Mountain Cloud Zen Podcasts: Recent Episodes
Henry Shukman: Associate Master Sanbo Zen
Zen Podcast series based on Mountain Cloud Zen Center’s Thursday evening dharma talks that explore classical koans of Zen. The podcasts help us in our mission of offering core Zen training in the lineage of Sanbo Zen to create healthier and kinder lives for all, while also supporting our Three Treasures Prison Project in which we work with inmates in a maximum security prison, as well as serving the immediate community of Santa Fe, New Mexico, our international sangha, and the broader world community of all beings.
As our 30 Days of Dogen course comes to an end, Valerie invites a return to Dogen's seminal awakening: Body and mind fallen away. What geography of awakening does Dogen's experience lay bare for us and can it be anywhere but here? Looking into this, the talk turns to case 27 in the Blue Cliff Record, "Unmon's 'Complete Exposure.'" The koan asks, 'When everything falls away, what then?' Our practice itself offers a response. Fallen away, fallen away and simultaneously falling headlong into the heart of this beautiful, broken world.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
What a pleasure and a privilege to sit down with Henry Shukman for a conversation in the Study at Mountain Cloud. Henry's app, The Way, is a single-path meditaton program designed to bring the depth of traditional practice into the digital age. He's also the author of the excellent books, One Blade of Grass and Original Love. Henry and The Way offer opportunities to gather in-person around the world, as well.
If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation and membership. Your contribution is a meaningful way for us to continue offering these programs freely.
Donation
Membership
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Many of us come to spiritual practice because of a persistent feeling that there's something wrong—something off about us or about the world. Perhaps we struggle with loneliness or a sense of alienation. Perhaps we crave intimacy but are afraid to get close. Perhaps we wonder why there's so much conflict everywhere. Is there a better way to relate to others and to ourselves?
In this Teisho, Zuisei Goddard, Guiding Teacher of Ocean Mind Sangha, takes up the koan of Senjo and Her Soul to show that when we look closely, we realize that our sense of separation is an illusion. That when we wake up to ourselves, we see that we've always been perfect and whole.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
A real joy chatting Light Watkins from his home in Mexico City. Light's latest book, The Year You Transform, is a wonderfully practical guide to how small, daily behaviors can have truly transformative power.
If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation and membership. Your contribution is a meaningful way for us to continue offering these programs freely.
Donation
Membership
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
In this talk, Valerie begins with a look into Dogen's phrase, "mountain-still sitting," asking how this practice of divesting ourselves – "dropping away body and mind" – is, at the same time, an invitation to realize the inexhaustible abundance that runs through all things. The talk then turns to a koan that embodies this realization: case 10 of the Gateless Gate, "Seizei the Poor." In the case, a seasoned monk presents himself to a renowned master: "I am solitary and poor." This is no lament but the meeting ground for an exchange that freely illumines the awake world and invites us to taste and see.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
So nice to chat with Sarah Giffin, the Executive Director of Mountain Cloud Zen Center. Sarah's had an interesting pathless path to her current role at the Center, and has such a gift for storytelling.
If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation and membership. Your contribution is a meaningful way for us to continue offering these programs freely.
Donation
Membership
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Returning to the zendo after co-leading a monthlong 'mini-ango' at a beautiful Zen center in the Black Forest region of Germany, Valerie reflects on travel and long sitting and Zen's ever-present invitation to come home to what we truly are. The talk then turns to case 9 in the Gateless Gate or Mumonkan, "Daitsu Chisho," another name for the essential wisdom that pervades all places. This koan hinges on the question, can you - or can anyone - "attain Buddhahood"? More to the point, can you become anything? If not, what is awakening? What liberating wisdom is it that is ours to discover without ever leaving home? Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Scott explores Case 53 of the Blue Cliff Record or Hekiganroku: "Hyakujo and the Wild Ducks."
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Really enjoyed this conversation with Eric Zimmer. Eric was in Santa Fe while touring in support of his latest book, How A Little Becomes A Lot. Also check out his incredibly popular podcast, The One You Feed.
If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation and membership. Your contribution is a meaningful way for us to continue offering these programs freely.
Donation
Membership
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
When the Buddha touched the Earth (bhumisparsha), was the Earth touching him? What does our nonduality with the Earth really mean?
