when you leave.”
In this dharma talk from the final day of our recent summer silent retreat, Chodo sensei explores what it means to practice without seeking reward.
Through the powerful story of 13th-century nun Mugai Nyodai, whose awakening came when the bottom fell out of her water bucket, and a poem by Marie Howe about a dog transfixed by moonlight, this talk explores mushotoku: the art of gaining nothing.
Throughout the talk, Chodo weaves together intimate stories of caregiving, the challenges of spiritual ego, and the paradox of diligent effort (“shojin”) that aims to attain nothing.
From cleaning a dying friend to a hospital chaplain learning to practice without robes, discover how true shojin means showing up fully present—not to become something, but to be with what is without clinging.
“Sangha (community) is not a retreat from suffering but a mirror to it.”
In this lively and direct dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to explore what it truly means to cultivate serenity and quietude; not as an escape from life’s messiness, but as a way of meeting it fully.
Drawing on a Jataka (lives of the historical Buddha) tale of a hollow tree, teachings from our Zen ancestors, Dogen Zenji and Uchiyama Roshi, and reflections on the challenges and beauty of Sangha life, Koshin reminds us that impermanence is the very nature of awakening.
True quietude, he says, is “settling down in the deepest meaning of your own life,” even when the winds are strong and the mud is thick.
Rather than clinging to what appears sturdy or avoiding discomfort, we are invited to stay, to be changed by continuous practice (like robes slowly moistened by the mist) and to discover serenity right in the heart of our lives, together.
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei shares a day of stark contrasts: one meeting filled with praise — “You’re awesome, the best teacher” — followed by another with harsh criticism — “You’re the worst, no good, unhelpful.”
How do we meet the swings between feeling wonderful and feeling terrible? How do we strive to “be on the right side of history” in a world that is both brutal and beautiful?
Koshin invites us into Uchiyama Roshi’s teaching of Having Few Desires, exploring what it means to rest with dissatisfaction rather than trying to fix or erase it. As we are taught:
“Gloom, anger, or offense can never be resolved by continually being gloomy, angry, or offended.Only by letting go of gloom, anger, or offense can those feelings subside.”
We cannot simply swing to the opposite of what we’re feeling, Koshin says. Instead, we return to the practice of zazen (seated meditation); to seeing precisely and wholeheartedly.
“Zen is not interested in making us feel good. It is about being real. Sometimes this feels good. Sometimes this feels awful.”
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei celebrates the graduates of our Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, reflects on the teachings of Dogen guiding our current ango period (Commit to Sit), and invites us to ask: What are the roots of goodness?
It’s a question that feels both timely and timeless. Koshin reminds us that goodness means taking responsibility for who we are and how we live. We atone for our missteps, honor our resets, and stay in relationship — even when it’s uncomfortable.
With gentle clarity, he encourages us to notice our cravings, our attachments to comfort, and the way they can obstruct connection — with ourselves and with others.
May we meet this moment as we are. That is everything.
“How can I arouse the spirit of reconciliation and harmony right now?”
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to reflect on what it means to truly grow up and live with wisdom.
Quoting Uchiyama Roshi, the author of this summer Commit to Sit's guiding text, he reminds us that while we may look like adults, our hearts and our behavior often remain immature.
Koshin also reflects on how, even in times of conflict and pain, we can choose harmony over division.
After speaking with sangha members in Israel and Iran, both asking how not to create enemies, he encourages us to pause and ask ourselves: “How can I arouse the spirit of reconciliation and harmony right now?”
May we have the courage to turn inward and live with greater peace.
When illness and loss touch our community, how can we transform uncertainty into deeper practice?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei explores how life's fragility can awaken rather than paralyze us. Drawing from Shakyamuni Buddha's third awareness, he reveals how we trap ourselves in narrow self-concepts and offers practice as the antidote.
“Let the forms of the practice dismantle your self-image,” he guides, echoing Uchiyama Roshi's wisdom to “let go of the small self to realize the vastness of life itself.”
Discover how to break free from the stories that keep you limited and step into true spaciousness.
“What would it be like to realize that you're not missing anything, that the brightness is not somewhere else and it's not someone else.”
We share one final excerpt from last winter's Commit to Sit as the next 90-day summer practice period starts this Wednesday!
In this talk, Koshin Sensei captures the essence of Zen practice through the lens of lineage and transmission. Speaking on the 90th day, he weaves together ancient wisdom stories with intimate personal reflections from his time training in Japan earlier this year.
The talk centers on a profound paradox: how “setting down the small self” actually leads to greater intimacy and connection. Through stories of Buddha's flower-twirling at Vulture Peak and Bodhidharma's encounter with Emperor Wu, Koshin Sensei illustrates how genuine spiritual transmission happens not through concepts or credentials, but through complete presence and receptivity.
He transforms lofty spiritual concepts into immediate, practical questions: How do we really receive what life offers us? Are we dividing up the world into what we like and don't like? Can we see the light that's already emanating “through every pore”?
Koshin insists that awakening isn't somewhere else or for someone else—it's the “vivid alertness” available right now, in this moment, through whatever role we're given, whatever circumstances we face.
This is Zen practice at its most immediate and heartfelt: not escape from the world, but complete engagement with it through the ancient practice of “turning the light inward” to illuminate what we've been missing all along.
“It’s one of the challenges of our school: to be prepared, and then to drop it.”
What can a 13th-century Zen master teach us about the courage needed to challenge institutional barriers?
This week, we continue to share excerpts from our winter Commit to Sit, with a talk from our dear dharma friend, Konjin Godwin, the abbot of the Houston Zen Center and Director of the International Division of Soto Zen.
Konjin offers an intimate and accessible exploration of one of Zen's most influential figures, Eihei Dogen; revealing him not as a remote historical figure but as a “mild and peaceful” yet boldly revolutionary teacher whose thunder still roars today.
Her talk illuminates Dogen's famous awakening moment in China when he heard his teacher say “studying Zen is the dropping off of body and mind,” leading to his profound realization.
Particularly compelling is Konjin's focus on Dogen's radical stance on women's spiritual equality—extraordinary for medieval Japan.
Through carefully selected quotes from Dogen's writings, we see a teacher who directly challenged the male-dominated Buddhist establishment, calling those who refused to learn from accomplished female teachers “close to beasts and far from Buddhism.”
Her talk also explores the tension between solitary awakening and awakening within sangha (community), emphasizing how our practice is enriched by studying and honoring our ancestral lineage, not as dusty relics but as living teachings that continue to guide and challenge us.
P.S. Connect with Konjin: If you enjoy the talk, Konjin will be one of the returning guest teachers for our Summer Commit to Sit (starting June 18th).
“My storehouse having burnt down, nothing obscures the view of the bright moon. All of our previous conceptions, our preferences, our ideas, our understandings of the way the world works have to go up in flames.”
What happens when 40 years of perfect dedication still isn't enough?
In this excerpt from her captivating talk at our Winter's Commit to Sit, Jisho Sara Siebert, of Zen Fields in Ames, Iowa, tells the remarkable story of Ananda—the Buddha's personal attendant who had a photographic memory, knew every teaching by heart, and served with unwavering devotion for four decades. Yet despite all his knowledge and service, something was still missing.
Through Ananda's ancient story and her own experiences living in war-torn countries and practicing at historic temples in Japan, Jisho explores profound questions we all face: Why isn't intellectual understanding enough? What does it really mean to “let go”? And how do we move from simply repeating what we've learned to truly understanding it?
This isn't just a Buddhist teaching—it's a universal story about the difference between knowing about something and actually experiencing it.
Whether you're interested in personal growth, spiritual development, or simply love hearing transformative stories from across cultures and centuries, you'll find wisdom and inspiration in this accessible exploration of this profound moment of awakening.
Jisho's warm, personal storytelling brings ancient wisdom into our modern lives, showing how an attendant's moment of clarity 2,500 years ago can illuminate our own journey toward understanding and peace.
P.S. Connect with Jisho: If you enjoy the talk, Jisho will be one of the guest teachers for our Summer Commit to Sit (starting June 18th) and will also be offering her own Zen Study course through NYZC in the fall (more info & registration will be available soon).
What’s the difference between empathy and compassion—and why does it matter so deeply for those in caregiving professions?
In this moving and insightful conversation, our Guiding Teachers Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Robert Campbell sit down with Dr. Judson Brewer, renowned psychiatrist, neuroscientist, bestselling author, and faculty member of the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship.
Together, they explore the nuanced terrain of emotional presence, personal boundaries, burnout, and healing—both personal and collective.
Drawing from clinical research, Buddhist psychology, personal stories, and decades of experience in contemplative and medical education, the conversation opens with a core distinction: empathy as the capacity to feel another’s pain, and compassion as the act of being with suffering without being consumed by it.
Through real-world examples, they illuminate how unchecked empathy can lead to exhaustion, resentment, or disconnection, while compassion—rooted in curiosity, humility, and care—becomes a practice that sustains rather than depletes.
They speak candidly about what it means to “take suffering home,” the toll of hero culture in medicine, and how unexamined habit loops can reinforce burnout. And they reflect on how true community—a circle of care and connection—is not a luxury, but a necessary medicine.
Whether you’re a clinician, chaplain, caregiver, or simply someone walking with others through difficult times, this episode offers deep insight into how we might care with more courage, clarity, and joy.
Learn more about Contemplative Medicine/Care
→ May 21st: We'll be hosting a free online info session for our Contemplative Medicine Fellowship. All physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and PAs are invited to learn more about the program and apply for our fifth cohort!
→ June 4th: We'll also be hosting a free online info session for our Foundations in Contemplative Care program, now in its 18th year! Anyone interested in integrating their spiritual practice with service in the world is invited to learn more and apply.
→ September 24th – 28th: Our annual Contemplative Care Retreat held at the Garrison Institute will be led by Koshin Sensei, Chodo Sensei, Ayo Yetunde, Dan and Bianca Harris, and other guest teachers to be announced soon. Whether you are new to meditation and integrating spiritual practice with care or you are an experienced practitioner needing reinvigoration, this retreat is for you. The retreat also serves as a reunion for alumni of our Foundations in Contemplative Care and Contemplative Medicine Fellowship programs.
Each of us is carrying so much—lugging around feelings and stories of deficiency, blame, or unworthiness. How can what we carry no longer separate us, but instead become the very ground of connection?
In this poignant dharma talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on the life of Jianzhi Sengcan, the 30th ancestor after Shakyamuni Buddha, who bore the visible burden of leprosy and the invisible weight of shame. At age 40, he approached his teacher Huike and pleaded, “Cleanse me of my wrongdoing.” What followed was an intimate encounter of great healing—and the heart of Zen practice.
Koshin invites us to pause and ask: What is the story I’ve been living in? What am I still carrying that keeps me from being truly present? He reminds us that it is not enough to simply be aware of our suffering. Liberation comes when we learn to put down our story and take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha—not as abstract ideals, but as living, breathing relationships that can hold us in the midst of struggle.
In this powerful and poignant talk from the midst of our Commit to Sit practice period, Koshin Sensei explores the teachings of Punyamitra, the 26th ancestor in the Zen lineage.
As a crown prince seeking home-leaving, Punyamitra is asked by his teacher: “What must you do?” His answer—“I must do Buddha’s work”—echoes through the centuries as a timeless call to presence, compassion, and responsibility.
Koshin challenges us to examine what ordinary habits we are willing to set down and how we might take up the work of awakening with more precision, more kindness, and more courage.
With personal stories, humor, and deep reverence for the lineage, this talk offers an invitation to return to this moment—and to discover what is possible when we let go of our tightly held stories.
Spanish philosopher, José Ortega y Gasset once remarked: “Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.”
A capacity to pay attention grows as we continually practice being receptive to what is happening within and around us. How do you pay attention to life? What holds you back from fully receiving reality as it is?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei emphasizes the important of attention and the way of awakening.
