Shasta Abbey: Recent Episodes
Shasta Abbey
Teachings about Buddhist practice in the Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) tradition from the monks at Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery.Learn more at: shastaabbey.orgVideo recordings of talks are uploaded to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShastaAbbeyDharmaTalksfind us on twitter: @shastaabbeyfacebook & instagram
Rev. Sanshin Alexander is a visiting monk from the community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland UK, and a disciple of Rev. Master Daishin Morgan. In this talk he explores Dogen's phrase 'This is the merit of non-action and non seeking. The awakening to True Wisdom." and how this applies to us in our daily practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday July 5, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/e9vdbBchqTI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
email: podcast@shastaabbey.org
Rev. Allard interviews Rev. Master Oswin, asking questions about monastic life and his advice for training. This interview took place on July 8, 2026.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp continues with the theme of cultivating faith and trust in the Buddha's teaching. The Practice frees us from the obstacles of our suffering, but we must have the trust to be willing to put the teachings into practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June 21, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Iubb5gX4zUk
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard introduces a new programming idea for the Shasta Abbey Podcast.
New podcast email: podcast@shastaabbey.org
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about the Buddhist virtue of joyful effort or Virya in Sanskrit. He encourages us to cultivate a stillness within the activity of our every day lives that is bright and energetic. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday, June 14, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/W_lQt1OdkLI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/8KE_eHi62Uc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/muTgIGzuczU
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/S4ey4fSCt0A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/0dsoPX6Ol9A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sQ0B43rUg6A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/fwn37lVcBFc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q1pn_yntRDc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Sanshin Alexander is a visiting monk from the community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland UK, and a disciple of Rev. Master Daishin Morgan. In this talk he explores the term 'Buddha Nature', using the ideas and teachings of Great Master Dogen and his work the Shobogenzo, to help us understand it and how we can know it for ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June 7, 2026.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv-KlxzVBAg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard Kieres explores the vital relationship between faith, doubt, and compassion within Zen practice, contrasting rigid "absolute faith" with the open, flexible "perfect faith" described by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. He redefines doubt not as the enemy of faith, but as a tool that sharpens it, describing faith as the willingness to take the next step in the dark even when the path is obscured by delusion or pain. Through personal stories—including a transformative encounter with a statue of Maitreya in college and a profound, comforting experience of Avalokiteshwara (Kanzeon) during a period of intense lay training—Rev. Allard illustrates how the universe compassionately waits for us without judgment or agenda. Ultimately, he argues that the conditions of daily life are not obstacles but friends meant for our spiritual good, and that the simple, quiet act of sitting in Zazen (meditation) is itself a profound expression of "great faith" that allows practitioners to harmonize with reality exactly as it is.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 31, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MpkT91OY0b8
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck explores Prajnaparamita as the "Perfection of Wisdom", specifically focusing on the 8,000-Line Prajnaparamita Sutra and her personification as the "Great Mother." Rev. Oswin discusses how this foundational Mahayana Buddhist teaching emphasizes transcendent wisdom, emptiness, and the nurturing, compassionate nature of enlightenment. Ultimately, the lecture serves as a guide on how practitioners can understand and embody this profound wisdom in their daily spiritual practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 24, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/woR7EWel1Gk
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk after the annual celebration of Wesak which celebrates the Buddha's life and teaching. She emphasizes that above all else, for her, it is the Buddha's kindness that shines forth as the supreme example of his life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 17, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Pt908DbVCwQ
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Valeria Allison explores the aspect of practice in which we must be willing to ask of our teachers and ourselves, 'The Honest Question', and how we find this for ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 10, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/dtILL-GtoPA
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde gives a talk about faith. She addresses the idea of having 'certainty' in our practice and faith of the Triple Treasure (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and what that word means to her and how we might approach it. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 3, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/uwrQUsFD3d8
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller talks about Great Master Keizan Jokin after his annual festival memorial. Master Keizan is considered the 'mother' of Soto Zen in Japan and is the monk after Master Dogen who is credited with making the practice accessible to the people. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 19, 2026.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvV3D6ZfNZs
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Astor Douglas addresses 'changing conditions' and how we approach this dynamic, often chaotic, reality of life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 12, 2026.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmmHGPp-w50
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, encourages us with a teaching on 'simplicity' in a world that seems like it is getting more and more complicated. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on April 5, 2026.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPxC97Exf9I
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett gives and explanation of the Denkoroku and how to study this particular text. This includes a look at what the traditional 'Transmission' is about. This talk is part of a lecture series given in 1979.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Koten Benson, Prior of Lions Gate Buddhist Priory in B.C., Canada, and Head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, talks about the fundamentals of Buddhist practice. This talk was given at Lions Gate Buddhist Priory on October 17, 2025.
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett continues with study and commentary of the Shushogi, picking up where the previous lecture left off. She then enters into a detailed explanation of the daily scriptures. There are questions and answers at the end. This talk is part of a lecture series given in 1979.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
The late Rev. Chosei Swann gives a talk on Founder's Day and talks about how Shasta Abbey's found is not actually Rev. Master Jiyu, but actually her teacher Keido Chisan, and also other important points of teaching.