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Such a pleasure to sit down with Elena Brower in the Study at Mountain Cloud for a beautiful conversation around the pathless path of practice and life.
Please check out Elena's latest book, Hold Nothing, as well as her Substack, where she writes on practice, study, and listening. Elena also hosts a wonderful podcast called Practice You.
If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation and membership. Your contribution is a meaningful way for us to continue offering these programs freely.
Donation
Membership
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Such a joy to sit down with Tias Little (during a break from writing his latest book) on the beautiful grounds of Prajna Yoga. Tias and Surya offer amazing courses and classes, both in their temple in Santa Fe, as well as online.
If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation and membership. Your contribution is a meaningful way for us to continue offering these programs freely.
Donation
Membership
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
In this talk, Valerie begins with an Earth Day reflection, acknowledging and honoring what Hakuin Zenji calls "this earth where we stand." The talk then turns to case 8 in the Gateless Gate or Mumonkan, "Keichu Makes Carts." The koan asks: What happens to the cart when all the moving parts are removed? And what about us? When all our concepts and assumptions fall away, what remains? In his verse to the case, Mumon calls this fundamental reality "the active wheel" – the wheel that is always functioning freely no matter the circumstances.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Really enjoyed this conversation with author, journalist, and ultra-endurance athlete, Katie Arnold. Her latest book, "Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World", is a beautiful Zen meditation wrapped in a memoir.
And check out all of the great things Katie is up to, including her next "Flow Camp", in Telluride, Colorado ...
Website
Substack
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation or membership.
Donation: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Ben's talk is based on his new book, Inside the Flower Garland Sutra: Huayan Buddhism and the Modern World.
Huayan Buddhism arose in the sixth century in China rooted in the Mahayana Flower Garland (Huayan) Sutra. Huayan is relational, practical, and positive. Its emphasis on interdependence, celebration of the sensual world, and diversity of people and practices has much to offer during this era when many folks see ever-deepening divisions.
Ben will illustrate the teachings with stories and lessons from his recent involvement with an array of nonviolent community responses to the violence ICE brought to his hometown Minneapolis over the last few months.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
It was an honor to sit down with David Loy for this next conversation in the Path(less) series. David will be joining us here at Mountain Cloud for our May EcoDharma Residency.
To learn more about David, his teachings, books and appearances, check out his webiste: https://www.davidloy.org
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation or membership.
Donation: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Ukraine … Gaza … Iran … Can Buddhist teachings help us understand what is happening, and how we might respond?
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Such a pleasure to sit down with Valerie Forstman, Guiding Teacher for Mountain Cloud Zen Center, for this first conversation in the Path(less) series.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud through donation or membership.
Donation: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
In this first dharma talk following the Spring Sesshin, Valerie begins with a poem that whimsically maps the trajectory of practice. The talk then turns to Case 7 in the Mumonkan or Gateless Gate, "Joshu's 'Wash Your Bowls.'" A monk arrives at the monastery and asks for instruction. On the surface, Joshu's response is a word of practice guidance to the monk and to us. Deeper still, Joshu's every word presents the world where there is not the slightest bit of dust to wipe away. This world. This fact. The Gateless Gate that is always exactly where you are.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
Welcome to a new converation series, titled "Path(less)," on the "in the Cloud" podcast. In this introductory episde, host, Grant Goulet, provides a brief orientation to the theme of the series: the pathless path of practice and life.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Reach out to grant@mountaincloud.org with any comments or suggestions.
In this Teisho, Carolyn takes up Mumonkan Case 20: A Person of Great Strength – Seeing Shôgen's World From the Midst of Fire.
Recorded on March 12, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Valerie begins this talk with an exploration of Zen's invitation to 'come home' to who we truly are. What kind of path is it that can arrive fully without taking a single step? And what are we to make of this homecoming when the suffering of the world is fully included?
As a way of exploring these questions, the talk turns to a koan: Blue Cliff Record or Hekiganroku Case 69, "Nansen Draws a Circle." Three monks, dharma siblings, set out together to visit a renowned master. Along the way, they stop to share the teaching – and to offer us a glimpse of home that is always right where we are.