Too often, he says, we indulge the thoughts, fantasies, excuses of our small minds instead of being receptive to what is directly available to us.
This overindulgence keeps us from actually changing and truly experiencing freedom. Maturity means taking responsibility for how we are participating in life.
We can learn from our Soto Zen ancestors how to live an expansive life, not a little one; how to ask big questions and practice unbounded receptivity to this vibrating, excruciating, beautiful, ordinary, and wild life.
In this recent dharma talk from our winter silent retreat, Koshin Sensei offers teachings on the eve of the Hossenshiki ceremony, a rare occasion in which a teacher entrusts their head student, the Shuso, to give a dharma talk before the sangha.
This tradition, known as Honsaku Gyocha, reflects the deep process of training, trust, and surrender at the heart of Zen practice.
The talk focuses on Case #2 from The Book of Serenity—Bodhidharma’s famous exchange with Emperor Wu:
"What is the highest meaning of the holy truths?"
"Empty—there is no holy."
"Who are you facing me?"
"Don’t know."
This powerful koan is often seen as what makes Zen, Zen, revealing why we sit zazen facing the wall and the radical nature of Bodhidharma’s teaching. Koshin Sensei reflects on recognition and humility, the tension between wanting acknowledgment and letting go, and the lifelong practice of meeting the moment as it is—without clinging to status or certainty.
How do we learn to trust what is already here? How do we let go of how we wish things were and meet life with dignity, care, and compassion? With warmth, humor, and deep encouragement, Koshin reminds us that Zen practice is about showing up—imperfect, caring, lively, and human.
Listen now to explore what it means to embrace the unknown and walk the path of practice with an open heart.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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What does it really take to build a lasting, loving relationship? In this special episode from the 10% Happier Podcast, Koshin Sensei and Chodo Sensei join Dan Harris and his wife, Bianca, for a candid conversation about marriage, connection, and the deep work of being in relationship.
Together, they explore:
- How early childhood experiences shape the way we relate to our partners
- The importance of understanding each other’s “operating manuals” and co-creating a shared path forward
- The role of humor—when it helps and when it hurts
- Why doing your own inner work outside of the relationship is essential
- How learning to be uncomfortable—together—can strengthen intimacy
Rooted in wisdom, honesty, and humor, this conversation offers insight into the realities of partnership and how we can show up with more awareness, compassion, and presence.
MUSIC Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
- NYZC PUBLICATIONSUntangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book
- Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
- Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
—X (Twitter)
—Donate
The post Unearthing Beauty | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“…when you practice and practice in this way and there is agreement between thoughts and words, it will truly be like intimate friends meeting, or self nodding to self. ” – Keizan Zenji
Even in the darkest of days, a faint light may be shimmering in the distance. Sometimes the dharma emerges as a mere sprinkle of goodness through the dense muck of our lives. No matter how heavy things are at the moment, can we allow something tiny and quiet and beautiful to break in?
In this recent dharma talk, Chodo Sensei reflects on Keizan Zenji’s teachings about Micchaka, the sixth ancestor in the Soto Zen lineage. The Venerable Micchaka learned from his teacher, Dhritaka, not to be preoccupied or enamored by a narrow view of things. Life is an expansive stream wide enough to allow everything to flow. How can we be more receptive to what is possible, more available to experiencing life as it is? By sharing his journey through the grips of substance abuse to a life of service to others, Chodo gives expression to the truth of Keizan’s insights. On the thirty seventh anniversary of his sobriety, Chodo honors the three treasures and expresses gratitude for his teacher.
ZENTALK NOTES
Chodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
—X (Twitter)
—Donate
The post Unearthing Beauty | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“What do you need to set aside?”
How often do we get stuck on ‘rightness’ and ‘wrongness’? These judgements separate us from actually experiencing our lives moment by moment. Keizan Jokin invites us to free ourselves from such considerations and rest comfortably in our true nature for the sake of all beings. In this new year, what entanglements will you set down to enliven your practice, your life?
In this recent dharma talk from the final days of 2024, Koshin Sensei continues his series of talks on Keizan Jokin’s “Zazen-Yojinki”. A line-by-line study of these “points to keep in mind when practicing zazen” allows the clarity of Keizan’s teachings to impact how we function in the world. Koshin begins this talk with a tender look at the perfectly imperfect rituals and forms of zen practice. As with our lives and relationships, we are encouraged to invite everything in. Can we give dignity to what is worn out and make way for new things to emerge? When we get tangled up in our preferences, get enamored by our ideas and feelings about everything; when we are certain that we are ‘right’ and they are ‘wrong’, Keizan reminds us to “…put aside all affairs, and let go of all associations.”
The new year presents an opportunity for all of us to align our values and actions. May our aspirations guide us into the full, messy, beauty of life.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
—X (Twitter)
—Donate
The post Untangling the Mind: A New Year’s Invitation | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Zazen is an attitude for how you live.”
For many of us, showing others who we really are is rare. But why? What causes and conditions; stories and identities do you drape around yourself? Keizan Jokin says that the practice of sitting zazen is like coming home. How can we set down what is hiding and separating us from one another to be truly at home within ourselves and of service to others?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei offers the second in a series of talks on Keizan Jokin’s “Zazen-Yojinki”. Keizan is the dharma grandson of Dogen Zenji and, like Dogen, was committed to making this practice available and accessible to all people. With this aspiration, Keizan is notable for many things, including the creation of communal rituals and ceremonies honoring loss and recognizing other rites of passage. In this classic text, “Zazen-Yojinki,” translated as “Points to keep in mind when practicing zazen,” we are encouraged to set down our preoccupations with the small self and allow ourselves and others to become who we truly are. In this talk Koshin focuses on the second sentence as it expands on Keizan’s opening line. What dwelling “comfortably in your actual nature” looks like in practice and in life is “revealing yourself manifesting the original ground.” That is, when we come home to ourselves in our practice, through our relationships, “both body and mind drop off. Zazen is far beyond the form of sitting or lying down.” The forms of practice and the roles we play in life can become a barrier to meeting reality just as it is. Can we allow the small body and mind to drop off so that we may experience what else is true? We all have specific roles and identities that are important to how we function in the world. And any one of them can become a problem. It depends on how we hold these identities. Can we practice setting our smaller selves down? When our true nature is uncovered, “revealing ourselves manifesting the mind-ground,” we can come home to ourselves and be of service to others.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
—X (Twitter)
—Donate
The post Zazen as an Attitude for Life | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
Artwork by Contemplative Medicine Fellow, Prash Gunasekera
Like a plum blossom blooming in the winter, possibilities can emerge even when new life seems inconceivable. Koshin Sensei encourages us to stop indulging our deadening habits and to work with our minds to get clear moment by moment. Can we walk down the street, meet other humans, and get curious about our life together?
In this dharma talk during Rohatsu, Koshin turns our attention to Dogen Zenji’s writings from this day eight hundred and twenty three years ago. He writes, “The two wheels of practice and dharma are intimately connected and constantly turning. Under the bodhi tree the flower of awakening shines bright though and incalculable expanse encompassing tens of thousands of realms. Bliss permeates all beings and their environments.” During this commemoration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s commitment to remaining steadfast in practice, we are given another reminder to ask ourselves: what is zazen for? Is it about just getting through another period of sitting? What are we doing with our minds, our lives? Dogen’s words strike a sweet and nudging tone when he writes that practice, in every moment, can lead to “…feeling a sense of joy as if for the first time.” This talk concludes with a wonderful description of the rituals of Rohatsu.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
—X (Twitter)
—Donate
The post Turning the Wheels of Practice and Dharma | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“It turns out that we don’t really change until we completely commit, especially when things are hard.”
We all can feel lonely and isolated sometimes. And, at the very same time, we are often reluctant to participate and engage with what is all around us. Koshin Sensei encourages us not to hold back. Perhaps, when we commit to being fully in our lives, we can come home to ourselves and truly meet others along the way.
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei offers the first in a series of teachings on Keizan Jokin’s “Zazen-Yojinki”. Keizan, the dharma grandson of Dogen Zenji, is the recognized co-founder of Soto Zen Buddhism and the title of this text is translated as “Points to keep in mind when practicing zazen.” The opening sentence is striking. “Zazen means to clarify the mind-ground and dwell comfortably in your actual nature.” Koshin focuses on this line and encourages us to fully inhabit our lives.
When Keizan says that “zazen is like returning home and sitting in peace,” Koshin asks: why remain outside the gate? “Other activities and distractions are like being outside the gate. When we are not focused, we leave ourselves outside the gate.” The commitment to practice is about clarifying and dwelling, about being in your true nature and coming home.
The auspicious occasion of this talk is the morning directly after our sangha’s Rohatsu celebration, a sitting meditation practice that goes deep into the middle of the night to honor Shakyamuni Buddha’s steadfast sitting under the bodhi tree until he saw the morning star. Rohatsu reconnects us to the urgency of practice and recognizes that we are here because of the dedication of myriad practitioners of the awakening way. Come in. Do not stay outside the gate. Join life.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“We are caught in unawareness, in delusion, when our minds grasp after what isn’t really here and right in front of us.” – Chodo
Our minds are constantly grasping after shiny objects – names, concepts, ideas, stories. There is a long history in Buddhism of referring to this cognitive tendency as our monkey mind. Chodo Sensei encourages us to pay close attention to this grasping. Can we see how our minds chase after the mere reflections of things, rather than aspiring to connect with what is really here?
In this dharma talk, Chodo begins by drawing our attention to what is around him. The flowers, like all aspect of reality, become our teacher. We also hear about a recent trip Chodo took to the Japan Society to view paintings and calligraphy by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768). Chodo focuses on one particular scroll depicting a monkey reaching down into a pool of water to grab the moon. This relatively famous image is revealing, a playful portrayal of a central teaching about the kinds of minds we all have. In our delusion, the mind’s reach is often misplaced. Chodo turns to the wisdom of Zen Master Raven to teach us more about delusion. Can we seek after what is real and practice doing what is true? Ethical precepts, we are reminded by this talk, are always intimately related to the minds we cultivate. This talk concludes with Chodo’s reading and exploration of Thich Nhat Hahn’s perspective on the moon and the moonviewer.
ZENTALK NOTES
Chodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Aspiring, Not Grasping | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Why are you seeking liberation outside of yourself?” – Jianzhi
We all can feel bound up sometimes. And for good reason, depending on the life circumstances we find ourselves in. Over time and with practice, Koshin Sensei encourages us, we can learn to avail ourselves of the freedom and clarity that are always available to us. Within a supportive community, invite yourself to “Set down what you are worried about and just show up in each moment.”
In this dharma talk, Koshin begins with a moving reflection on the value of tears. “Moments of weeping help to clarify what is most important to us.” His talk continues with an exploration of an ongoing study of Soto Zen’s Chinese ancestors. We learn how Daoxin, who lived during the 7th Century, is not so different from us today. Caught up in his own stuff and clamoring to find someone to give him all the answers, Daoxin is tenderly and pointedly questioned by his teacher, Jianzhi. Their intimate exchange as teacher and student is another example of how this practice is about community and relationship. In one moment, we are bound up and in the next we are clear. We lose our way only to find it again in the next breath. This awakening way, Koshin reminds us, must be practiced with great tenderness toward ourselves and with one another. Near the end of this talk, Koshin reads Keizan’s poetic tribute to the exchange between Daoxin and Jianzhi.
“Mind is empty, and our knowing contains no right or wrong.
In this, what is there to be bound or liberated?”
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Who is Binding You? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How open am I? Who and what do I not welcome in?” – Koshin
Providing safe harbor and true welcome to all others is deeply courageous. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes the bodhisattva vow to exclude nothing and no one from our care and compassion. “How many of us are that open?”