Rev. Scholastica Hicks shares some reflections from her life as a monk and specifically as an elderly woman. We never know how much time we have left in this world. This brings up the important question, "what's important now"? This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 22nd, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/CeufxBpaSAY?si=XkEf0HLcuiacbhYg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about trust in Buddhist practice. How do we as Buddhists approach and practice trust? What is it not? And what did the Buddha have to say on the matter? This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 29, 2019.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues his lecture series on iconography. In this talk he focuses on how the gender switched from Compassion as male in India to female in China. And how Wisdom switched from female in India to male in China. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 15, 2026.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon encourages us to practice Metta (goodwill) towards others during this difficult time of war and violence in the world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 8, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Na3qC5AbenM
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks after a Transfer of Merit Ceremony about how being still and offering our love and well wishes to the world is an important and helpful part of our practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 1, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/yi24vgWwFwY
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller gives a detailed look at the Festival of the Buddha's Parinirvana, describing the details and symbolism of the ceremony. Parinirvana is the festival of the Buddha's death. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 22, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Cv8ceOA5NgU
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson discusses what the Three Refuges are and what they mean to us in our daily practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 15, 2026.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk on the annual Avatamsaka festival day. She talks about what the scripture is and why we hold it in such high regard. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 8, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/n8AA1VsdFww
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
The late Rev. Jisho Perry talks about the Shurungama Sutra and its core teaching. This fundamental teaching is what we in our practice hear over and over again—we are not trying to 'get' something, we are trying to let go of something. The heart of the scripture, as Rev. Jisho discusses, is how to convert our ignorance into understanding. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 24, 2017.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, teaches about who Maitreya Bodhisattva is on his annual festival day. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on January 1, 2026.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/cIv3RhjCIgg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde starts by sharing the information that Buddhists celebrate Shakyamuni Buddha's Enlightenment during the month of December. And she offers us her advice and encouragement for our own practice of meditation. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 28, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jjvV9V8gNTw
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues his lecture series on Prajnaparamita. In this talk he guides us on an imaginative journey as to how ancient religion might take the respected qualities of a leader and convert them into the iconography we encounter today. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 21, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/cyBaH2m9Yl0
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard Kieres talks about working meditation and how the practice of being with, and seeing the value in, all our daily work, is of prime importance to our spiritual practice and basic mental health. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 14th, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/WNKqeq6vUAs
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon shares a teaching from Rev. Master Jiyu which is that, "first we train for self, then we train for others, and eventually we come to a place where we train for training's sake". This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 23, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sgrapDe4aak
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde gives a Dharma talk at the end of an introductory retreat and poses the question to the audience, "what did you come here for?". Rev. Margaret shares her own experience in trying to answer that question for herself and how she eventually encountered the first teaching of Zen which is to 'set your slippers straight'. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 16, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/9OsaLAVJOmE
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp talks about the Three Refuges and how they act as a foundation for us in our practice to open ourselves up to the Buddha's Teaching. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 9, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/b17mT2fLJ3Q
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller, on the occasion of Rev. Master Jiyu's yearly memorial, speaks on some of Rev. Master Jiyu's teachings. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on November 2, 2025.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson shares the parable of the Spider's Silver Thread. The story which emphasizes sharing whatever merit we encounter with others. This story was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 26, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/b31qRkc-BJ4
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about living and dying and how we engage with the two through the grounded lens of our Buddhist practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 19, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/NNCc-0B24B4
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck begins a new lecture series about Prajnaparamita who is the personification of the Scripture of Great Wisdom. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 12, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/xXxDGtvqRTE
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the importance of impermanence and how it helps us to 'see' clearly. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 5th, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5UiV7sli11g
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Astor Douglas shares some personal stories that highlight how we must endeavor to move forward in our practice even when we can't see the path. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 28, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5Tge9F2A5g0
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard Kieres encourages us to find peace in our lives through finding and knowing deeply for ourselves what our True Refuge is. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 21, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/DdvfWa8qe50
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Valeria Allison explores a line from Great Master Dogen that reads, "Will is the secret of life and words are its key". This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 14, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5CHkwVKZyzI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, explores an old Buddhist saying, "All acceptance is the key that unlocks the gateless gate". This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 7, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/3ud6pN4Rbi4
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller gives a Dharma talk after a monthly memorial honoring Rev. Master Jiyu. She draws on some of Rev. Master Jiyu's teachings that encourage us to have faith and be still within the current conditions of the world that many find difficult and troubling. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday August 31, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/GhBAH0H9b7I
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck introduces a new lecture series where he will be exploring the Scripture of Great Wisdom and what it means to us in our practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday August 17, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/QiLWIqNHqog
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about transferring merit. She encourages us to offer merit universally to all beings starting with ourselves, our loved ones and friends, and certainly our enemies and those we do not like. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday August 10, 2025,
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jLEuS7ArrMc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck gave this talk during a Continuing Practice Retreat at Shasta Abbey in July 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XA0UeQ2VIY8
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/b0EfN8zDV3U
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Pl2SvvZeeRw
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ajOOm9yR6Tg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZvnvSOOk4jg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/2fgCa9_OTuE
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde continues with her analysis of Great Master Dogen's chapter "Hachi Dainingaku" or "On the Eight Realizations of a Great One" (Chapter 96 in the Shasta Abbey translation of the Shobogenzo).
Shasta Abbey Shobogenzo translation: https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/shoboAll.pdf
YouTube: https://youtu.be/4AjpfZhSXI4
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Valora Midtdal addresses the common cultural fear of death in society and how our Buddhist practice can help us find peace within an unpredictable universe. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday July 27, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/HuGQkxnvHq0
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, speaks about letting go in our practice. She emphasizes the word 'relinquishment' in contrast to 'renunciation' and explains the two words and what kind of attitude of mind we should encourage in exploring this teaching. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday July 20, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/u7NnKqdnkX8
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp talks about the Noble Eightfold Path and takes up 'Right Speech' specifically. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday July 13, 2025
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about Rev. Master Jiyu and her teachings after a memorial festival honoring her. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday July 6, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/TYjk1wzHoUU
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson shares a story about the Buddha's mother Mahaprajapati who offers her son, after his enlightenment, a golden robe. The Buddha uses skillful means in order to help his mother learn an important lesson about practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on June 22, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/UHwp4fHuNg0
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller explains how, through practice, we heal ourselves in order to help heal the world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on June 15, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/x7t50G4LK28
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
YouTube: https://youtu.be/gmUEpDkhhzY
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
YouTube: https://youtu.be/plh_E1ynMlc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
YouTube: https://youtu.be/eSI54Ql_-oc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
Poem found on page 213: https://shastaabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Buddhist-Writings-scan.pdf
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wjKyfoVLnjk
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
Poem found on page 213: https://shastaabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Buddhist-Writings-scan.pdf
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wjKyfoVLnjk
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
Poem found on page 213: https://shastaabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Buddhist-Writings-scan.pdf
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wjKyfoVLnjk
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a week long retreat on Great Master Kanshi Sosan's poem "That Which is Engraved Upon the Heart That Trusts to the Eternal".