Recorded on March 5, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In Case 2 of The Blue Cliff Record, Master Joshu instructs us that "The Supreme Way is not difficult; it simply dislikes picking and choosing." How can this actually apply to a human life, especially in such trying times, since we seem to be faced with nothing but choices every day, from the most mundane to the most heart wrenching?
Recorded on February 26, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
This talk is in reference to the Biblical "Tree of Life," from which we disconnected when we ate from the "Tree of Knowledge." How does our Zen practice help us to reconnect? Does Joshu's "Oak tree in the garden" give a hint?
Recorded on February 19, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member, so we can continue to offer these programs freely.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Membership: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Zen practice invites us to sit in the midst of things just as they are without being tossed about by difficulties. As the waves settle, it can happen – in one unguarded moment – that the world suddenly falls open. The long imagined scaffolding of separation falls away. And we discover: right there in the vicissitudes of our lives there is ONE who is completely free and untroubled. Dogen called it "untrammeled."
In this talk, Valerie acknowledges the ills of this world then turns to case 94 in the Book of Equanimity or Shoyoroku to explore the reality that doesn't divide and doesn't depend on circumstances. An exchange between Master Tozan (Dongshan) and a monk offers a window into Tozan's sickroom and a gateway into realizing – and taking care of – the one who does not get ill.
Recorded on February 12th, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Shana delves into Case 9 of the Hekiganroku and Case 15c of the Miscellaneous Koans as pointers to navigating the polycrisis.
Recorded on February 5th, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
This talk begins with the question of how to embody the freedom and ease of Zen's empty hands while being fully attuned to the cries of the world – including the cries of our own hearts.
As a prelude to a koan, the talk turns to the great lay disciple of the Buddha, Vimalakirti, who lies ill and says, "I am sick because the whole world is sick." What wholeness has Vimalakirti seen that allows him to say this? Case 3 of the Hekiganroku or Blue Cliff Record offers a response. About to die, Master Baso (Mazu) gives a final teaching that continues to resound.
Recorded on January 29th, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Opening with a reading of Mountain Cloud's Land Acknowledgment, this talk is framed by a tribute to Joanna Macy through poetry that helped to inspire her deep and abiding support for the earth and all forms of life.
Within this frame, Valerie turns to a koan about Prajnatara, teacher of Bodhidharma and an ancestor who may well have been a woman. Case 3 of the Shoyoroku or Book of Equanimity presents Prajnatara embodying the way by "always reciting the 'Such-as-this'-sutra" and opening our eyes to what that is.
Recorded on January 22nd, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Scott takes up Case 6 of the Blue Cliff Record, Unmon's "Every Day is a Good Day."
Recorded on January 15th, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this first Dharma talk of the new year, Valerie reads from a recently published collection of poetry, Begin Where You Are, then turns to the question, 'Where Are You?' Issuing from our practice, this question is not a matter of geographical location but a pointer to the fundamental reality of who and what we truly are.
Centuries ago, Master Tosetsu Etsu famously addressed his monks with this fundamental question: Right in the midst of your seeking and searching, where is your self-nature at this very moment? Addressed to us, how will we respond – right now in 'this very moment,' exactly as it is?
Recorded on January 8th, 2026
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In the wake of the Rohatsu sesshin at Mountain Cloud and our deep dive into Hakuin's Song of Zazen, Valerie begins this talk with a painting by Hakuin, an image of three blind men crossing a precarious log bridge. What does Hakuin's vision of 'crossing over' say about our practice, about awakening, and about the leap or fall right into the heart of this broken open world?
By way of response, Valerie takes up case 62 in the Hekiganroku or Blue Cliff Record, "Unmon's 'One Treasure.'" In the case, Master Unmon/Yunmen quotes a famous passage about the one treasure that is always right in our midst and offers a teaching about its manifold activity.
Recorded on December 18th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
On the occasion of the last full moon of this calendar year, Valerie turns to case 100 in the Blue Cliff Record or Hekiganroku. Speaking directly to our life and practice, Master Haryo (Baling), asks, "What is the sharpest sword? He himself answers, "Each branch of coral reflects the moon."
How does that sharpest sword function and what does it have to do with the light of the moon?