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on a recent visit to Liberty Island. He is moved to imagine what his own sojourning ancestors must have felt seeing this ‘mother of exiles,’ as Emma Lazarus refers to Lady Liberty, for the first time. The statue, an enormous beacon to our highest ideals as a nation, strikes an active pose. Her heel is raised, about to take another step forward, communicating the provocative truth that real welcome is an active, ongoing process. How often do we get complacent and sit back to passively stand by while the challenging surges of life assail us? Can we be moved to practice courageous welcome as an active, open, and curious response to all others? This is the bodhisattva vow. For Koshin, it brings to mind Dogen’s central question: If the “…way is basically perfect and all-pervading…”then “[w]hat is the use of going off here and there to practice?” When we decide that only some things and some beings matter, we divide what is originally and perfectly whole and “the mind is lost in confusion.” May we practice being open together and learn to include more and more of ourselves and others. “Constantly perform in such a manner,” Dogen teaches, “and you are assured of being a person.”
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Actively Welcoming All Beings | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“When the mind calms down, we can treat ourselves and others more authentically.” – Chodo Campbell
Morality and right ethical conduct is not about appearing a certain way or trying to look good. Doing what is right is about owning your own shit, vowing with every misstep to act more skillfully, and continuing to practice what you truly value with others. How can you pull yourself together over and over again to experience a life of freedom and connection?
In this dharma talk, Chodo Sensei explores Sila, the paramita of ethical conduct or moral discipline. The occasion for these teachings is the Contemplative Care Retreat which gathered around the theme of “The Nobility of Imperfection”. Beginning with the verse of atonement, Chodo invites us to face our minds and actions exactly as they are in the messiness and confusion of life. Drawing on his own experiences and the insight from Norman Fischer that “…wrong conduct unsettles the mind and heart…,” we are encouraged to find our breath and take our seats to help settle our minds and ground ourselves in this moment. It is difficult to see what is fresh and new when we are caught up in the swirl of unskillful behaviors, Chodo tells us. How can we interrupt unhealthy habits and begin again, right now? This talk concludes with Zen Master Raven and daffodils teaching us more about liberation.
ZENTALK NOTES
Chodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Pulling Yourself Together | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Living fully is not an idea. Tenderness and compassion are always the barometer of how practice is going.” – Koshin Paley Ellison
Uncertainty about elections. Dozens of active wars around the globe. “Where do you focus?” Koshin Sensei asks. What practice guides your life?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei names where we find ourselves. Within the whirls of conflict, chaos, confusion, and upheaval we must be evermore receptive. The dharmas are boundless. What we celebrate and we what we abhor are opportunities to remain grounded in our practice. What grounds your practice, your life? Seeking after the right view and learning to act wisely means understanding that ethical precepts are not ideas. Living fully is not an idea. How are you able to approach others with tenderness and compassion? Koshin asks us to reflect on this question by turning our attention to teachings from Dogen Zenji’s work entitled Zenki, or “Full Function”. The founder of the Soto Zen lineage of Buddhism writes that “…there is leaving life and death, and there is entering life and death; and both are the great way exhaustively investigated.” What would it look like for you to be fully functioning in all your relationships? Together, with tenderness and compassion, may we exhaustively investigate how we are showing up in the world.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Full Functioning Tenderness and Compassion | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“If we are going to maintain our practice carefully, we have to pay careful attention to what we think is not welcome.” – Koshin Paley Ellison
Our lives are complicated. Full of love and light; anger and judgment. Can we resist deciding too quickly what should and should not be welcomed in?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei shares teachings from Dogen Zenji about the precepts. “The great precepts of the Buddha are maintained carefully.” and “Receiving the precepts we are beyond the three times.” These gems are explored by Koshin as he offers his remarks directly after returning from a retreat with participants in the New York Zen Center’s Contemplative Medicine Fellowship. The Fellows, as medical professionals, have committed to living the bodhisattva vow to help others. But, like all of us, how they think, talk to themselves, and function in the world gets chunky and gunky. The heart-mind needs to be regularly swept clean. We should be carefully maintaining our practice by looking directly, and without flinching, at everything coming up within ourselves and happening in our relationships. “We are sure that what we think is true, and then we meet other people,” Koshin reminds us. Are we able to welcome all others as important teachers? Shakyamuni Buddha, the great stories tell us, actually welcomed Mara in. We are encouraged to learn and understand what all of life has to teach us, perhaps especially from those we despise or find disgusting. Anyone who gets under our skin may be the best spiritual friend. They show you where the limits of your compassion are. May we practice being direct and unflinching with what our lives are showing us and be open to constantly learning together how to be more spacious and connected.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Direct and Unflinching | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How are you indulging your bulls@$t? How are you indulging your mistaken understandings?” – Koshin Paley Ellison
The awakening Way is not an idea. How can we free ourselves from the ideas of practice in order to practice?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei continues to engage with Dogen Zenji’s “Deportment of the Practicing Buddha” by paying close attention to the following lines: “Those who are not practicing buddhas are not yet liberated from the bonds of the buddha…’Bonds of the buddha,’ means precisely to be bound by the very knowledge, the very understanding that knows and understands bodhi as bodhi. We pass through each moment of thought without expectation of a time of liberation, vainly given over to our mistaken understandings. To understand bodhi as bodhi must be the knowledge that accords with bodhi.” Koshin encourages us to see how we can get caught up in our concepts and assumptions about what a practicing Buddha is. How do you not get bound up by an idea and just show up to do what is loving and kind? When we practice fully engaging with what each moment has to offer, we see the destruction and pain and separation all around us. We confront the sorrows of this world. But there is always more. When we are open, Koshin teaches, “joy is also possible where we think it isn’t. Sorrow and joy are side by side.” When we live our lives in service to others, we will receive feedback and notice opportunities to learn to flow with praise and correction. “Everything can be used to see the quality of your mind,” Koshin reminds us in this talk. How are you vainly given over to your mistaken understandings? How can you completely show up for others with love and compassion?
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Bonds of the Buddha | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“It is not enough that your carcass is here. Are you really alive to who you are, who you’re with, and what is around you in this moment?” – Koshin Paley Ellison
Can you bring more liveliness into your life? Whether walking down the street or sitting zazen, Koshin Sensei invites us to practice being fully alive, keenly attuned to the present. Too often, because we are human, we move in and out of touch with what each moment has to offer. Come back. Again and again, practice.
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin continues his series of talks on Dogen Zenji’s gyobutusu iigi, “Deportment of the Practicing Buddha.” Dogen writes, “For this practicing buddha, since his deportment appears in each thing, his deportment appears before his body; his teaching spills out before his words, spanning the times, spanning the directions, spanning the buddhas, spanning the practices.” The Way is about how one carries oneself. This is a central teaching. Deportment has something to do with posture, bearing, presence, and totally inhabiting your body and mind. Koshin encourages us not to merely follow our stream of thoughts and waves feelings wherever they take us. Rather, we are to allow the practice to spread its influence and grow to become that from which all our words and actions flow. This way of engaging with ourselves and others, Koshin reminds us, is dynamic and attuned and alive. Bring this liveliness into everything you do. This is how we will be able to meet whatever arises. Our thoughts may bounce from one thing to another or ruminate on one thing for hours. We may go from feeling bored, raw, tender, challenged, connected, and triggered from one minute to the next. How can we hold all of this? Can we remain in relationship? May we keep showing up to everything we do. And continue to do this together.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Bringing Liveliness into Everything You Do | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“We need enthusiasm for practice to meet this opportunity, to show up to our life, right now.” – Koshin
Can you bring increased vigor and enthusiasm to your relationships, to your life? The pāramitā of virya is active and connecting. It does not have to appear or sound a certain way, but being vigorous has everything to do with how we show up. As Koshin Sensei observes, “You can feel when someone is completely with you.”
In this dharma talk, from NYZC’s recent Contemplative Care Retreat, Koshin leans further into the theme of The Nobility of Imperfection by exploring virya, often translated as vigor or enthusiasm. While the six pāramitās are certainly interconnected, Koshin turns his full attention to virya in this challenging and spirited talk. Actually being of service to others requires that we be wholehearted. No maybes or we’ll sees. An enthusiasm for practice and an enthusiasm for caring go hand-in-hand for Koshin. To think otherwise is delusion. Drawing on his teacher/student relationship as an exemplar, Koshin emphasizes his vow to say ‘Yes’ to what is being asked of him at the bedside, in sangha, in life. We are invited to closely at our lives and to reflect deeply on what we do. What is holding you back?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
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The post Enthusiasm In Relationship | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Compassion only really happens in community.” – Koshin
How does the nobility of our imperfection become a place of deep connection?
In this dharma talk from the opening night of the Contemplative Care Retreat, Koshin Sensei introduces us to the Six Paramitas, often called the ‘six perfections,’ of dana, sila, ksanti, virya, dhyana, and prajna. These are qualities to practice and life gives us chances to reflect on how our practice is going. How are we being generous, or stingy? Where in our lives can we be more patient? How can we bring more vigor or enthusiasm to our relationships? It is actually not about reaching perfection, but about honoring however it is we keep showing up. Shakyamuni Buddha, Koshin reminds us, teaches us that the very thing we think makes us such a wretch is actually what makes us noble, which allows us to belong. Do you harbor a fear that if others really knew you, they would reject you? In this talk, Koshin encourages us to set down the artifice of perfection and allow the perfectly imperfect you to connect with others. That which you think will be the cause of your rejection, is really a gate through which true connections and relationship are possible.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
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The post The Nobility of Imperfection | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Moments in extremis point us to what is important, what is real.” – Koshin
How do you come know who you really are and what you truly care about? Opportunities to learn are constant.
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei speaks to us from within the waning moments of an unpleasant physical experience. Exhaustion, he teaches us, is a great place of practice. During any given day, or minute, of our life, we experience all kinds of sensations, feel all the feels, and are gifted myriad chances to learn something. “How do you avail yourself to receive teaching?” Koshin asks. He pays close attention to the way his fatigue can trigger a familiar response, the thought to cancel whatever is on the schedule for the day. But is tiredness the only feeling? What else is true? A liveliness, a quiet softness, and curiosity are also present. We are never just one thing. Whatever we ‘know’ we can always understand more deeply. This is why the student/teacher relationship is so important in Soto Zen. Through intimate relationship, our minds are turned to see more of reality – internally and externally. In this talk, we hear about Bodhidharma’s teacher, Prajnatara, and about how Prajnatara was instructed by her teacher in such a manner as to inspire these lines of poetry.
Moonlight reflected in the bottom of the pond is bright in the sky;
The water reaching to the sky is totally clear and pure.
Though you scoop it up repeatedly and try to know it,
Vast, clarifying all, it remains unknown. – Keizan Zenji
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
CONNECT WITH US—Instagram
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The post Exhausted, Emptied, Lively, and Curious | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“If the duality of good and bad is broken through, then there is real good.” – Harada Roshi
Aphids, flies, worms, tigers, all living beings move away from discomfort. “Most of us spend most of our time sealing ourselves off from real connection,” Koshin Sensei observes. What Shakyamuni Buddha understood is that the miracle of human life is the ability to face what makes us uncomfortable, to see what separates us, and do something different. This glimpse of freedom is a capacity in all of us. Change does not just happen. If you leave it to hope it will not happen. It takes energy not entropy. It takes practice and it can only happen together. Will you have the resolve to see it through?
In this recent dharma talk on the penultimate day of our last practice period (Commit to Sit), Koshin leans into what Harada Roshi calls the process of buddhahood. “It’s very important to look upon yourself with the knowledge that there is still a lot of work left to do. Awakening is to be deepened and deepened–awakening upon awakening.” Harada Roshi is reminding us that there is “ever-still-more”.
The opportunities to practice seeing our minds are everywhere. Will we stay with the practice or will we just continue to come and go? Try something for while then go somewhere else? This is very popular, Koshin says, both in Harada Roshi’s Japan and here. We often say we are too busy, have too many things to do, and have no time.