Poem found on page 213: https://shastaabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Buddhist-Writings-scan.pdf
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wjKyfoVLnjk
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Astor Douglas talks about taking Buddhism from the intellectual to the real world of everyday practice.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard Kieres gives advice to a visiting youth group (and all) about helpful qualities to cultivate in life as we grow up and navigate its complex spectrum of conditions.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/G7NiEdD4BAA
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde gives us advice from Great Master Dogen's Shobogenzo chapter discussing the 'True Adult'. She chooses the aspect of 'how much is enough?' as the question we all need to ask ourselves to approach this ideal.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5GC7f57IUGU
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon gives an inspiring Dharma talk on the celebration day of Wesak which is the annual festival honoring Shakyamuni Buddha's birth, enlightenment, teaching, and death.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about training with the 'Eight Winds' which are the major opposites we encounter in daily life: gain and loss, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, elation and sorrow.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/VVjraEfhSOo
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Scholastica Hicks shares some personal stories of training with Rev. Master Jiyu and how it shaped her practice.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/IyrYIimIUHU
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp talks about an important Japanese Zen Ancestor: Great Master Keizan Jokin.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/-MFwaYiBvlM
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck concludes his lecture series on gratitude and the teachings of Great Master Dogen.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sjE9lOKbfiQ
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a Dharma talk on the annual festival day for Manjusri Bodhisattva. She talks about Manjusri's vow to realize enlightenment and help all sentient beings, and how we can draw inspiration from his excellent example.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/mX2joSSFMks
Rev. Allard Kieres talks about 'silence' in our practice as Buddhist trainees. How does silence, both external and internal silence, help inform and deepen our daily practice and insight into the Dharma.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/C3Eu5fHn5d0
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson encourages Western Buddhists not to so easily disregard the Law of Karma. She encourages us to prove it true for ourselves and offers stories and insights from her own life and other Dharma writings to help try and illuminate this important teaching of the Buddha.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/bqlBI_ieIoM
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Astor Douglas is inspired from reading Rev. Master Jiyu's teaching on the Four Wisdoms, which are Charity, Tenderness, Benevolence, Sympathy, and takes up the Wisdom of Benevolence.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ngl0Q6vw7X4
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, shares her thoughts on fear and how we can sit still with it in our daily life and practice.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XBYlpeoE-_Y
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon offers a teaching on practice and encountering grief. As Buddhists who practice 'letting go' and 'all acceptance', are we allowed to feel sad? Are we practicing incorrectly if we grieve the loss of friends, family, or even changing conditions? This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 23, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/UEMVjR9k1Io
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller talks about the merits and importance of 'All Acceptance' in our practice as Buddhists. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 16, 2025.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/6yC_9OQqbrE
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, quotes Julian of Norwich as she talks about current world events and how we can sit still with them. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 9, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/foO86D_AfUc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett continues her lecture series by briefly talking about the third kensho or third 'stage of enlightenment' and its relationship to the precepts. She then continues to study and commentate on the Shushogi. There are questions and answers at the end. This talk is part of a lecture series given in 1979.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett works directly with the Shushogi, a short compilation of Great Master Dogen's writings, and gives an in depth analysis of the precepts. There are assorted questions and answers at the end. This talk was part of a winder lecture series given in 1979.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon gives an inspirational talk encouraging us in our practice.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in 2022.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Valeria Allison shares some thoughts on how to constructively engage with our karma in our efforts to train with and convert it. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 2, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/3dPrDbnEnPo
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett continues her lecture series on aspects of meditation within the context of our Soto (Serene Reflection) Zen lineage. In this talk she talks about the traditional four stages of Enlightenment; moving from the stream entrant to the arahant. She uses drawings from her book 'How to Grow a Lotus Blossom' to try and explain this process. There are questions and answers at the end. This talk was given in 1979.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
The late Rev. Jisho Perry lead a retreat on the Surangama Sutra in 2011. This is the first talk in that retreat series.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, delivers a Dharma talk on the festival day of Maitreya: the Buddha that is to come. She talks about who Maitreya is and how we can gain strength and encouragement from his message for our own daily life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Wednesday January 1, 2025.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/HJzam2oQbGg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde talks about making vows and her relationship with this idea. This leads to an emphasis on 'letting go'.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 29, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/X_3sd-1uajg
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the story of the Buddha's Enlightenment. She emphasizes how important it was that even the Buddha kept training after realization. No matter where we are along the path, training never ends.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 22, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/BZaPboXv4Nw
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Nicky Antonellis, a founder of Dharma Gates (see mission statement below), interviews Rev. Allard Kieres about life as a monk at Shasta Abbey.
"Dharma Gates is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to opening pathways into formal meditation practice for young adults. We connect young practitioners to a variety of Buddhist teachers and practice centers, working to eliminate conceptual, logistical, and financial barriers to practice. We foster connections through which practitioners can cultivate compassion, resilience, and clarity to meet the unique challenges of our times." -Dharma Gates mission statement on their website: https://www.dharma-gates.org/
This interview took place in September 2024.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J41_nwUTtYQ
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon shares thoughts about the common nature of winter time religious festivals. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 15, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/g75273bun6A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson uses the Vimalakirti Scripture as a springboard for talking about not criticizing others. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 24,2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fpk3oDccfnI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard Kieres shares some personal stories and reflections about how fear is the genesis of suffering. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 17, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/97TK2RMHQGI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller gives a Dharma talk on the Festival of Remembrance on Veteran's Day. She talks about a story from the life of the Buddha where a famous general came and asked the Buddha about war. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 10, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
This is a reading of chapter 2 of Great Master Keizan's 'Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of the Light'. It is the Rev. Hubert Nearman translation. The Denkoroku records the stories of the masters in our lineage starting with Shakyamuni Buddha and going through the generations up to Koun Ejo who was Great Master Dogen's disciple and grand master to Keizan. The stories highlight the thread of faith, practice, and enlightenment that has woven its way down through the ages to this very day.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Scholastica Hicks gives a Dharma talk on the yearly memorial festival honoring Rev. Master Jiyu. Rev. Scholastica shares personal stories and lessons from her time working closely with Rev. Master Jiyu as her personal nurse. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 3, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/x1aaGZ_W36U
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a Dharma talk on Founder's Day. The founder of Shasta Abbey is Keido Chisan Koho, Rev. Master Jiyu's master in Japan, and Rev. Master Meian explains about this Zen tradition of naming your teacher as the founder of your temple and shares stories about Koho Zenji's (Zenji meaning Zen Master in Japanese) life and teaching. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 27, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/OASETXN_xCQ
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues his 'Attitude of Gratitude' series. He explains why making offerings bears such incredible merit and gives us advice on how to cultivate a proper attitude of mind when making offerings. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 20, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/QqKIcscniAY
Rev. Valora Midtdal offers words of encouragement to us in our practice to persevere and never give up. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 13th, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/p2qBzFXiUl4
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about Bodhidharma who is an important ancestor in the Zen lineage. Specifically, Bodhidharma is known for his writing on the 'Four Practices' for trainees.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 6, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/IcaCItkf62k