In the course of her talk, Valerie reflects on a recent sesshin in Germany then makes the turn toward Rohatsu, the deepest ingathering of the year at Zen centers around the world. The talk also includes a poem by Maelna Mörling from her forthcoming collection, 'Lumina Station.'
Recorded on December 4th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Maria turns to Mumonkan Case 7, Joshu's "Wash your Bowl", his advice to a newcomer who earnestly asked him for instruction about the way. How does this simple instruction reflect the boundless way that Joshu himself asked his own teacher Nansen about when he first entered the monastery?
Recorded on November 20th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
How do we reconcile the wondrous and borderless reality of the essence with the messiness of our everyday lives? Are changing diapers, checking a phone or driving to work really compatible with "vast and void, no holiness?"
Carolyn explores this question as it was posed by Unmon in 10th century China (Case 16 of the Mumonkan) "the world is vast and wide like this. Why do we put on our seven-panel robe at the sound of the bell?" Delve in to see how there is no contraction here.
Recorded on November 13th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this talk, Scott takes up Case 10 of the Mumonkon, "Seizei the Poor."
Recorded on November 6th, 2025
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
For this talk, Valerie is joined by friend, author, artist, and dharma teacher, Natalie Goldberg. Together, Natalie and Valerie take up case 25 in the Book of Equanimity or Shoyoroku as a way of exploring the dharma that is at the heart of every koan – this world that is at once broken and utterly complete.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Recorded on October 30th, 2025
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
This talk begins with the question, 'What is it to be human?' When Siddhartha Gautama was 29 years old, he leapt beyond the palace walls of his rarified life in search of an answer to this question. One of Shakyamuni Buddha's earliest teachings points the way towards what he discovered: Stop and see. Stop the conditioned activity of our discursive minds, our habitual ways of framing the world, our fixed concepts about who and what we are. Put down the artifice of that narrow flashlight. Turn off the projector and see. See what remains. In effect, see in the dark.
In response to this invitation, Valerie turns to case 89 in the Hekiganroku or Blue Cliff Record, 'Unmon's Bright Light.' Addressing the assembly, Unmon says, "Everyone has their own bright light. When you look at it, you can't see it; it is complete darkness. Now, what is the bright light of you all?" Unmon's own reply is a pointer to who we truly are and to how that matters in our lives.
Recorded on October 23rd, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
This talk takes up case 34 in the Blue Cliff Record or Hekiganroku, "Kyozan's 'Not Wandering,'" as a guide to that exploration. Kyozan (Yangshan) asks a monk, "Where have you come from?" It's a common question – a fundamental question – that the monks of record repeatedly fail to realize. Here, the monk responds in terms of geography, the distance between here and there, near and far, coming and going. The exchange unfolds with a turning word addressed to the student and to us: Can you wander in the mountains without ever leaving home? Can you not?
Recorded on August 7th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this talk, Valerie returns to the basics of Zen practice beginning with a beloved verse by the renowned 8th century Chinese poet, Li Po. The poem is both a practice pointer and an expression of the fundamental reality we can discover along the way as practice unfolds: the essential world that is empty, boundless, and one, while, at the same time, exactly the world of our everyday lives. As a pointer to this one reality, the talk takes up case 21 in the Shoyoroku or Book of Equanimity, "Ungan Sweeps the Ground." Two dharma brothers meet each other eye to eye and invite us into the dance where form and emptiness are not two. Not even one.
Recorded July 31st, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this talk, Valerie begins with the poetry of love and loss as a portal to a saying from the eminent 9th century Chan/Zen master Joshu (Zhaozhou) about the timelessness of our everyday lives. The talk explores Joshu’s response to a monk who asks, “During the 24 hours, how is mind put to use?” Joshu offers a response that calls us into the immeasurable dynamism of each present moment.
We are creatures inured to time. What happens when, in a moment of zazen, time stands still? Or all time is suddenly nothing but now?
Recorded on July 24th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Scott's talked is based on one of Joshu’s sayings. When asked “What is meditation?” he responded, “Non-meditation.” When asked how that could be, he said, “It’s alive! It’s alive!”