“The beauty of the process of buddhahood,” Koshin teaches us in the talk, “is really learning how to show up, to shut up.” Zazen is a delicious feast. Stay with it, stay connected, and continue into the freedom that is always available. Stop feeding your old patterns and conditioning. “What would it be life if you didn’t make excuses, just made the effort to show up to your life?”
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“Devotion is expressed through your dedicated practice.” – Harada Roshi
Many of us hold back. Why not completely throw yourself in? Wholehearted commitment is about showing up to every moment of your life. This is the practice and, for Chodo Sensei, what devotion looks like.
In this recent dharma talk, Chodo leans into the teachings of Harada Roshi on devotion. When we set down our tired, old stories and worn-out ideas, we are free to join the world in a new way. The earliest accounts of dharma transmission from Shakyamuni Buddha to Mahakashyapa and Ananda speak to this liberation. Chodo reminds us that there is clarity and connection when we set down who we think we are and fully meet what is in front of us. Devotion is about being who we are. Not having to pretend. Chodo offers several different gifts of devotion from tending to the geraniums and loyalty to our relationships to the commitment we make to care for others. Of course, it is possible to be devoted to causing trouble. We all know those who seem to be dedicated to selfishness and dissension. All of us fall back into these old patterns. But, as Zen Master Raven teaches, in “The Good Practice” it is about coming back again and again and again.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“We are always at war with what is. We are creating suffering for others and in this way we are creating suffering for ourselves.” – Harada Roshi
We are constantly dividing the world, each other, and ourselves in half. We expend so much energy and effort picking sides and pointing fingers. “The beauty of zazen,” Koshin Sensei teaches, “is that we learn to sit, to set things down, and practice our vow of not splitting the world in two…for at least thirty minutes.”
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin reflects on a fundamental vow. “Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them.” The challenge and generosity of living by this vow is to consider who we exclude and who we bring in. Practicing this vow is all inclusive. Who do we leave out? In our strident rightness, who falls outside of the boundaries of our compassion and care? When we get caught up in our small perspectives and divisive judgements, Koshin, following the playful wisdom of Harada Roshi, invites us into outer space. “I wish everybody could have a chance to go into space and look back.” Looking at the earth from a distance, as the esteemed astronomer and planetary scientist, Carl Sagan showed us means seeing our pale blue dot as the only setting for all our joy and suffering. Koshin shares insights from Sagan’s book and encourages us to invite it all in. Everyone is included. Everyone is welcome. This dharma talk concludes, perfectly, with a poem by Marie Howe called “Singularity.”
“…only a tiny tiny dot brimming with
is is is is is
All everything home.”
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“This life, all is well. Can we really say this? Is it alright to say that life is good?” —Harada Roshi
In this dharma talk from summer sesshin, Koshin Sensei reflects on his first sesshin sitting between two participants – one steady and grounded the other fidgety and agitated. They each represent a different relationship to the discomfort of sesshin, of life. When confronted with things we do not like, would rather not be experiencing, we have a choice to be curious or to shut down. Koshin reminds us that the gates of receptivity and resistance are available to us all the time. Often what gets in our way are the stories we tell ourselves over and over again. Stories about belonging or not belonging; about being good enough or not; about liking this or not liking that create grooves in the path. We get stuck in a rut. How can we get out of these weird, haunting, or cruel grooves?
This talk offers many openings. Koshin tells the story about a buddhist nun named Chiyono. He teaches us where gold comes from and invites to consider that the bowing, chanting, robes, and statues – the rituals and forms of Zen practice – are mirrors. They create opportunities to look closely at ourselves, our stories, our lives and say: “I see you.” May we invite it all in, find our steadiness, and continue to practice together wholeheartedly.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Get Out of the Groove | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“The heart believes in tomorrow’s cherry blossoms. The storm comes at night and blows them away.”
Everything is subject to change. We all experience loss. Can this inevitability spark in us an urgency to practice diligently and to live our lives fully?
In this recent dharma talk from Summer Sesshin, Chodo Sensei settles in, offers perceptive, and remembers his first sesshin. He speaks of his restlessness, discomfort, and, eventually, his resolve to stay with it. The challenge of sesshin means facing the discomfort of practice. This is a remarkable opportunity. Chodo invites us to notice what is pulling us away from this moment. What are we avoiding? In our discomfort can we also experience opportunities to settle the mind and open the heart? From Chodo’s openness he hears and shares stories of tragic loss and the mysteriousness of his beloved cats. All of life is inviting us to see what is here, to know that everything will change and die. For as long as we are alive, can we cultivate the capacity to see beauty throughout? Like the flowers in ikebana, can we appreciate how even their fading from freshness can move and delight. With Chodo this talk, perhaps like everything, begins and ends with poetry.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“Everything is encouraging you to awaken to your life.”
In the midst of our lives, we need to experience moments of respite. Twice a year, the New York Zen Center holds a silent retreat, or sesshin. The word sesshin means “to touch the heart-mind” and for thousands of years practitioners of the awakening way have been gathering together in this manner to practice. When we have the opportunity to pause, we come face to face with our outsized preoccupations, patterns, and preferences. Can we set it all down to allow something fresh to emerge?
In this recent dharma talk at the opening day of Summer Sesshin, Koshin Sensei touches on what a rare opportunity this time of practice is. As Issho Fujita teaches, we can engage this practice, and fully participate in our lives, when we ‘Throw our body-weight and psychological defenses into the ground.’ What do you need to set down – for a few breaths or for the rest of your life?
Near the end of this talk, Koshin shares a story about a hawk stuck in a tree. His moving observations and reflections about the effort it takes to care for all beings, including yourself, offer a way to recognize how that which is crusty and necrotic may give way to something new and fresh. Pause and awaken to your life.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“Don’t just stand there, one foot in and one foot out. Throw yourself in.”
The great matter of life and death is an ever present reality. Whether we are ready to face this reality or not, there is no guarantee we will see tomorrow or even take a next breath. How can this truth awaken our urgency to practice and enliven our fervor to live our lives?
In this recent dharma talk, Chodo Sensei encourages us, in Dogen’s words, to “practice as if your head were on fire.” Grieving the fresh loss of loved ones and sangha members is another opportunity to become urgently attuned to showing up to each moment. To fully engage the pain and beauty, the joy and sadness entails getting out of our ideas, philosophies, and concepts. Facing the great matter of life and death is not about being smart, but about being clear and curious. Chodo invites to sweep our minds of the conceptual baggage and old stories that hold us back from throwing ourselves into life. As Mary Oliver writes in “When Death Comes,” a poem Chodo offers at the end of his talk, ‘I don’t want to end up having visited the world.’ Throw yourself in.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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. When we “lose contact with the dignity of each moment,” can we simply, continually, courageously practice bringing ourselves back into relationship?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei teaches us that the commitment to practice is about being with what we care about in a new way. “It is easy to say we care about things, but not put the energy in.” Can we look up from our small selves, expand our view of who and what matters, and care? We can begin with those closest to us and then let care and compassion ripple out. Or we can begin with star cluster NGC6744 and allow light from millions of years ago to open our minds to what else is possible. Either way, the point is to give a damn and commit to participating in what each moment has to offer. “Actually committing to something can open the world.” The opportunities to close the distance, connect with others, and care for the world arise with every breath. As long as we continue to breathe, we can show our gratitude for those who have shown us the awakening way – ancestors, friends, neighbors, and those we have yet to meet – by constantly showing up to our lives and caring for others.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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 and feelings about one another. How often does our ‘rightness’ and certainty separate us from one another?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei shares insights from of an early follower of the Buddha whose poetry cautions us: “Careful of having the goal of gaining rightness.” When we are convinced of our own ‘rightness’ we can get haughty, even deathly condescending. We often try to surround ourselves with those who are as right as we are. The insightful poet observes what this looks and sounds like. “Only here there is purity. That’s what they say. No other doctrines are pure, so they say. Insisting that what they depend on is good. They are deeply entrenched in an idiosyncratic truth.” This is how our ‘rightness’ actually seeks controversy and creates deep divisions among us. How often do you do this? What if instead of getting so caught up in right and wrong, we started practicing just being together – human to human? Koshin is inviting us to find the humanness in the face across from you. He is reminding us to be in relationship and know that everyone carries suffering. Can we get intimate with suffering and have the courage to practice suffering together? Koshin reminds us that there is connection and liberation here. “To know our suffering is one thing. To make it into a truth is another thing. And to turn it into a gate is another thing. And sometimes they all go together.”
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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 like. Do we have the courage and compassion to do what is beneficial and true for all beings?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei explores the third of the Four Attractions of a Bodhisattva, beneficial acts. How often does our own self-orientation cause us to forget about everyone else? How often do our own preferences and opinions limit our capacity to care for those who are different from us? Through moving stories of the precariousness of life – a knife edge we all know, but often push aside – Koshin reminds us what Dogen Zenji teaches. “Beneficial acts means using skillful means to benefit living beings both high and low. For example, looking to the near and distant future we carry out expedient acts to benefit others.” Shakyamuni Buddha, and the generations after him, have shown us what practicing beneficial action looks like. Even in the face of excruciating loss, these ancestors acted for the benefit of others. They avoided what has been so popular among our species – retribution, retreat, and a refusal to remain in relationship with one another. Koshin encourages us to practice from a place of gratitude for those who show us that this awakening way is all about what we do.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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 our self-, species-, and planetary-centeredness. What is the nature of reality?
In this dharma talk, during NYZC’s June Zazenkai, Koshin Sensei invites us to approach life with the wonder and attention of an astronomer. Can we see beyond our own limited view? Too often we get caught up in our own small story and demand that everything be the way we want it to be. This is especially true about those experiences and people that challenge us the most so we push them away, create divisions. What if we look closer at what makes us uncomfortable? The practice of zazen, Koshin reminds us, is a fastidious and tender adventure of attention. What else can we see and experience? Are we more similar than different? The heart of all reality, Buddha nature, is original to all things and manifest through three different standpoints, according to Maezumi Roshi. Koshin teaches us about shoin bussho, ryoin bussho, and enin bussho. Can we realize true nature? “It is not a matter of being smart or dull, well-learned or foolish. But when one practices wholeheartedly to find the way that is nothing but the accomplishment of the way.” (Dogen Zenji) Can we return to the original place?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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 virtues of compassion, wisdom, service, and vow?
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei offers the second of four explorations on the four attractions. His focus in this talk is on Kind Speech. For Dogen, “Kind speech means that when we see a living being we first of all give rise to a mind of compassion and offer caring words.” Koshin invites us to practice kind speech, bringing forth a compassionate mind. Can we look in the mirror, first thing in the morning, and immediately practice this on the one we see? When we move through our day, can we see ourselves in others and feel tenderness for those we meet? When we extend compassion to others, including ourselves, this is a way of truly being alive, of experiencing connection. Living beings are different, and certainly the same. Why do we create separation? Can our words serve to create connection? In our tenderness for all beings can we practice kind speech even to those who cause harm? To climb down into the messiness of life with others, becoming familiar with the messes within ourself, is how we experience our non-separation. Cultivating a compassionate mind and speaking with kindness is an act of interdependence. Instead of creating more separation and division, how do we practice bringing people closer together?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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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.