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Shiko Rom talks about the challenges of training with jealousy using stories from her own life and readings from Rev. Koten Benson's 2004 retreat on the Buddha Mother's Mandala. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 29, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/7zlfdKBclbo
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Astor Douglas uses stories from her own life as examples of how 'small' acts of kindness express the whole of Buddhist practice, and she encourages us in our own practice of kindness in our daily lives. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 22, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/3fXQBp9cfQI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert uses a section from the Scripture of the Buddha's Last Teaching as a springboard for talking about 'contentment'. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 15, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rCRFo1Sa6Dc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde shares some stories about her own life to illuminate how we can engage with our 'problems' in a healthy Buddhist way. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 8, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wAnsq5IdX9E
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, uses the image of a lava lamp to talk about karma and the 'unreality of self'. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 1, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/LawpNrQXhkw
Rev. Serena Seidner led a retreat in 2019 on 'The Mind That Seeks the Way'. This is one of the talks from that retreat that addresses: "The self is the very mind that seeks the Way. But what is this mind that seeks the Way?" This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on August 19th, 2019.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman gives his sixth and final meditation talk of the retreat. He continues exploring the vows of Samantabhadra focusing on how we can be grateful to the Buddhas for this practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Saturday August 24, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/M3pYtYQ3iSU
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman gives his fifth meditation talk of the retreat. He continues exploring the vows of Samantabhadra focusing on how we can actively study WITH the Buddhas here and now: today. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Friday August 23, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xx7Tf2M5a7I
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman gives his fourth meditation talk of the retreat. He continues exploring the vows of Samantabhadra focusing on the vow to 'make offerings to the Buddhas'. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Thursday August 22, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ilhXsR_ayQI
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman gives his third meditation talk of the retreat. He invites us to explore Samantabhadra's direct vows and how we can work with them in our own lives. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Wednesday August 21, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/eD3GIbcsScs
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman gives his second meditation talk during his retreat on Samantabhadra talking about the practice of vows for which this particular Bodhisattva is well known. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Tuesday August 20, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/f2GbUFjZkBQ
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman delivers his first meditation talk of the retreat describing the merits and practices of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Rev. Leon says, "Samantabhadra is the one who patiently continues, just working for the benefit of beings and working to perfect his ten great vows". Rev. Leon encourages us to find the reality of Samantabhadra in our own daily practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Monday August 19, 2024.
Intorductory/Orientation talk: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/15611563-activity-in-stillness-stillness-in-activity-retreat-introduction-orient-yourself-to-practice
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Leon Kackman, Prior of the Portland Buddhist Priory, a temple of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, leads a retreat at Shasta Abbey during the week of August 18, 2024. The focus of the retreat is the teaching and emphasis of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. This introductory talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday August 18, 2024.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson discusses themes of spiritual friendship and training together. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on June 23, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/b6ErKISa6Dw
Rev. Ando Mueller quotes a piece of writing by Rev. Master Jiyu from the book 'Zen is Eternal Life' where Rev. Master Jiyu uses the traditional Buddhist image of a lotus flower to talk about spiritual practice. The lotus is a traditional symbolic image in Buddhism because of its specific qualities of growing in and being nourished by pond mud and then rising above the water in order to bloom. As Rev. Ando points out, we do not disparage the mud, which is all the conditions of our daily life, but make use of it with gratitude for helping us to deepen our practice and nourish our own blossom of Awakening. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June 16, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XhiBc6z0fmc
Rev. Enya Sapp quotes a famous line of Buddhist Scripture where Ananda, the Buddha's cousin and attendant monk, asks about 'spiritual friendship'. Rev. Enya points out an often forgotten part of the quote that points us back to our ultimate spiritual friend: the Buddha, our own True Heart. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June 9, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/kLLt4_JbyNM
Rev. Allard Kieres uses the movie 'The Iron Giant' to talk about themes of training with karma. He explains how we come into this world 'preprogrammed' from past actions and that it is up to us to convert our past unskillful habits into wholesome habits through the power of our free will to make choices. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June, 2 2024.
Iron Giant Deleted Scene, Giant's Dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsL0GbswF3I
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/uVOcNni8cpI
This is the sixth and last meditation talk given by Rev. Koten during his retreat: To View the Morning Star. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Saturday June 29, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/kilzfkRBCKY
This is the fifth meditation talk given by Rev. Koten during his retreat: To View the Morning Star. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Friday June 28, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/kilzfkRBCKY
This is the fourth meditation talk given by Rev. Koten during his retreat: To View the Morning Star. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Thursday June 27, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/kilzfkRBCKY
This is the third meditation talk given by Rev. Koten during his retreat: To View the Morning Star. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Wednesday June 26, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/topG_k51NPw
This is the first meditation talk given by Rev. Koten during his retreat: To View the Morning Star. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Monday June 24, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XynnzwB-Ddk
Rev. Koten Benson, visiting Prior from Lion's Gate Buddhist Priory in Lytton B.C. Canada, leads a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey during the week of June 23, 2024. His focus is on the founder of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives and Shasta Abbey, Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett. Rev. Koten shares stories about Rev. Master Jiyu's life in Japan, her training as a Zen priest, and her establishing of practice in the West. He especially draws attention to how Rev. Master Jiyu went against the grain of the Zen culture of the 1970's and how her teaching and emphasis was different and even considered 'eccentric' at the time. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday June 23, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/auMwTJtBs20
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about compassion as foremost in our daily life practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 19, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/eEDKnGPk-h4
Rev. Margaret Clyde shares some stories from her own life, both as a monk and before, where she had to notice and sit still with the complaining mind. She talks about how she began to notice this habit of mind and realized she needed to convert it.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 26, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/SAKrqz8oxYI
Rev. Astor Douglas takes up the topic of simplicity. She leads us into looking at how we get drawn into the busy-ness of life and what we can do to stop and find our still center.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 12, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/eFI6DGC0VMw
Rev. Valora Midtdal suggests that taking responsibility for our suffering is, "ceasing to blame others for our difficult mind states...and looking clearly at how our own actions of body, speech, and mind contribute to our own distress."
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 21, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/fRlBZWO8Y9M
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a general talk on practice. "Putting the Dharma into practice: we can read about it, we can hear about it, how do we actually practice it?" How do we bridge the gap between an intellectual understanding of practice and the actual DOING of practice.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 14, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/UKtGJeE-Yuc
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues with his 'Attitude of Gratitude' series. He encourages us that, “living the life of a Bodhisattva is a noble thing to do”, and illuminates how we can achieve this way in our daily lives.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 5, 2024.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Scholastica Hicks gives a dharma talk on the teaching of No Self.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 7, 2024
YouTube: https://youtu.be/x1-83Y5kUME
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
The late Rev. Jisho Perry talks about Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett. Rev. Master Jiyu was the first Abbess and Founder of Shasta Abbey. Rev. Jisho talks about her training in Japan and what she found during her time there. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in 2012.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
This is the fourth talk in a series of lectures done by Rev. Master Jiyu in around the year 1979. In this talk Rev. Master Jiyu talks about How To Grow a Lotus Blossom in order to round out our understanding of Great Master Dogen's 'Shushogi' as spoken on in the previous episode.