Recorded on July 17th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Fresh home from a memorial service for a beloved mentor and on the heels of the flooding in Texas, Valerie turns to case 41 of the Hekiganroku or Blue Cliff Record, “Joshu’s ‘Great Death.’” How does this case speak to the root of our human experience? What does it say about the coming and going of life and death? Might this ancient exchange between two masters – a generation apart in age – offer a word to us about the great matter?
Recorded on July 10th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this talk, Henry explores our place in the world through koans and poems.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this first teisho since returning from the North American Sanbo Zan sesshin led by Yamada Ryoun Roshi, Valerie takes up Case 4 in the Shoyoroku or Book of Serenity, ‘The World-honored One Points to the Ground.’ “Here is a good place to build a temple,” says the Buddha, pointing to the ground at the place where we stand. Manjusri bends down, picks up a blade of grass and sticks it in the ground. The Budda acknowledges, “The temple has been built.”
Why turn to this case at a time when wars are raging, people are starving, and the ground where we stand is on fire? What do the Buddha’s pointing and Manjusri’s gesture in response have to do with our sense of falling down and our longing for a world made whole? Might there be a radically different kind of falling – a falling away of self and other – that brings us home to the whole heart of the world right where we are?
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Insight Dialogue (ID) is a relational meditation practice for developing awareness, compassion and wisdom. It is designed to help us awaken together and integrate our understanding of Dharma teachings in a direct and immediate way. Nicola's talk was followed with a brief period of Q&A.
Nicola Redfern is an Insight Dialogue Retreat Teacher with an extensive background in both Zen and Vipassana meditation. With a strong belief that awakening is not simply a solo endeavor, Nic is particularly interested in getting meditation and dharma insight fully integrated and embodied in life, work, social justice, and all relationships. She has taught multiple courses on eco-dharma, unlearning racism, and Nonviolent Communication, as well as programs for LGBTQIA+. Nicola is originally from the UK and now lives near Santa Fe, NM.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
View our upcoming events: https://www.mountaincloud.org/schedule/
In this first dharma talk after returning from a monthlong mini-ango in Germany, Valerie turns to the final case in the Mumonkan or Gateless Gate, “Kempo’s One Way,” a koan that presents the world of absolute immediacy and infinite capacity, and invites us to taste and see.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
View our upcoming events: https://www.mountaincloud.org/schedule/
Katie Arnold tells a story from her upcoming book How to Disappear about an arduous and illuminating long distance run in the high country.
Katie Arnold is the author of Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World as well as critically acclaimed RUNNING HOME: A Memoir, published by Random House in March 2019. She is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine, where she worked on staff for twelve years. Her “Raising Rippers” column about bringing up adventurous, outdoor children appears monthly on Outside Online. She has written for The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Sunset, Runner’s World, ESPN: The Magazine, Elle, and many others, and her narrative nonfiction has been recognized in Best American Sportswriting. A competitive ultra-distance runner, she has run and won races at every distance from 5K to 100 miles. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband and two daughters.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
This talk was offered by Karen Waconda-Lewis at Mountain Cloud Zen Center on May 22nd, 2025. Karen discusses how the Noble Eightfold Path connects with Tribal spirituality.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
This talk was offered by Ruben Habito at Mountain Cloud Zen Center on May 15th, 2025.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this talk, David explores the depth and application of this teaching to our modern lives. He notes, “We often do not appreciate that the three poisons is a profound teaching, perhaps especially important today.”
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
In this talk, David explores the idea of refuge. To take refuge is to run away to a hiding place…Is that what we should do?
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
Zen is a practice to deeply explore and fully live our true Self. Might the Koan about the stone deep down in the sea of Ise be a helpful pointer in this exploration?
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
In this talk, Shana takes us right into “don’t know mind” as a portal to discovering our true nature and the freedom inherent in simply being alive. By tasting this freedom, we become better able to live, function, and respond compassionately even through difficult times.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
In this early spring talk, Valerie turns to the way of awakening, discovered and explored as this world – in the midst – just as it is. Not-two.
The talk weaves together a cross-section of experiences of homecoming with case 100 of the Book of Equanimity (Shoyoroku). In the case, Master Kaku of Roya receives the student’s question and responds in kind: “The essential state is pure and clear; how are mountains, rivers, and the great earth produced at once?”
How, indeed. Can we enter the wonder and embody it to the full?