Learn more about the FellowshipThe 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 think, or what we intend to do. Compassion is action. Can we step into every situation, at any moment, and ask: What is important now? How do I get clear now? What can it do?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei continues his series of teachings on the “eight understandings of the great person” as explored within the most recent translation of Dogen Zenji’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. Some have claimed that these eight qualities are among Shakyamuni Buddha’s final teachings. For Koshin, they illustrate the Buddha’s freshness and capacity to remain attentive to whatever is arising in the moment. Koshin explores the quality of “diligent exertion” and encourages us to ask what it would look like for us to exert ourselves in the way Dogen describes: “Concentrated without adulteration, advancing, and without regressing.” What would it be like to meet things as they are? To do good with things as they are? And to keep moving? The Buddha is clear on this point: “If you diligently exert yourself, things will not be difficult.” Challenges will come, of course, and the need for rest remains. But diligent exertion is about the unceasing practice of attending to each moment as it is, not as you think it should be or what you hope to get out it. Too often we are trying to orchestrate outcomes and make transactions. Diligent exertion is not a this-for-that situation, but rather a more humane way to live. We are invited to constantly practice caring for others and ourselves so that all of us may be more loving, compassionate, and free.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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 our Foundations in Contemplative Care training program, Chodo Sensei offers a dharma talk by drawing on stories from the hospital beside, the Mizuko Kuyo Ceremony, and his own particularly harrowing dharma journey. These narrative streams are full of humor and pain; upheaval and ease. Chodo’s keen ear for life’s irreverent levity is evident in the stories he tells from those who have spent much of their lives with people actively dying. “Ruben Sandwich” and “Lipstick”, for example, are brief vignettes with notable poignancy. Chodo’s expansive heart for life’s sacred nobility is manifest in the reverence he pays to the Jizo mythology and ritual acknowledgement of life snuffed out in its earliest moments. In this talk, Chodo graciously, courageously shares of himself. Buoyed by sangha and mirroring the vulnerability of those around him, Chodo offers very human stories of loss and return; illness and healing.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
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“…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 and turbulent lives, while certainly not easy, is worth all the effort and commitment we can offer.
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei challenges more common understandings of mindfulness by reminding us that this practice is actually about staying grounded and connected during all of life’s experiences. Neglecting mindfulness means cutting oneself off from everything within and around us. When we fail to maintain right mindfulness, we create separation. Koshin asks us to reflect on what it takes to practice not losing connection? Can we bring new awareness to everything we meet and keep coming back into relationship, even when things are scary and uncomfortable?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“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 eye, to get curious about what limits us, and to courageously find our way into the wild, wide stream of practice. “Conditions are always optimal for practice,” Koshin reminds us. Through our commitment to practice and with support from others on the path, we can steady ourselves when confronting what scares us. We can learn how to move with and through fear to notice what else is true. Finding new possibilities is a form of generosity. Can we be a little more generous, clearer in our resolve to practice, and notice more ways to care deeply for one another?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Facing Your Fear | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Treat others with great care.”
What is possible when we disbelieve our doubt? When we show up to wholeheartedly practice together, worlds come alive. There is an expansive reservoir of compassion and care for all beings.
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei shares a few teachings that are staying with him from his recent trip to Japan. Paying close attention to the actions of his own teacher and to others he met during his travels, Koshin asks what becomes possible when we make our individual wants and agendas smaller? When our steady practice of caring for others opens up fresh heart/mind connections, we manifest love and light of the bodhisattva vows. Like the utpala flower that needs fire to bloom, Koshin encourages us to make the effort to treat all beings with great care.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Three Worlds and All Beings | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Non-doing allows us to cultivate compassionate presence.”
Doing nothing is not about inaction. In this dharma talk, Chodo Sensei invites us to set down our preoccupation with doing – excessive striving, frenetic working – and consider the generative possibilities of non-doing. Can we practice full presence, broad awareness, and deep compassion?
Exploring the subtle differences of zazen between counting the breath or shinkantaza, opens the way for Chodo to share his understanding of what non-doing looks like in our lives and livelihoods. This talk beautifully transitions through a discussion of the foundational dynamics of practices into an interactive mondo that allows space for others to join the conversation by sharing insights and asking questions. At the end we are treated with a poem by Louise Glück called “Crossroads”.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post The Art of Non-Doing | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“The way of belonging is doing.”
On the occasion of Hana Matsuri, a ceremony to celebrate the Buddha’s birth, Koshin Sensei invites us to set down our demand for things to be a certain way, for things to be perfect, and to fully enter the world in all its messy beauty. As Kodo Sawaki Roshi instructs, “Nothing has to be done in a particular way. Yet it has to be done in the highest and best possible way.”
According to one of the earliest accounts of the Buddha’s birth, what is astounding, even magical, is that the Buddha enters the world ‘consciously, deliberately, and at the center of his own story.’ Grounded, clear, and connected is Buddha nature. Or as Kodo Sawaki Roshi puts it, “What is called having magical powers doesn’t mean anything more than having a facial expression that isn’t muddled.” Near the end of this talk, Koshin discusses teachings from the Buddha, as relevant in our time as his own, about the three intoxications with youth, health, and life. Obsessions that can actually bring deprivation. Leaning into the deep wisdom of the myths surrounding Hana Matsuri, Koshin is asking us to consider what is birthed when we make the effort to honor who we are right now? It is not about being or doing anything perfectly, but rather about fully showing up.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“How do you practice not wasting time?”
Stories have impact. Our thoughts and beliefs can take over our minds and actually take us out of relationship. Koshin Sensei reminds us, “We waste a lot of time indulging our thoughts.”
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin draws on the myths and narrative resonances of easter to shed light on our tendency to treat what we think and believe as most important. “What actions are we cultivating?” Koshin asks. We are invited again and again to come back to the practice of zazen, to ‘think non-thinking.’ Dogen Zenji and Sawaki Kodo Roshi are clear: seated meditation is central and “Non thinking is the art of seated meditation.” This is Zen’s ‘primary ceremony’ and where we practice cultivating being no where else but where we are. When we cultivate actions that keep us attuned to the here and now, we waste less time waiting for things to happen, for life to begin. Instead, show up and we enliven the capacity to avail ourselves of buddha nature in everyone and everything.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“It is a form of generosity, how we show up.”
What do we do with the stories we often tell ourselves about ourselves? Many of us worry, ‘Am I good?’ or think, ‘I am no good’. Many of us feel, ‘No one sees me,’ or are sure that ‘Everyone is judging me.’ These stories are not new or unique. They are very human. What if we stopped telling them?
In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to engage with our stories in a new and playful way. Drawing on Kodo Sawaki’s assertive teachings, Koshin shows us how we get caught up in our little dramas, in yet another “scene in the play of self-deception.” The teachings of the Buddha, like the lion’s roar, arrives to completely focus our attention to the way our “little personal problems” block us from fresh possibilities. Can we be more open and expansive? If we engage with one another and remain playful within ourselves, something new can happen. Koshin asks us to imagine: “What would it be like to see your little personal problems as not that interesting?”
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“How do your opinions and preferences take you out of relationship and a life of practice?”
Honoring the Buddha’s death, Nehan-e observance is an opportunity to pay closer attention to your life, to show up and step forward. How will you life your life without regret?
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei implores us to fully commit to being in our lives. To stop holding back and to move forward into the fullness of who we are. Commemorating the death of Shakyamuni Buddha is for the living. Like all rituals, it is a another chance to set down our small selves and experience the connections between all things. When we wholeheartedly step into the practice together we see how everyone of us is strange and ordinary; unique and exactly the same.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Step In | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“We indulge in our fears way too much in the guise of protecting our freedom.”
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei asks us to look closely at what separates us from ourselves and each other. There is difference and we are all one. But our fears hold us back and create distance between us. Fear, at least as ancient as our species, may have kept us alive, but it also confines us to our own little caves. We are invited to look more closely at our fear, to practice with more devotion.
“Devotion is a gateway to oneness,” Koshin teaches. Our lineage is replete with those who cast off ‘myriad involvements’ and ‘just do’ without concern for name and fame. Too often we wait for conditions to change before fully committing. Drawing on the teachings of Dogen Zenji and Kodo Sawaki, Koshin enlivens our devotion to practice and encourages us to see just how interwoven everything is. Are we able to experience our devotion to practice as the gateway through fear and toward connection?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“If the practice is going well, no one is becoming like anyone else.”
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to experience what happens when we wholeheartedly practice. What changes within ourselves? What blooms between one another?
Genyu Kojima Roshi asks his sangha to consider what ‘bad’ religion is. It can happen when everyone is told they must become the same thing. There is another way, a community where everyone commits to being who they actually already are. There is liberation in becoming who we are and no one else. Koshin invites into this possibility by beautifully interconnecting his teacher’s words, teachings by Kodo Sawaki and writings from Dogen Zenji with intimate stories from those near the end of their life. “Before a step is taken you have already arrived. Before a word is spoken the truth has been expressed fully.” (300 Koan Shobogenzo, Case #201, capping verses)
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post The Liberation in Becoming Who We Are | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Do not take anything for granted. See everything as a gift.”
The sixteen bodhisattva precepts are guidelines to live by, aspirations to live into. In this talk, Chodo Sensei introduces us to an extended study of the precepts with a moving story from his experience as a hospice chaplain. It is about a “tiny lady with an enormous presence” and we are invited to witness her clarity of mind.
At the end of this talk, we walk with Chodo along 23rd Street in Manhattan, seeing what he sees, and learning to affirm life in all of its forms and expressions. The storytelling is greatly enhanced as Chodo pauses to weave in the verses of atonement. For its narrative ease, reverent irreverence, and humor, this dharma talk is alive and an offered gift.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Robert Campbell Sensei is a Zen teacher, bereavement specialist, grief counselor and a recognized leader for those suffering with the complexities of death & dying, aging, and sobriety. The educational non-profit he co-founded, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, touches thousands of lives every year through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices. Chodo has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Affirm Life In All Its Forms | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How do we create the conditions to become more free?”
We are here because of those who came before us. In this talk, Koshin Sensei gratefully reminds us that our continuing practice and commitment have deep roots going back eighty eight generations through ancestors from India, China, and Japan. From teacher to student, or from ‘warm hand to warm hand,’ in the heartening phrase from Jisho Warner, Soto Zen carries on in the awakening path. Rooted, expansive, free.
While our individual bodies are ‘essential flesh’, we must always keep the larger view in mind. As Koshin says, “There is something very beautiful about going beyond what we think we are to realize that we are moving toward buddha, awakening.” Like those who preceded us on this path, seeing things through and practicing together offers a way to actually see through things, even ourselves, to experience what it is to be fully grounded, spacious, and free.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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“How often do you live in fear of what is going to happen?”
Can you actually be where you are and nowhere else? In this talk, Koshin Sensei explores this simple question as an invitation to experience its truth in your everyday life. Zen ceremonies are about bringing your mind’s full attention to this moment. Koshin asks, can you see that your whole life is a ceremony?
Through the teachings of Dogen and Kodo Sawaki, we learn how to trust being nowhere else. Can we notice how fears and shadows take us away from the here and now and out of relationship? We create harm when everything is about the small self. The world narrows, fractures, and dims when it’s all about ‘me’. When we are actually here with each other and fully in our bodies, we nurture the buddha seeds of kindness, connection, and joy.
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL*
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The post Being Here & Nowhere Else | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“It is not through ease that we open, but through challenge, the challenge of being in relationship.”
In this talk, Koshin Sensei encourages us to face our discomfort and notice all the ways we distance ourselves from everyone and everything around us. Imagine what encountering your life might look and feel like. Koshin explores fundamental questions posed by Charlotte Joko Beck and formative stories about Zen ancestors recounted by Keizan Zenji. Through fits of laughter and anecdotes of monks behaving badly, Koshin teaches us to summon our inner cowgirl and throw open the doors of our lives. There is a wildness to practice. Is your life about hiding in your discomfort or about actually opening up to all that is unfolding?