SHUSHOGI: https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/bookZel.pdf pg.94
Link to talk#3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/12945071
-it was uploaded May 30, 2023
Link to talk#2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/12340718
-it was uploaded Feb 27, 2023 for purposes of looking up if you want to listen to it.
Link to talk#1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/11666095
-it was uploaded Nov 9 2022 for purposes of looking up if you want to listen to it.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
RM Daishin talks about daily practice and the goal of 'Nirvana'. He encourages us to see that Nirvana is not an end goal but an ever ongoing flow of practice: now.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Kodo Kay talks about the practice of transferring Merit and how our practice has a deep impact upon the world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in 2018.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
The late Rev. Chosei Swann talks about general themes of practice and religious conviction in our lives. He encourages us to not give up and to make practice the foundation of our lives. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in 2015.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Shiko Rom gives a talk about faith and how we must start by having faith in ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 24, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Amanda Robertson talks about her life over the past six months and the difficulty she has had after sustaining injuries from a bad fall. She encourages us to see through the difficulties that life presents us with in order to realize that, fundamentally, we have everything we need. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 17, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Daishin Yalon shares some reflections and advice from his fifty years as a Buddhist monastic. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 10, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZxlzO299m1Y
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, quotes a line from Great Master Dogen's 'Shushogi' that states, "our daily life should be spent constantly in selfless activity with no waste of time whatsoever". She discusses how we should understand this statement and make it a reality in our life and practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 3, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/LllwIzMYUaE
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp encourages us to explore through our practice that place which is beyond the opposites. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 25, 2024.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/f7Jh_6OLaH8
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about Buddhism with a 'big B' (in contrast to buddhism with a little b). This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 18, 2024
YouTube: https://youtu.be/P8ZYCazkTS0
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard Kieres talks about how we are all already Buddhas. He uses the movie Kung Fu Panda and other Zen stories to portray this idea and try to help us see that we already have everything we need. And although the journey to realizing this for ourselves is necessary, we paradoxically begin right back where we started: Buddha. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 11, 2024.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert talks about Great Master Dogen's quote, "Impermanence is Buddha Nature" and what this means for our practice in daily life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 4, 2024.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/HmvvhIom3wU
Twitter: @shastaabbey
This is a reading of chapter 1 of Great Master Keizan's 'Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of the Light'. It is the Rev. Hubert Nearman translation. The Denkoroku records the stories of the masters in our lineage starting with Shakyamuni Buddha and going through the generations up to Koun Ejo who was Great Master Dogen's disciple and grand master to Keizan. The stories highlight the thread of faith, practice, and enlightenment that has woven its way down through the ages to this very day.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Hubert Nearman was a monk at Shasta Abbey who died in 2016 when in his eighties. He was a disciple of Rev. Master Jiyu and a translator for the O.B.C. (Order of Buddhist Contemplatives). His translations are vast, including the complete translation of Great Master Dogen's Shobogenzo.
This talk on impermanence took place at Shasta Abbey back sometime in the year 2000, and is a wonderful opportunity for you to get to know a monk who was very dear to all who knew him.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Master Koten Benson, Prior of Lions Gate Buddhist Priory in Lytton, B.C. Canada, talks about Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in March of 2016.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Haryo Young, Head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, offers a metaphor for training. He explains that we a like a bird trapped in a golden cage and that our natural tendency to find freedom is to fly up and out: but we encounter the bars and remain imprisoned. The solution is actually so simple we often don't realize it.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about Maitreya: the Buddha that is to come. January 1st is when Shasta Abbey celebrates the Maitreya Festival at the end of the New Year's Retreat. It is an opportunity for us all to reflect on the fact that WE are Maitreya Buddha, and that we must make this a reality in our everyday lives. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Monday January 1st, 2024.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller describes the iconography, and it's meaning for training, of a picture of the Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi Tree when he realized enlightenment. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 24, 2023.
This link is to a picture that is similar to what Rev. Ando is describing in her talk. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c1/ed/56/c1ed569122146b4cae50fe846e90aa40.jpg
YouTube: N/A
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the Scripture of Avalokiteshwara and how we must make compassion a reality in our own lives for ourselves and those around us. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 17, 2023.
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/PaCt_XSiF-M
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett talks about chapter 53 from Great Master Dogen's Shobogenzo entitled Hossho (On the True Nature of All Things). You can access a PDF of the Shobogenzo here: https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/shoboAll.pdf. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey sometime in the year 1981.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about not rushing to fill every moment with 'stuff'. But how this moment is deeply sufficient just as it is; and to allow the space and stillness for us to rest content within this. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 26, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/VP1j7E-XNUM
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde shares some thoughts on Great Master Dogen's Rules for Meditation , specifically the line that reads, "Think of neither good nor evil. Consider neither right nor wrong." This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 19, 2023.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBd0NQljGSc
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about the distinction between the 'mind' and the 'Heart' and what we mean in Buddhism when we talk about the two. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 12, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Allard Kieres talks about the error of placing labels on people (and all beings), and extends this caution further to how we place labels on reality at large. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 5, 2023
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/aG3H4I9Ppqw
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues with his series on Gratitude. He looks at Samantabhadra's second vow 'praising Tathagatas' and ties that to the reading of scriptures; both literal scriptures and then the 'scripture of everyday life'. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 15, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/S1AoSZcb6jo
Rev. Master Haryo Young, head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (our Order), uses an analogy to talk about impermanence. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on September 27, 2012.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Astor Douglas talks about how life is fundamentally sufficient just as it is. Through practice, we learn to root ourselves in this fundamental sufficiency and to question ourselves when we think we need 'more'.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Margaret Clyde shares an insight about training with Dukkha or 'Stress'. Quoting the late Ajhan Cha, a Thai forest monk, "Dukkha is Noble Truth".