Recorded on April 10th, 2025
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
In this talk, Valerie begins by revisiting themes from our recent sesshin – the wellspring of zazen, the intimacy of not-knowing, the peace that passes all understanding. The talk explores these themes by taking a fresh look at case 51 in the Book of Equanimity, ‘Hogen’s “Boat or Land,”’ Master Hogen’s question to a visiting monk elicits a response that resounds with the homecoming that is available to us all.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
In this teisho, Shana uses Ruben Habito Roshi’s “ABC’s of Zen” as parallels for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She then explores Case 43 of the Shoyoroku as a pointer into finding our own unique ways to support the healing of a seemingly divided world.
Shana will be leading a weekend retreat at Mountain Cloud in April - for more visit https://www.mountaincloud.org/event/intro-retreat-april-2025/
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
In this talk, Valerie begins with poetry as a portal to the language of koans, a language that uses words to go beyond words. Koans don’t just describe or express the reality of who we truly are. They offer a turning word – a seed of awakening – that can open our eyes to that fundamental reality right in our midst. The talk will turn to case 12 in the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate), a single word that “juts forth” with the capacity to render the world just as it is – intimate and immediate, at once empty and full of wonder.
Recorded on March 6th, 2025
____
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
In the Gateless Gate (Mumonkan) case 29, two monks watch a temple flag flapping in the wind. They argue back and forth: is it the flag that moves or the wind that moves? Seeing this, the 6th Chinese ancestor, Huineng, intervenes: “It is not the wind that moves. It is not the flag that moves. It is your mind that moves.” Centuries of Zen students have taken up this case. What is mind? What is moving? What is the dharma that shows itself fully in movement and in stillness?
In this talk, Valerie traces the steps of Huineng’s teaching and looks into the question at hand in the context of practice. Busy mind, still mind. What moves? And what remains when all movement has stopped? How might these questions apply to us now as we sit in the midst of a deeply turbulent world?
______
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
This talk is offered in gratitude for the life of Johanna Sindelar, a long-time sangha member who dedicated over a decade of service to Mountain Cloud. As a tribute to Johanna, Valerie begins with a look at the Heart Sutra in a rendering by Thich Nhat Hahn that was set to music in harmonies Johanna loved. The talk then turns to case 18 in the Blue Cliff Record, a koan that asks a renowned national teacher, “What shall I do to honor you after you die?” In response, the master implores each of us to realize who we truly are. “Make a seamless tomb for this old monk.”
The koan offers a turning word about love and loss, and about the seamlessness at hand that cannot be divided.
Recorded on February 20th, 2025
In this talk, Scott draws from the Gateless Gate case 13, “Tokusan Carries His Bowls” as a case study for how we can meet mistakes, challenges, and misunderstandings with equanimity.
In this talk, Maria sheds light on how listening to the voice of a bird or the sound of rain can bring us fully back home to our true nature. In this context, Maria takes the experience of Fr. Shigeto Oshida as a spring board for Koan No. 46 in the Blue Cliff Record: Kyôsei’s “Voice of the raindrops.”
Recorded on February 7th, 2025
_______
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/memembership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
On this first day of the Lunar New Year with the world in turmoil, Valerie turns to case 22 of the Blue Cliff Record, “Seppo’s ‘Poisonous Snake.’” What life-giving poison is the koan presenting? What happens if you encounter the snake? The turning word in Seppo’s own awakening story offers a pointer: If you want to expound a great teaching, it must flow forth from your own breast to cover heaven and earth. The dharma treasure is right in our midst – intimate, excluding nothing, and born right now.
Recorded on January 30th, 2025
________
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
The talk begins with a look at Zen’s parable of the second arrow. What does the story say to us now when we may find ourselves despairing about despair? In response, Valerie turns to the teaching of two root masters who lived during a particularly precarious time in China. Asked “What is the essential meaning of Chan?” Baso (Mazu) replied, “What is the meaning of this moment?” Baso’s counterpart, Sekito (Shitou), taught, “What meets the eye is the Way.” How might these teachings illumine the way as we practice and live in the midst?
Recorded on January 23, 2025.