ZENTALK NOTESKoshin Paley Ellison Sensei Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS* Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
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The post How do you actually meet your life? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Buddhism teaches that just like all of our other qualities, the love we possess is boundless…rather than view this as a limited resource to be shared sparingly, authentic love powers our commitment to support others and enable us to grow ever more human in the process.” On the final evening of the Contemplative Care […]
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“And what does Zen really look like? As if it actually looks like anything. When we think it looks like something, we’re on the wrong path. Mountains and rivers away from it. If it were to look like anything, it would be like the wind. We would hear and feel it. We wouldn’t see it. […]
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“If there is meaning in life at all, there must be meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.” — Victor Frankl In the talk, guest teacher Cristina Moon guides us through the teachings of the Four Noble Truths […]
The post Cultivating the Immovable Mind | Cristina Moon appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Like lighted incense, when we sit Zazen, we burn away our self-centeredness and release our true fragrance.” In this recent dharma talk, guest teacher, Shinzan Palma invites us to consider what we can give to the world and the different forms generosity may take. When we are dedicated to our practice, Shinzan teaches, we […]
The post Generosity Takes Many Forms | Jose Shinzan Palma appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Call me naive, but I still believe in the power of love.” During NYZC’s recent Contemplative Care Retreat, guest dharma teacher Pamela Ayo Yetunde shares a dharma talk focusing on love, a medicine for hatred. The understanding of Buddhist love Ayo offers here contrasts views of love that are delusional, clinging, co-dependent, possessive and […]
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“It is very popular to see a life of practice as a transaction as opposed to just doing because that is what needs to be done.” Totally engaged, to be no where else except here, this is the practice. In this talk Koshin Sensei reflects on what it is to practice a life lived […]
The post No Escape: Fully Engaging Body & Mind | Koshin appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“When we get caught up in our opinions and evaluations, we miss the opportunity to feel compassion and love.” The Contemplative Care Retreat this year focused on the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion. During this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei turns our attention to how hatred, or our anger & resentment, impacts our […]
The post On Anger | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” ― Siddhārtha Gautama, The Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha In yesterday’s dharma talk, Koshin Sensei reminds us of our shared human connection. He invites us to weave together the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian violence, as we are all threads […]
The post Hatred Does Not Cease by Hatred | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How am I taking care of the whole? How are my actions bringing harmony to all?” In this dharma talk, rich with detail and insight, Koshin Sensei recounts his recent trip to Japan, which he traveled to at the behest of his teacher, Genyu Kojima Roshi. Koshin’s insights into his experiences offer a unique […]
The post The Dharma in What We Do, Not Say | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“The Middle Way means to demolish all concepts set up in our minds…allowing life to be life.” – Kōshō Uchiyama During our recent Summer Sesshin, Chodo Sensei offered an instructive and expansive dharma talk weaving together several strands of guiding wisdom. His talk explores the three pure precepts of not-knowing, bearing witness, and loving […]
The post Freedom in the Middle Way | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Who do you recognize as part of your community?” In this talk from earlier in the year, Chodo Sensei introduces the Three Jewels – Buddha, Dharma, Sangha – and focuses his attention on the last one; community. Chodo invites his listeners to walk with him: past his doorman, through his neighborhood, into a coffee […]
The post The Three Jewels are Everywhere | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Life always presents us with pairs. There are always two aspects that complement each other – sun and moon, day and night, mother and father, life and death – but how easily our minds become occupied in a one-sided way. When we see one aspect and ignore the other, however, we feel incomplete and the […]
The post Cultivating One Buddha Mind | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“When we do just one activity, we express our true nature.” – Suzuki Roshi In this recent dharma talk, Chodo Sensei looks at the scattering tendencies of the mind. He shares his own difficulties remaining in the present. His invitation, and ongoing practice, is to fully attend to whatever experience is happening right now. Whether with your family or while at work, being present is a way to skillfully meet our scattered minds and effectively address the chaos it creates. Leaning on the Japanese phrase “ichigyo-zammai”, Chodo encourages us to stop and give ‘full concentration on one act’.
ZENTALK NOTESChodo Robert Campbell Sensei is a co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and is part of the core faculty for the Buddhist Track in the Master in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Zen Center’s education partner, New York Theological Seminary.
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UPCOMING PROGRAMS (as of April 27th, 2023)—Commit to Sit Summer 2023: Living Wide Awake is now open for registration! Led by Koshin Sensei and sixteen magnificent Zen teachers from across the United States and Japan, this 90-day online practice period will be guided by our study text, Opening the Hand of Thought, Kōshō Uchiyama’s clear and accessible introduction to the practice of Zen Buddhism. | Learn more »
—The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort! Now in its second year, the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a twelve-month training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to lead change in the culture of care. The program is designed to immerse participants in the true experience of the alleviation of suffering in their personal and professional lives. Contemplative Medicine Conversations with esteemed visiting faculty are offered monthly, free of charge. | Learn more »
—Foundations in Contemplative Care is accepting applications: Since 2007, the Foundations in Contemplative Care training has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and care. This program is open to anyone who feels called upon to respond to the suffering in the world. | Learn more »
—Join us on retreat: allow your contemplative practice to unfold!
MUSICHeart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS* Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book * Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t * Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
The post Ichigyo-Zammai: Full Concentration | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Our willingness to be compassionate and generous in our speech changes relationships both inside of our selves, in our sangha, and in our world.”
What happens when we don’t hold ourselves and each other accountable? Koshin Sensei explores the meaning and implications of practicing “Kind Speech,” one of Dogen’s ‘Four Methods of Guidance’. We are challenged to ask: How do we hold ourselves accountable to our own standards for how to live? How do we use kind speech to encourage each other to be clear? Dogen writes: “Ponder the fact that kind speech is not just praising the merit of others. It has the power to turn the destiny of the nation.”
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
CONNECT WITH US
—Donate
UPCOMING PROGRAMS (as of March 31st, 2023)
—Commit to Sit Summer 2023: Living Wide Awake is now open for registration! Led by Koshin Sensei and sixteen magnificent Zen teachers from across the United States and Japan, this 90-day online practice period will be guided by our study text, Opening the Hand of Thought, Kōshō Uchiyama’s clear and accessible introduction to the practice of Zen Buddhism. | Learn more »
—The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort! Now in its second year, the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a twelve-month training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to lead change in the culture of care. The program is designed to immerse participants in the true experience of the alleviation of suffering in their personal and professional lives. Contemplative Medicine Conversations with esteemed visiting faculty are offered monthly, free of charge. | Learn more »
—Foundations in Contemplative Care is accepting applications: Since 2007, the Foundations in Contemplative Care training has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and care. This program is open to anyone who feels called upon to respond to the suffering in the world. | Learn more »
—Join us on retreat: allow your contemplative practice to unfold!
MUSIC
Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS
Get your copy of Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book
Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
The post Kind Speech is Not Always Comfortable | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“If we know we are going to die, then we are right where we are supposed to be.”
In this dharma talk from our recent Winter Sesshin, Chodo Sensei explores three of the Buddha’s first five remembrances – that we are of the nature to grow old, to become ill, and eventually, to die. He describes his own aging and encourages us to ask: How do we experience growing older by the second? Finally, Chodo speaks about Zen as an embodied practice. What does it mean to be in this body in this, and every, moment? His remarks conclude with a powerful chanting of the Evening Gatha – it’s final line hangs in the air like a sign at the threshold of existence: “Do not squander your life.”
ZENTALK NOTES
Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei is a co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and is part of the core faculty for the Buddhist Track in the Master in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Zen Center’s education partner, New York Theological Seminary.
CONNECT WITH US
—Donate
UPCOMING PROGRAMS (as of February 17th, 2023)
—The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort! Now in its second year, the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a twelve-month training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to lead change in the culture of care. The program is designed to immerse participants in the true experience of the alleviation of suffering in their personal and professional lives. Contemplative Medicine Conversations with esteemed visiting faculty are offered monthly, free of charge. | Learn more »
—Foundations in Contemplative Care is accepting applications: Since 2007, the Foundations in Contemplative Care training has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and care. This program is open to anyone who feels called upon to respond to the suffering in the world. | Learn more »
MUSIC
Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS
Get your copy of Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book
Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
The post Zen Practice and the Body | Chodo Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“What does leaving our sense of loneliness and entering community have to teach you?”
In this opening dharma talk from Commit to Sit Winter 2023, Koshin Sensei invites us to explore what causes us to suffer. He encourages us to confront and work with what holds us back, what keeps us from living fuller lives. Koshin explores the longstanding Buddhist wisdom about how human grasping causes suffering. We suffer because of our craving, or ‘tanha’. One of the keys to living life more fully is to recognize how tanha in its three styles – kama, bhava, vibhava – limits our freedom to be ourselves and to truly connect with one another.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
CONNECT WITH US
—Donate
UPCOMING PROGRAMS (as of January 21st, 2023)
—(New course) Deepen your practice while engaging study with the Zen Ancestors!—The Nature of Awakened Practice: Walking the Path with the Zen Ancestors—Starting January 25th, 2023, join Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei in a 13-week study of the Sōtō Zen lineage and how we can learn from and be supported by the ancestors’ examples of awakening practice in everyday life. | Learn More »
—The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort! Now in its second year, the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a twelve-month training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to lead change in the culture of care. The program is designed to immerse participants in the true experience of the alleviation of suffering in their personal and professional lives. Contemplative Medicine Conversations with esteemed visiting faculty are offered monthly, free of charge. | Learn more »
—Foundations in Contemplative Care is accepting applications: Since 2007, the Foundations in Contemplative Care training has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and care. This program is open to anyone who feels called upon to respond to the suffering in the world. | Learn more »
MUSIC
Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS
Get your copy of Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book
Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
The post Seizing Our Opportunity to Live | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“But most of all, continuing to sit without moving, not even shifting a foot or lifting our eyes, it builds the strength that we need, and that others need in us in the face of pain or crisis. Sit there with your heart breaking. But sit tall, see and hear everything. Breathe low and slow and feel big. When you’re in the room with suffering, especially someone else’s, these are things you cannot fake and they work most palpably and effectively when they come out intuitively and spontaneously, rather than being sort of put on in a way that’s conscious or contrived.”
Reverend Cristina Moon of Daihonzan Chozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple in Honolulu, joined the NYZC sangha to deliver a stirring dharma talk on the importance of keeping the forms of practice even if they feel foreign, aiding a fellow meditator during their unease through your own stillness, and the transformation that comes about as a result of being still for your own pain.
ZENTALK NOTES
Cristina Moon: After a career in human rights and social change organizing, and graduating from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Cristina embarked on three years of monastic training at Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Honolulu. While still in residence as a priest, she continues to train in zazen, Kendo, Chado, and ceramics—and now works with individuals and organizations to develop the sensitivity and spiritual strength needed to lead in today’s challenging world.