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/gS5QULfVxv4
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues talking about the first three of Samantabhadra's vows in part three of his 'Attitude of Gratitude' series. Rev. Oswin encourages us to bow with all the conditions of daily life. It is this very bowing which is the Heart of Buddha. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 8, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/YidYpdPlhnE
Twitter: @shastaabbey
www.shastaabbey.org
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE PART 2:
aired on September 24, 2023
Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/13605466
YouTube: https://youtu.be/HHWEhOWCBes
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE PART 1:
aired on June 7, 2023
Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/12996663
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sB52W18Hfvs
Rev. Scholastica Hicks shares more insights from her experience recovering from a broken leg. She talks about hard questions she has learned to ask herself about her own daily attitude of mind and encourages us to do the same. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 1, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/M9Y_r9CdgCg
Twitter: @shastaabbey
www.shastaabbey.org
Rev. Shiko Rom celebrated her 50th ordination birthday on September 21, 2023. In this talk she shares her experience of 50 years as a monk and encourages us all to never give up on our training. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 23, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/YCXt2a_Jm5A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
www.shastaabbey.org
Rev. Enya Sapp talks about the fundamental delusion that we are all training ourselves to transcend. It is this very mind of 'seeking' which is the source of our suffering. We are the creators of our own suffering. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 17, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/JbTqnPhovc8
Twitter: @shastaabbey
www.shastaabbey.org
Rev. Ando Mueller gives a Dharma talk on the annual festival memorial for Great Master Eihei Dogen. She shares some stories about Master Dogen's life, who he was, how he came to training, and what he passed on to those who follow in his footsteps. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday September 10, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/4Ov9Hsm4fzA
Rev. Valora Midtdal talks about her own experience training with despair and offers advice for others on how to sit still and convert this tendency. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on September 3, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/-tQi3sUFp4w
Rev. Allard Kieres talks about the 'Tenzokyokun' or 'Instructions to the Chief Cook', written by Great Master Eihei Dogen who was the founder of Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) in Japan. Master Dogen went to China in order to clarify his doubts about Buddhist practice. Rev. Allard tells about the encounters Dogen had and the important lesson he learned. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on August 20, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ye-x84mv4kg
Rev. Astor Douglas talks about the importance of keeping an open heart in practice and how we should not try to bring the Buddha's teachings 'down' to us, but to step 'up' to the teachings. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on August 13, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/W9t-YVzNJ3M
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues his theme with gratitude as he talks about a chapter from Great Master Dogen's Shobogenzo on bowing. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on August 6, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/HHWEhOWCBes
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE PART 1:
aired on June 7, 2023
Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/12996663
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sB52W18Hfvs
Rev. Scholastica Hicks recounts stories from her recent time in a rehab facility after breaking her leg, and how there were numerous opportunities to practice patience and letting go. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on July 23, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ok_3g5mbv30
Rev. Amanda Robertson explains who the primary Bodhisattvas are in Mahayana Buddhism, and how we can make use of 'their' help in our daily practice. She encourages us to hold our Hearts open to the seen and the unseen, and have the courage to look and see what IS. Blind faith is not required in Buddhism, and, the faith to remain open to things we don't understand or have not yet experienced for ourselves is essential. Nothing in Buddhism is taken on faith forever, this practice is about proving the Buddha's teachings true for ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on July 16, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/hZPEpuDoVdg
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a retreat during the week of August 20, 2023. The retreat is focused on a discourse delivered by the 8th century monk named Shantideva called 'Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra' or in English, 'The Way of the Bodhisattva'. This is talk 6 of 6 (not including the introduction).
YouTube: https://youtu.be/vgxT53bKkDo
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a retreat during the week of August 20, 2023. The retreat is focused on a discourse delivered by the 8th century monk named Shantideva called 'Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra' or in English, 'The Way of the Bodhisattva'. This is talk 5 of 6 (not including the introduction).
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZEDqQ2xTO_Y
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a retreat during the week of August 20, 2023. The retreat is focused on a discourse delivered by the 8th century monk named Shantideva called 'Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra' or in English, 'The Way of the Bodhisattva'. This is talk 3 of 6 (not including the introduction).
YouTube: https://youtu.be/R5OwG3AsT6Y
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a retreat during the week of August 20, 2023. The retreat is focused on a discourse delivered by the 8th century monk named Shantideva called 'Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra' or in English, 'The Way of the Bodhisattva'. This is talk 2 of 6 (not including the introduction).
YouTube: https://youtu.be/UaVh487nX3s
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a retreat during the week of August 20, 2023. The retreat is focused on a discourse delivered by the 8th century monk named Shantideva called 'Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra' or in English, 'The Way of the Bodhisattva'. This is talk 1 of 6 (not including the introduction).
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, leads a retreat during the week of August 20, 2023. The retreat is focused on a discourse delivered by the 8th century monk named Shantideva called 'Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra' or in English, 'The Way of the Bodhisattva'.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde shares a quote from the monastic ordination ceremony which reads, "The merit of first mind is the widest and most completely fathomless. Even if Buddhas explain it fully, such explanation can never be enough." Whatever our path, lay or monastic, this 'first mind' is essential in our practice, as Rev. Margaret explains. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on July 9, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/NBq7wjOSgBw
Rev. Daishin Yalon gives a talk at Shasta Abbey on July 30, 2023 at the end of the Exploring Monastic Life Retreat. He talks about the Sangha Refuge and how Rev. Master Jiyu and other important masters of our times encouraged training with others.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Daishin Yalon leads a retreat during the week of June 18, 2023 on the Buddha's teachings from the Pali Cannon. This week long retreat was held at Shasta Abbey. This is talk 5 of 6 in the series (not including the introduction).
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon leads a retreat during the week of June 18, 2023 on the Buddha's teachings from the Pali Cannon. This week long retreat was held at Shasta Abbey. This is talk 4 of 6 in the series (not including the introduction).
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde talks about the practice of silence and its role in monastic life here at Shasta Abbey.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon leads a retreat during the week of June 18, 2023 on the Buddha's teachings from the Pali Cannon. This week long retreat was held at Shasta Abbey. This is the first Dharma talk in the series (not including the introduction).
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Daishin Yalon leads a retreat during the week of June 18, 2023 on the Buddha's teachings from the Pali Cannon. This week long retreat was held at Shasta Abbey, and includes several talks as part of the retreat series.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Enya Sapp shares a Jataka Tale, a story about one of the Buddha's previous lives on his way to becoming a Buddha, to talk about the practice of patience in our own lives.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Ando Mueller talks about how, in Buddhism, that which is truly 'wise' is equally compassionate. And how important it is to remember this in our practice and in our daily lives.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/TkLCcRiqdmg
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck talks about how gratitude transforms our lives. He uses the Avatamsaka scripture, an important Mahayana scripture, to illuminate examples of the many ways Zen Buddhism folds gratitude into our daily practice.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sB52W18Hfvs
This is the third talk in a series of lectures done by Rev. Master Jiyu in around the year 1979. In this talk Rev. Master Jiyu begins by commenting on the writing called the 'Shushogi' which is a combination of Great Master Dogen's teachings. She starts by emphasizing that true peace can only be found in practice and not in any external thing. Rev. Master then continues on to talk about various topics including taking responsibility for our own karma and describing the 'Wheel of Life' which is a visual representation of the Law of Karma.