For more information on the May Ecodharma residency at Mountain Cloud, visit: https://www.mountaincloud.org/may-2025-ecodharma-residency/
Here you can find a recent Dharma Talk from David Loy: https://www.mountaincloud.org/david-loy-a-buddhist-response-to-the-ecological-crisis/
If you are interested in signing up for our latest 30 Days Course, visit: https://www.mountaincloud.org/event/30-days-of-everyday-zen-january-31-march-1-online-course/
___________
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/memembership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
Carolyn discusses Mumonkan case 11: Jôshû Examines the Hermits as an invitation to examine and trust our own discernment.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
Welcome in the new year with this Teisho offered by Mountain Cloud's Guiding Teacher, Valerie Forstman.
To see what Mountain Cloud has planned for the upcoming year, visit www.mountaincloud.org/newyear/
During the season of Rohatsu, Solstice, Christmas and Hanukkha, Maria takes up the psalm of Isaiah: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” This psalm becomes a starting point to reflect on how darkness and light feed our practice of seeing our true nature.
At this time when many of us may be feeling daunted and uncertain, we gather in the zendo to tap into our shared deeper nature that meditation can open up, drawing sustenance and new perspectives from it.
In this talk, Henry explores breakthrough experiences — sudden shifts in how we understand and experience this life. They can show up in many forms, and in many areas, both personal and collective. Zen’s history is full of stories of sudden awakenings — moments when practitioners found they had broken out of familiar ways of perceiving and understanding their lives, into new ways of experiencing time, space, a profound sense of belonging, and of participating in the life of this world and all its beings.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
David Hinton has published numerous books of poetry and essays, and many translations of ancient Chinese poetry and philosophy—all informed by an abiding interest in deep ecological thinking. This widely-acclaimed work has earned Hinton a Guggenheim Fellowship, numerous fellowships from NEA and NEH, and both of the major awards given for poetry translation in the United States: the Landon Translation Award (Academy of American Poets) and the PEN American Translation Award. Most recently, Hinton received a lifetime achievement award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
This week's talk was offered by Mountain Cloud's lead teacher, Valerie Forstman. It was recorded on October 31st at the Zendo in Sante Fe.
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
Kali invites us to examine the wide array of features that comprise “The Practice Field,” the many aspects of our path of practice. She states that as a species we are quite proficient at ignoring our “shadow side of life,” those parts of us that help inform the richness of the practice field. Through this avoidance of difficult experiences, we contribute to our own suffering. Kali suggests that, with kindness and insight, we can lovingly examine how we are responsible for much of our suffering – not blaming (which consciously assumes we are creating harm) but rather taking responsibility for what we bring into our moments of practice. The invitation is to relax into being with whatever we are experiencing, whatever we have the opportunity to meet, with wonder and curiosity, grounded in our connection with our basic goodness.
Recorded on October 24
*
Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this.
Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/
Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership
Check out our website: https://www.mountaincloud.org/
All are welcome to join us for sitting and dharma talks. Use this link to join us: https://sit.mountaincloud.org
Dwelling no-where, mind comes forth
~ from the Diamond Sutra
Heart mind directs us to the fundamental point of who and what we are. In Chinese there is one term for Heart Mind. No hyphen necessary, simply one. Contemporary Sanbo Zen teacher Migaku Sato wrote a poem with this line: In nothing at all-ness, there is endlessly everything. Out of nothing, here we are practicing, says Valerie or That thou art, says Ruben Habito. To further open, Valerie looks at goneness and oneness in Case18 from the Blue Cliff Record, The National Teacher’s Gravestone.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Mountain Cloud Summer Sesshin, hybrid event
June 26 – July 2: Details and registration, click hereThursday Evening Event May 25th with Guest Speaker Diana ClarkMeditation: 5:30pm MT
Dharma talk: 6:00pm MT
Click here for detailsOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
Clouds, River’s Lakes and Seas Weekend Workshop is coming up this weekend, May 27-28
Register here.