CONNECT WITH US
—Donate
UPCOMING PROGRAMS (as of December 9th, 2022)
—Commit to Sit Winter 2023 will start January 11th, 2023! Join 16 Zen teachers from across the United States and Japan for an in-depth, 90-day exploration of Zen practice and study guided by our study text, Ordinary Wonder: Zen Life & Practice, the latest collection of Charlotte Joko Beck’s clear and incisive teachings that cut to the core of our negative beliefs that prevent us from embracing every moment. | Learn more »
—Beginner’s Mind Sesshin: A Winter Silent Retreat of Wholehearted Practice—A cornerstone of Zen practice, the Japanese word for “sesshin” means “touching the heart-mind.” This is a rare opportunity for deepening our practice with a community of supportive practitioners. January 11th – January 15th, 2023 at the Garrison Institute. | Learn More »
—(New course) Deepen your practice while engaging study with the Zen Ancestors!—The Nature of Awakened Practice: Walking the Path with the Zen Ancestors—Starting January 25th, 2023, join Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei in a 13-week study of the Sōtō Zen lineage and how we can learn from and be supported by the ancestors’ examples of awakening practice in everyday life. | Learn More »
—The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort! Now in its second year, the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a twelve-month training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to lead change in the culture of care. The program is designed to immerse participants in the true experience of the alleviation of suffering in their personal and professional lives. Contemplative Medicine Conversations with esteemed visiting faculty are offered monthly, free of charge. | Learn more »
—Foundations in Contemplative Care is accepting applications: Since 2007, the Foundations in Contemplative Care training has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and care. This program is open to anyone who feels called upon to respond to the suffering in the world. | Learn more »
MUSIC
Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS
Get your copy of Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book
Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
The post Train Hard, Your Spirit Counts | Cristina Moon appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“The flame of the dharma you have lit, humbly and respectfully, I transmit to the next generation.” —Shundo Aoyama Rōshi In this opening dharma talk from our last Commit to Sit 90-day practice period (summer ’22), Koshin Sensei discusses a myriad number of things that a consistent practitioner will have to face as they […]
The post The Importance of Good Spiritual Friends | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Enlightenment is the ending in yourself of that hope for something other than life as it is” —Charlotte Joko Beck We can understand the craft of meditation as the joining of a physical posture with a mental posture. In this talk by guest dharma teacher and Guiding Teacher of Boulder Zen Center, Zenki Christian […]
The post The Mental Postures of Meditation | Zenki Christian Dillo appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“We have to release the clamp of our own jaw around our suffering. The uniqueness that we want to hold on to is usually not our actual uniqueness. We get into a habit of holding on to some gunky old stuff that I call ‘me’. We maintain this strange altar of our own suffering and […]
The post Running On the Edge of a Sword | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“It’s important to be courteous; not just to sit in Zazen but to cultivate the body and mind in the dignity of the Buddha. To give ourselves dignity and respect. This is difficult. It’s easier to welcome others than to welcome yourself.” Rev. Anna Maria Iten Shinnyo Marradi, spiritual guide of Shinnyoji Temple in Florence, […]
The post Cultivating the Dignity of the Buddha | Rev. Anna Maria Iten Shinnyo Marradi appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“So what is this great light flashing through her mind? (It is) how you really see the blackness of a cup of coffee… how you really see the fractals of the broccoli or cauliflower… how you are present to how you move.” José Shinzan Palma, a Zen teacher and dear dharma friend from San Diego, […]
The post Everything Must Go | Jose Shinzan Palma appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“This moment may be the only moment in the circle. But any point will do. Any point is the Alpha and Omega—a special time or place is not needed. In other words, you’re all exactly where you need to be whether you like it or not.” In the midst of the New York Zen […]
The post You Must Be Your Own Teacher | Dai En Friedman appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“One of the strongest characteristics of the role of shuso is its innate awkwardness. One is always both junior and senior. This is a given to the path to those on the shuso path. This fact is confronted deeply. The faces of the junior and senior are constantly being switched, sometimes both worn at the […]
The post What is the Role of Shuso? | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“We are the like the apex of a pyramid – the levels of the pyramid ever widening toward its base represent past generations of our ancestors. Our present existence is the sum of all they did and we are the starting point for our descendants. All that our ancestors did reflect on us and all […]
The post Practicing Appreciation for Your Ancestors | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“What helps to enrich us and make us strong is not favorable circumstances, but failure, misfortune, or illness. What matters most is how we take misfortune. The saying ‘A branch of plum blossoms harmonizes fragrantly with snow’ teaches us how to deal with difficult circumstances.” —Shundo Aoyama Rōshi As part of our third annual […]
The post Plum Blossoms Harmonize Fragrantly with Snow | Koshin Paley Ellison & Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
If you do, you can. If you don’t, you can’t. When you say you can’t do what can be done, It means you haven’t set out to do it. —Junkyo Oishi (1888-1968) Pulling from Zen Seeds, Shundo Aoyama Rōshi’s timeless book on life and practice, Koshin Sensei shares the story of Junkyo Oishi, otherwise known […]
The post Do Not Let Your Heart Be Crippled | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Prajnatara asked, ‘What amongst all things is the greatest?’ Bodhidharma said, ‘True nature, of all things, is the greatest.’” In this dharma talk, Sensei Koshin shares a koan describing the meeting between Prajnatara and Bodhidharma, which would lead to Prajnatara becoming Boddhidharma’s teacher and paving the way for the founding of the Zen lineage. […]
The post Realizing the Tathāgata’s True Meaning | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
Fear can lead us to do regretful, hateful, and even violent things. Lion’s Roar & NYZC’s new online course Medicine for Fear is inspired by Zen teacher Eihei Dogen’s essential instructions for awakening. The course, featuring Sensei Koshin and Sensei Chodo, as well as Mushim Ikeda, Pamela Ayo Yetunde, Kodo Nishimura, and Mirabai Bush, offers […]
The post Fear and Knowing How to Be Satisfied | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“To devote ourselves to everything we encounter and throw our life force into doing just that is quite different from simply exhausting our energies playing with toys.” —Kōshō Uchiyama Rōshi In celebration of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s birthday, the NYZC sangha gathered on April 10th, whether in person or virtually, to chant, bathe the baby […]
The post Happily Putting Down Our Habits | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How are you cultivating that space of no separation in each moment?” Koshin Paley Ellison delivers a talk on the importance of commitment in relationship, whether it be commitment in how you show up for others in your community or the steadiness you display in a teacher–student engagement. He discusses the Zen ancestor Guishan […]
The post The Glowing Ember of Sangha | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
What are the ingredients that go into your decisions today? Sensei Chodo delivers a vulnerable dharma talk on a koan in which you find yourself trapped in an impossible situation and asks: “How can you get out?” Though koan practice is unusual in the Sōtō Zen sect, they are practiced and taught in the […]
The post The Stone Grave You Find Yourself In | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Big mind, then, is not a matter of meditation on some vast floating spatial dimension. It is the practice of entirely devoting your life to each and everything that you encounter, no matter what it might be.” As the New York Zen Center continues in its 90 day ango (practice period), Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell […]
The post How Do We Embody Big Mind? | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
For more than a decade, NYZC’s Foundations in Contemplative Care has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and caregiving. In this info session (recorded on February 28th, 2022), guiding teachers, Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Robert Campbell, as well as staff […]
The post Answering Your Questions about Foundations in Contemplative Care | February 2022 appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How can you embody being settled into the Way?” In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison cites our Zen ancestor, Dōgen Zenji, who, in his various guides explains that those who hold positions within sanghas are monks “settled in the Way”. Koshin sensei examines what it means to be settled as such and how […]
The post Showing Up For Your Life | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“It is not valid to equate a fact, as real as it may seem to be, with the truth. It is just self deception. We deceive ourselves by believing a fact that exists in our mind is an absolute truth” —Kōshō Uchiyama In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison draws from lessons learned during […]
The post In Harmony With The Three Treasures | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“What I would encourage you to do is to reflect on: how you how you’ve deceived yourself this past year, how you’ve made excuses, and how can you take responsibility.” On the eve of the new year, Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Robert Campbell deliver dharma talks on self-deception, taking responsibility, and setting intentions. Chodo […]
The post How Will You Be In Time? | New Year’s Eve Dharma Talks & 108 Bell Ringing appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“If you just surrender your life to the dharma, then you no longer have to worry what the future will bring. You will bring forth the future out of your surrender. Just drink tea and the dharma will come to you. You don’t have to chase it. It is chasing you.” —Sandra Jishu Holmes Roshi […]
The post Stop Chasing! Our Cultural Belief in Choice | Dai En Friedman appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“I’ve been practicing for twenty years and it’s so wonderful that I’m still not sure what practice is.” Sensei Shinzan Palma joins the NYZC sangha to deliver a dharma talk on the varying dimensions of practice. He shares his own journey in understanding what zazen means to him, navigating past delusions of his younger years. […]
The post Grounding In Your Practice & Supporting Sangha | Jose Shinzan Palma appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Maintaining the sangha and showing up to serve the Buddhadharma is something beyond us, beyond ‘me’.” Sensei Koshin delivers a dharma talk on perseverance and dedication to practice. He shares the story of Parsha, the 10th ancestor of Shakyamuni Buddha and a venerable monk born at the ripe age of 60 years old. With […]
The post The Arc of Practice | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“When we give to others, we give without expectation or reward. We give without attachment to the gift or the recipient.” —Shakyamuni Buddha Chodo Robert Campbell delivers a dharma talk on Dāna, the Pali word for generosity, or as Chodo refers to it, “the practice of giving and the release of self-clinging”. He discusses […]
The post This Generosity Comes in Unexpected Ways | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Can you find the steadiness of your practice even when you don’t want to? Can you show up even when you’re not feeling well in your body-mind?” During the last practice period and in the midst of a full day Zazenkai, Koshin Paley Ellison delivers a dharma talk on finding your breath and practice […]
The post The Entire Universe is One Bright Pearl | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Many of us use spiritual practice as a transaction. We say to ourselves, ‘if I log in enough hours, I will get something.’” In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison draws from one of this year’s practice texts, Bendōwa, in which Eihei Dogen exhorts his disciples to engage in continuous practice under the tutelage […]
The post Practice and Realization Are Not Two Things | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“If I can practice having tenderness and compassion for my own experience, it’s like having a couple of extra windows in your house. You can then see what other people are going through and then we can have companionship.” Further expanding on Bendōwa: On The Endeavor Of The Way, one of the study texts […]
The post Waking Up to the Hidden Parts of Ourselves | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Zazen has nothing whatsoever to do with whether you’re sitting upright or lying down.” Examining one of this year’s Commit to Sit practice texts, Koshin Paley Ellison reflects on the teachings of the Zen ancestor, Eihei Dogen, and how they relate to the meaning of zazen, the strength of community and legacy, and “giving […]
The post For Zazen, A Quiet Room is Best | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How do you experience the sound of raindrops as they land on the surface of the water? The breeze against your face if you’re flying in the sky? Or are you just ambling through your life with closed eyes? Stuck in your ‘I, I, I’, ‘me, me, me’.” On the final Sunday of June […]
The post 51 Years Later, Still Fighting | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“All people throughout the world are, without a doubt, equally imprinted with Buddha nature.”—Eihei Dogen As the Zen Center begins to slowly open its doors for in-person sits, Koshin Paley Ellison addresses the different ways in which we defile or disparage the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and what to do when you […]
The post The Acupuncture Needle of Zazen | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Part of our practice is to educate ourselves about history but also about how we work with our rage; how we work with our feelings of difference.” On May 30th, 2021, the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacres, Koshin Paley Ellison discusses the importance of Right View, the first step in the Buddha’s Eightfold […]
The post How Do You Stop the Fighting Across the River? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“What do you do in the face of horror, the face of fear, the face of the unknown? How do we give each other the courage to dig into curiosity and generosity?” As conflicts in the Middle East spawn rising tension and animosity, Koshin Paley Ellison addresses the necessary strength one needs to maintain […]
The post No Beginning and No End: What Do You Do in the Face of Fear? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“How can my actions today foster and nourish other people’s spiritual lives?” Drawing upon Case 33 of The Book of Equanimity, Koshin details the interaction between Sanshô and Seppô, in which the younger monk addresses his senior with contempt. This story illuminates the need for skillful means, but what is skillful means? Does the […]
The post What is Skillful Means? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
“Treading the Mountain Path, The Violets Fill My Heart, With indefinable gracefulness. Though no one pays any attention to the violets along the path, they still bloom, quietly beautifully elegantly.“ —Basho In this recent dharma talk, Chodo Robert Campbell inquires how we take notice of details in our life that we otherwise may […]
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“The world is a beautiful place to be born into, if you don’t mind a touch of hell.” On one of the final days of our last practice period, Koshin Paley Ellison discusses the importance of getting up, even after failing miserably. He also asks us to examine our impact on others, and inspired […]
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“But the curse of this charm is exile from the unlucky, how gifts make you deaf to the sudden shout of a man camped in the ravine, make you blind to the dirty face of a woman with a cardboard sign. Without hunger, it’s easy to be heartless. Without hurt, you are disabled.” […]
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“There is not a single thing that is not Buddha.” On the night after the center’s first Shuso empowerment, Chodo Robert Campbell discusses the importance of the Shuso, or senior student. As someone who had gone through this training period himself with its many humble responsibilities, he explains how the title and ceremony are […]
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“We are here to feel all of the waves, from the great joys to the great sorrows.” In this Sunday morning dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison discusses the need and the difficulty of opening and closing (when appropriate) to life. As he describes it, opening and the Bodhisattvic vow are difficult to do when […]
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“This practice is about a daily struggle!” Given on February 28th, the 47th day of our Commit to Sit practice: In that day’s source text, the Soto Zen founder, Dogen Zenji, tells us, “At the top of a 100 foot pole, take one step further!” Reflecting on this teaching and thinking of his own […]
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Sensei Chodo gives a talk on the importance of virya, the sanskrit word for strength or energy, and how it can be used when the forces of Mara (depression, ill-temper, addictive behavior) attempt to seduce you.