NOTE: In this talk Rev. Master Jiyu uses the term 'Kusala Karma' and 'Akusala Karma'. These terms mean 'wholesome' and 'unwholesome' karma respectively.
SHUSHOGI: https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/bookZel.pdf pg.94
WHEEL OF LIFE: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/7e/d9/427ed94dceee47aae0f2e123b6275f61.jpg
Link to talk#2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/12340718
-it was uploaded Feb 27, 2023 for purposes of looking up if you want to listen to it.
Link to talk#1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/11666095
-it was uploaded Nov 9 2022 for purposes of looking up if you want to listen to it.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Astor Douglas offers some teaching on practicing generosity. As she points out, in Buddhist practice generosity is most importantly an attitude of mind rather than a physical act.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Valora Midtdal gives a Dharma talk on the festival day of Achalanatha. If you are curious to know who Achalanatha Bodhisattva is, Rev. Valora gives a detailed description of the iconography and aspects of training that Achalanatha embodies in our Buddhist practice. Rev. Valora shares some reflections about how these aspects of training have helped her in her own practice.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/pa76ZftW0SY
Happy Wesak! Wesak is the national Buddhist celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment, and Death. Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives some teaching about how as Buddhists it is important to consider all aspects of 'life' as this includes death. Some people might consider it strange that Buddhists would celebrate the death of an honored teacher, but as Rev. Master Meian reminds us, you can not have life without death. And through our practice we can find that place which 'does not die'; as an old zen master once said, "not death because not life".
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Yv3DovMWIn4
Rev. Daishin Yalon uses the old saying 'burying the hatchet' as a springboard to talk about forgiveness and reconciliation.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ai7xeWcvfJs
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about conceit and how, as the Buddha taught, it is fundamentally a delusion. Thinking "I'm better than" or "I'm worse than" or even "I'm equal to" are all a delusion: because it is seeing the world from the point of view of a self.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Sf239HQQx2U
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde talks briefly about the Five Hindrances, focusing her talk specifically on the hindrance of Sloth and Torpor. The Five Hindrances are: sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry, and doubt. These are five traditional hindrances that are said to get in the way of our Buddhist practice.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/88uXRsGCCDA
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Jisho Perry talks about karma and its implications for us in our lives and our practice, specifically, how we can do something about cleansing it. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in May of 2021.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Amanda Robertson gives a dharma talk after the annual festival ceremony of Manjusri Bodhisattva, who is the personification of wisdom in Mahayana Buddhism, offering some reflections on wisdom. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 2, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/RGE4mPV_wjs
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the importance of practicing equanimity and offers advice on how to develop this skill in our daily life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 26, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/0JJ9qbEP2Jc
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about making vows and how to approach this practice in our lives. She shares her thoughts about what vows 'are' and 'are not', and how we can hold them gently and not be 'overwhelmed' by them should we choose to incorporate them into our practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 12, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/1F31pIpZvc0
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Ando Mueller talks about the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (O.B.C.), which is the umbrella organization for the Buddhist order of which Shasta Abbey is a part. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 19, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/OttH_2eddvg
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Daishin Yalon talks about the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra after the annual Sunday ceremony dedicated to Samantabhadra. He also uses an old song 'Desert Pete' as a spring board to talk about thinking of others. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 5, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/L0rSXwA_nGQ
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Hey Everyone!
This is Rev. Allard, I am the monk here at Shasta Abbey in charge of uploading talks for the podcast. I want to thank you for your support of this project to make the Dharma more accessible to people and hope that you continue to find it helpful and nourishing. Please continue to share, like, subscribe, and especially leave reviews in whatever podcast app you are using.
I am going to be away for the month of March on retreat and so will not be uploading the Sunday talks. I will upload several new talks for you all to listen to, but then March will be quiet as far as the podcast goes. But you can of course still visit Shasta Abbey's website and YouTube channel to hear the Sunday Dharma Talks. Links for those locations will be placed in the show notes below.
When I get back from retreat at the beginning of April, I will upload the Sunday talks that were missed. So if you don't go elsewhere to listen, you can look forward to hearing them in April! May you all be well, and take care of yourselves. See you in a month!
-With Bows,
Rev. Allard
https://shastaabbey.org/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ShastaAbbeyDharmaTalks
Rev. Allard Kieres offers some thoughts about celibacy and its importance for the monastic life.
NOTE: Rev. Allard refers to 'Rev. Master Oswin' during the talk; this monk is his teacher.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Master Jiyu continues with her lecture series on meditation and Soto Zen. She talks about various aspects of Buddhist religious practice and how we can navigate the difficulties of training in order to prove the Buddha's teachings true for ourselves.
These talks are dated 1979.
Link to talk#1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2046795/episodes/11666095
-it was uploaded Nov, 9 2022 for purposes of looking up if you want to listen to it.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: N/A
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk after the Festival of the Buddha's Parinirvana (death). Rev. Master Meian talks about what it is that 'dies' and what it is that 'does not die'; and how we can find this true for ourselves in our own training. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 26, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/aMw-r_dS8uM
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck talks about the monastic practice of living on alms and details about its origin during the Buddha's time. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 19, 2023.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/944ifNuYGDg
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, shares her thoughts on compassion and how it influences our Buddhist practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on February 12, 2023.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Margaret Clyde shares her thoughts from her study of a chapter in a book called 'The Sound of Silence' by Ajahn Sumedho. The focus being what we perceive as our 'identity' and how this is not the concrete thing we think it is. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on February 5, 2023.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: https://youtu.be/27hL42zhEdM
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about training and the many misconceptions we can have about it. There is a saying that, 'we don't do the training, the training does us'. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in August of 2019.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: video N/A
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck looks at gratitude as one of the most important aspects of life and training. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on June 12, 2022.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ua1rovHXgdc
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Jisho Perry talks about seeing through the 'unreality of self'. When we let the self dissolve, we can see 'That which remains'. A monk once said, "You definitely exist. But don't make the mistake of thinking that you are real." This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in April of 2016.