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On October 12, 2020, Sensei Gyokei Yokoyama joined the NYZC sangha for a community sit and dharma talk. Currently, he is assigned to work for the Long Beach Buddhist Church and Montebello Sozenji Buddhist Temple as a minister and the SÅtÅ Zen North America Office as the secretary. In this dharma talk, Sensei Yokoyama discusses [â¦]
âBreathing in, patience. Breathing out, wisdomâ In todayâs dharma talk, Sensei Chodo addresses the Third Paramita: Kshanti, or patience. How difficult it can be to remain patient when confronted with some of our present day challenges! Detailing circumstances that challenge his own forbearance, he shares essential practices that allow you to gain access to to [â¦]
âWhen everything is unraveling, be a student, not a victimâ The New York Zen Center sangha recently lost a beloved member, Michelle Slater. In this memorial talk, Sensei Koshin addresses the loving, independent woman that she was and shares stories of strong zen women who embody her spirit. She found a great sense of community [â¦]
âDo my thoughts, words, and actions inspire the work of awakening?â In a manual written in approximately 1237 CE, Eihei Dogen, the founder of the Soto Zen tradition of Buddhism, outlined the duties of the monastery cook. Why would he dedicate himself to writing a manual for such a position? As Koshin Paley Ellison points [â¦]
The New York Zen Center recently welcomed author Barbara Bonner to an evening with their sangha to discuss her new book, Inspiring Forgiveness: Poems, Quotations, and True Stories to Help with Forgiving Yourself and Others. Throughout the evening, Barbara shares poetry and techniques that have aided her on the path to forgiveness; she answers questions [â¦]
Free live guided meditations every Thursday at 6:30 PM ET. Find out more here: https://zencare.org/online-zendo/ ZenTalk Notes: Sensei Robert Chodo Campbell is a co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and is part of the core faculty for the Buddhist Track in the Master in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Zen Center’s […]
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“The bones and skulls of those who did not turn back from this continuous practice are enshrined in seven treasure pagodas and given respect by humans and devas.” Drawing inspiration from his teacher’s two-acre garden on Long Island, NY, Sensei Koshin wonders what it means to tend to the gardens of our own lives, especially […]
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Free live guided meditations every Thursday at 6:30 PM ET. Find out more here: https://zencare.org/online-zendo/ ZenTalk Notes: Sensei Robert Chodo Campbell is a co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and is part of the core faculty for the Buddhist Track in the Master in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Zen Center’s […]
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“Gossiping and taking sides does not take a lot of practice.” In this dharma talk, Sensei Koshin discusses the importance of not being swayed by one’s emotional reactivities. Drawing upon examples of teachers who were able to remain completely present with outright injustice against them, he urges us to continue practicing, especially when it is […]
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“Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” — John Lewis Sensei Chodo gives a moving and wide-ranging talk, discussing: Bodhidharma meeting Emperor Wu, breaking down and explaining the meaning behind the heart sutra, and the wisdom inherent in our primordial nature. He also shares lessons from The […]
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“Not holding back is a place of practice.” Drawing inspiration from the teachings of Dogen, Koshin gives a wide-ranging talk on the importance of practicing past the point of discomfort and not having the practice adapt to your preferences. He also reminds us of the debt we owe to teachers of old who have kept […]
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“Everything is an aspect of continuous practice, particularly what we think shouldn’t be happening.” Sensei Koshin delivers an important talk on the merits of both study and practice; how the two compliment and deepen each other. But, as he is quick to mention, practice of mindfulness must always take precedence. He also discusses the importance […]
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“How can we sit just for ourselves with what is happening around us?” On Saturday, June 27th, the Zen Center’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group launched its Sit for Scholarship 2020 event where formal students, members, friends and fans of the Zen Center sat together (online) in meditation to raise funds for the Zen Center’s […]
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“Flow and swirl at the world, carried along as if by a dark current. All you can do is keep swimming. All you can do is keep singing.” In this vulnerable dharma talk, Sensei Chodo describes the grief he and Sensei Koshin experienced as they witnessed the passing of their beloved Maine Coon cat, Obi. […]
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“Sacrifice is a way to connect to what we give most value.” How much are we willing to shift? This is the question posed by Sensei Koshin several weeks after protests broke out across the country and the world, highlighting racial and economic inequalities. Connecting to ancestors in the zen lineage and his own family […]
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“Living for 100 years doesn’t compare with living for one day and arousing determination for the Way.” As the New York Zen Center engages in a Commit to Sit period and as the world reels from issues of inequality, Sensei Chodo delivers a dharma talk on the importance of practice. He reminds us to practice […]
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“This kind of group practice can be of real benefit to a world such as ours. Perhaps it is not so irrelevant to a world in which harmony is scarcer than diamonds.” — Taizan Maezumi Roshi Tensions and protests are escalating throughout the United States. Several weeks ago, Sensei Chodo addressed the sangha after […]
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“What’s inspiring about this practice to me is: How do we make it a land of the free for everyone? This is a liberation practice.” On the 7th day of the passing of George Floyd, the New York Zen Center held a memorial service in remembrance. Sensei Koshin delivers a dharma talk on the excruciating […]
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“The pitfall is always within yourself. Everything is already here with you! This body and mind is the Way. You are complete to begin with. There is no gap but you think there is.” On the 25th anniversary of the passing of Taizan Maezumi Roshi, Sensei Koshin addresses the life and teachings of the eminent […]
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“How do you hold back? What’s your hesitation? Now that we’ve all bumped into the dharma, what next?” In this recent talk, Sensei Koshin reads the 25th case from the Blue Cliff Record: The Hermit Of Lotus Flower Peak Holds Up His Staff. He brings the story to life by examining how we show gratitude […]
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“She’s not the mother I would have asked for, but she’s the one that I got.” In this recent talk, Sensei Chodo discusses the perfectly-imperfect and powerful women that have granted us all life: from ancient bodhisattvas that visited the hell realms for the sake of all beings to a mother and daughter that find […]
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“In the world, there is nothing that is not your practice. How vast is your role? Who will you embrace in this suffering world?” Sensei Chodo Campbell gives a dharma talk on the state of the sangha in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown: students of the Foundations course unable to meet patients and nursing […]
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“The constant learning of this time is: how do we want to be and how do we meet each challenge, particularly in our minds?” As the center adapts to a post-pandemic virtual existence, Sensei Koshin addresses the realities New Yorkers are facing in response to Covid-19. These harrowing tales highlight the practice of bearing witness […]
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“There is a lot of talk in dharma practice about stillness, peace and perfect alignment with life — there’s something beautiful about invoking that possibility but it often contrasts very much with the lack of peace one might feel. How often do we judge that lack of peace as something that shouldn’t be happening?” […]
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“What would it be like to say, with some humor, ‘Ah, who cares if I am uncomfortable?’ This whole world is uncomfortable! How do we find the softness and tenderness for that fear but not live in reaction to it?” In a recent virtual dharma talk, Sensei Koshin discusses the struggles the sangha has been […]
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In a recent book launch, Marie Howe, Victoria Redel, Tenku Ruff and Sebene Selassie read poetry from “The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns” by Matty Weingast. Composed around the Buddha’s lifetime, the Therigatha (Verses of the Elder Nuns) contains poems of princesses and courtesans, tired wives of arranged marriages and the […]
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“The beauty of this practice is that you can feel your feelings without identifying who you are by what you are feeling.” The Zen Masters of old would teach that those without preferences had their path laid out before them. Easier said than done! How do we soften the clinging to our preferences so that […]
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“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe”, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.” – Albert Einstein In this talk, Sensei Koshin shares his thoughts on the idea of self-compassion, and “practicing at […]
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“Learning how to relax is a place of practice.” In this vulnerable dharma talk, Sensei Chodo engages the students in the ancient art of Mondo Zen, or dialogue between teacher and pupil. He first shares a story of a classic zen teacher/student interaction and then queries: what does it take to relax into this moment […]
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“No one can live your life except you. No one can live my life except me” – Maezumi Roshi In this recent talk, Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C discusses a heart opening experience with an unexpected teacher, appreciating the miracle of natural-born abilities, and finding practice in the middle of New York City. The […]
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A talk by Sensei Chodo
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A talk from Sensei Shinzan
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A talk from Sensei Dai-En
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A talk from Sensei Koshin
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Koshin Sensei remembers Ram Dass and Iron Grinder Liu.
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A talk by Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C
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A talk by Koshin Sensei
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A talk by Shinzan Sensei
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A talk by Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C
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A talk by Shinzan Palma Sensei
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A talk by Koshin Sensei
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Koshin Sensei discusses case 2 of the Mumonkan: Baizhang’s fox, karma, and the four noble truths.
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A talk by Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C
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Koshin Sensei discusses case #17 of the Book of Serenity: Hogen’s Hair’s Breadth
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Koshin Sensei discusses case 30 of the Mumonkan, mind, and interrupting the process of identifying with your brain.
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A talk by Koshin Sensei
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A talk by Chodo Sensei
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Koshin Sensei discusses taking refuge in the three treasures.
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Chodo Sensei discusses the first noble truth.
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Koshin Sensei discusses the fourth grave precept: not to lie but to tell the truth.
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Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C discusses working with teachings we don’t want. References: Magdalene (Marie Howe), Zen Master Raven (Robert Aitken Roshi), Rumi
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Koshin Sensei discusses delusion and impermanence
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Koshin Sensei talks about taking the medicine of practice and how it serves the world.
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Koshin Sensei discusses the reach of our actions.
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Sallie joined us in NYC to share her insights and answer questions around the dying process.
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How can our grief merge with our practice? By Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison
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Koshin Sensei speaks on Self Realization.
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Koshin Sensei addresses the Third Grave Precept.
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Appreciating all the Teachings by Robert Chodo Campbell Chodo Sensei urges us to appreciate our lives and the opportunity to practice together.
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Dragon Howls and Tiger Roars by Koshin Paley Ellison In practice, you are learning how to trust your way, but not your conditioned way. You must realize it for yourself.
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In every moment, how can we embody the spirit of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva who hears the cries of the world and takes action?
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Sitting down and having a meditation practice is one thing, but what you do when you're meditating is what really matters. Can you allow yourself to experience what you’re experiencing when you experience it?
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Innkeeper of the Universe by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Freedom is Total Responsibility by Koshin Paley Ellison
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The Moon in the Water by Koshin Paley Ellison.
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Surrender Everything by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Like a Baby by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Do Not Look Elsewhere by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Allowing Yourself to Get Out of Your Own Way by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Vow of Responsibility by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Virya by Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C
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The Journey by Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C
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Nobody Knows the Troubles I Have Seen by Koshin Paley Ellison
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Show Up and Participate by Koshin Palley Ellison In this dharma talk, Koshin discusses going beyond our usual habits of avoiding what we don’t like and grasping at what we like. When that happens we are able to relax and engage with whatever is going on.
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Kannon, The Bodhisattva of Compassion by Robert Chodo Campbell
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Promise Nothing Other Than to Show Up Completely in the Moment by Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison In this podcast, Koshin talks about how to inhabit the present moment. Are we going to spend our time in reactivity with our storylines and habits, or are we willing to remain open-hearted and grounded to whatever we encounter?
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Not Holding on to Anger by Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell GC-C
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