YouTube: n/a
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert shares some general thoughts about monastic life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in July 2022.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Jqep4YOcq2w
Also, a friend of Shasta Abbey did a short documentary which can be found at
https://youtu.be/FN--J66rQLk
This link contains only the part that had Shasta Abbey. The documentary featured other monastic traditions as well.
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the spiritual practice of listening.
Rev. Amanda Robertson gives a Dharma Talk about her recent experience with a serious atrial fibrillation episode. She uses a poem from Dogen's 'Instructions to the Chief Cook', which can be found in 'Zen is Eternal Life' by Rev. Master Jiyu, to describe the ever present opportunity we have of engaging fully with our daily life without fear no matter what the conditions.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/4Yqgjdxqk-c
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about how from the Buddhist perspective the universe is full of light. She references the Avatamsaka Scripture, which is one of the main scriptures in Mahayana Buddhism. She encourages us, however, not to get caught in the duality that 'light' is good and 'darkness' is bad. In reality both are necessary.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XgOf2Wly5Bc
Twitter: @shastaabbey
This is a talk from a retreat that Rev. Shiko Rom led in June of 2020.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeL4RR5kV-E
Twitter: @shastaabbey
The late Rev. Chosei Swann gives a Sunday dharma talk on Founder's Day 2015. Founder's Day is traditionally celebrated on the first of November and honors a temple's 'Founder', the monk who started the temple. Rev. Chosei explains why Shasta Abbey's founder is not Rev. Master Jiyu, but actually her teacher Keido Chisan Koho, or referred to as Koho Zenji in the talk. Rev. Chosei uses the opportunity to talk about the meaning of training and the 'temple's foundation' which is Koho Zenji's legacy to us all.
YouTube: N/A
Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Allard introduces a series that will be called 'Exploring Monastic Life'. He lists and briefly talks about some unique topics that pertain to monastic life. Shasta Abbey hopes to record full talks on these and other topics that deal with monastic life specifically as a lead in to an Exploring Monastic Life Retreat that the monastery hopes to host in summer 2023.
-general monastery inquiries: guestmaster@shastaabbey.org
-podcast questions/comments: satech@shastaabbey.org
-twitter: @shastaabbey
-YouTube: N/A
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about the proverb, "The church is near but the road is icy. The tavern is far: I will walk carefully" as a way of describing our own relationship to training and cautions us to watch out for distractions. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 27, 2022.
-video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyWJ7_v0n0
-twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Jisho Perry talks about the 'source of our delusion' as taught and illuminated by the Surangama Sutra (scripture). This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on December 24, 2017.
Twitter: @shastaabbey
YouTube: there is no video for this talk
Rev. Astor Douglas shares some stories as examples of how Buddhist practice helps us to find peace in an unpredictable and uncontrollable world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday November 13, 2022.
- https://shastaabbey.org/
-there was no YouTube video for this talk
-Twitter: @shastaabbey
This is a reading of Great Master Dogen's 'Rules for Meditation'. This writing is read at Shasta Abbey during 'evening service' as a way of reflecting upon on our meditation practice. Master Dogen wrote this work upon his return from China to Japan in the 13th century. When Master Dogen was asked by monks of other Buddhist schools what he had found in China, Dogen responded 'a soft and flexible mind'. It is this soft and flexible mind which Master Dogen's Rules for Meditation encourages us to establish within ourselves through our own practice.
You can recite along with the recording and then sit in meditation, bringing evening service into your daily life. See the link below for a PDF that has the text.
-find the text at: https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/IntroSRM13.pdf
This is a talk by Rev. Master Jiyu given in 1979. It is the first talk in a 12 talk series. Rev. Master Jiyu talks about many different aspects of Meditation, our Buddhist practice, and what we 'find' along the Way. 'Soto Zen' is the Japanese name for our form of meditation which we translate into english as 'Serene Reflection Meditation'.
-twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck talks about Nagyaarajuna, a celebrated Indian ancestor in the Zen and wider Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Rev. Oswin reads from Great Master Keizan's commentary from 'The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of the Light' to illuminate Nagyaarajuna's initial misunderstanding and his eventual conversion to the Buddha's practice. The main lesson for us all from Nagyaarajuna's own story being that training with the Sangha is essential.
-Free downloadable PDF of Denkoroku @: https://shastaabbey.org/publications/
-YouTube video: https://youtu.be/fXSv9ZHiJ1A
-Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about 'Universal Love'. This is the love that is not personal or romantic, but aspires to care for all beings impartially. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 30, 2022.
-watch the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQxGbRdcaQ
-Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Ando talks about faith in Buddhist practice and, in particular, what that means for Zen practitioners who tend to primarily practice meditation and may not consider 'faith' as part of their practice.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 23, 2022
-watch the YouTube video at: https://youtu.be/asAzEGP59bc
-Twitter: @shastaabbey
Rev. Master Meian, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, uses a classic Zen image of Manjusri on his beast to illuminate our own practice of training ourselves. In Mahayana Buddhism, Manjusri is the embodiment of Wisdom. For a picture of the statue Rev. Master Meian is referencing during her talk, visit Shasta Abbey's twitter page @ShastaAbbey. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 16, 2022.
-YouTube video of this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJp-1FiUVAY
-Twitter: @ShastaAbbey
Rev. Scholastica Hicks talks about her experience with Buddhist practice and offers teaching and encouragement to us for deepening our own.
This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 9th, 2022
Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7dRTvK5XvTA
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk about cultivating harmony in the Sangha and society.
This is part 1 of a talk by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett about the Buddha's core teaching: the 4 Noble Truths. This talk was given in 1980.
Rev. Margaret Clyde talks about how Buddhists train with feelings. She shares many stories and insights from her own years of training as a monk at Shasta Abbey, pointing out the important point that Buddhist training is trying to get us to look beyond how we feel.
This talk was given Sunday September 18, 2022 at Shasta Abbey
YouTube video: https://youtu.be/VUEIPXcgxFY
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about how acts of kindness help make the world a better place.
This talk was given on Sunday September 11, 2022 at Shasta Abbey
Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XCXrFE4WySM
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the Buddhist teaching of Karma and how to engage with it in our own training.
This talk was given on August 21, 2022 at Shasta Abbey
Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DcNtdS8QNkI
Rev. Daishin Yalon, vice abbot of Shasta Abbey, talks about Buddhist practice and meditation during the traditional 'training term' of a monastery.
This is a talk about meditation given by Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennet, the founder of Shasta Abbey and the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives. The talk was given in 1978, eight years after the founding of Shasta Abbey in 1970.
Rev. Master Jiyu talks about the true purpose of meditation.