Valerie explores the clarity and simplicity of Master Hogen who came to be known as the dharma eye of deep clarity. Focusing on Case 51 from Book of Equanimity, Valerie illuminates mind and consciousness through Hogan’s clarity. If you want to study buddha-dharma, everything you see is buddha dharma, a door, a window and the exquisite beauty of the boat is on the river. For Hogan there is no difference between phenomena (worldly dharma) and essential reality (Buddhist dharma). Everything is put to rest.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Mountain Cloud Summer Sesshin, hybrid event
June 26 – July 2: Details and registration, click hereThursday Evening Event May 11th with Maria Reis HabitoMeditation: 5:30pm MT
Dharma talk: 6:00pm MT
Click Here for DetailsOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
Something puts our feet on this path, starting from the ordinary dualistic world. Gradually, as we practice and practice, in some unguarded moment, everything falls away, and it’s just this. Heaven and Earth: without any space for a conjunction. Then we practice, practice, practice…. and return to the ordinary world, but it’s upside down. This great return is a bridge, a crossing over.
Continuing with Joshu from the previous day’s talk on Mu, Valerie looks at Case 52 from the Blue Cliff Record, about a log bridge that is actually a stone bridge once you are able to really see it. Keep in mind that every koan is nothing but Mu and about you.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Mountain Cloud Summer Sesshin, hybrid event
June 26 – July 2: Details and registration, click hereThursday Evening Event May 4th with Carolyn SeburnMeditation: 5:30pm MT
Dharma talk: 6:00pm MT
Click Here for DetailsOriginal Love: Clouds, Rivers, Lakes and Sea, with Henry Shukman
April 30 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pmClick Here for DetailsOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
Crossing over to the other shore is the heart of our practice and the heart of Buddha’s teaching. Eventually we realize that we were always on the shore, here and now, in the moment at hand. In this first talk of our Spring sesshin, Valerie looks at the famous koan: Does a dog have Buddha Nature? the traditional first teisho in a Zen sesshin.
Valerie mentions a choral chant version of the Heart Sutra from Plum Village. Here is a link if you are interested.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Zazenkai / Daylong Sit
Seeds of Practice with Valerie Forstman
Saturday April 22 – Hybrid Event
Click Here for DetailsOriginal Love: Clouds, Rivers, Lakes and Sea, with Henry ShukmanApril 30 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pmClick Here for Details
Original Love 2023: Click here for full details
For this final Rohatsu talk, Henry looks at three questions. What are we doing here, just sitting with each other? What is awakening? and What then? We are living “it” every moment.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Spring Online Retreat
Thursday-Sunday, March 23-26
Four-day online retreat led by Valerie ForstmanOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
In this talk from day 5 of the Rohatsu sesshin, Valerie picks up on the previous day’s talk by Henry where he presents the title and first line of the Heart Sutra. Turning to the figure of Kannon, Kanzeon, or Avalokiteshvara, bodhisattva of great compassion, Valerie asks, “What is compassion?” In response, she lifts up the phrase, “Just compassion,” then turns to a koan that addresses the heart of the matter: who we truly are. The deep Sea of Ise – the sea of the world – calls to us, as does a single stone lying on its floor, a stone that cannot get wet and can never get dry; a single stone with one name inscribed on it. The koan asks, “How will you pick up that stone without wetting your hands?” And once you have it in the palm of your hand, what is the name?
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Spring Online Retreat
Thursday-Sunday, March 23-26
Four-day online retreat led by Valerie ForstmanOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
What is this practice? Why do it? Essentially, it’s all about slowing down and things falling away. Our very existence, our being gets simpler. Henry looks at the title and first lines of the central document of Mahayana Buddhism, The Heart Sutra. This document is a story about Avalokiteshvara going from contracted view, to full view.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Daylong Sit / Zazenkai Saturday February 18, 2023
Join Valerie Forstman and our Sangha for a Zazenkai. The Zazenkai will be both on-site and on-line.Spring Online Retreat
Thursday-Sunday, March 23-26
Four-day online retreat led by Valerie ForstmanOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
In celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s awakening, Valerie takes up the Head Chapter of the Denkoroku or Transmission of Light. “I and the great earth and all beings simultaneously attain the Way.” The invitation of this practice is to taste and see: Our sitting, standing, bowing, walking is nothing but that awakening – fully expressing it in every breath, every gesture.
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Also, check out our Upcoming Events:
Daylong Sit / Zazenkai Saturday January 21, 2023
Join Valerie Forstman and our Sangha for a Zazenkai. The Zazenkai will be both on-site and on-line.Spring Online Retreat
Thursday-Sunday, March 23-26
Four-day online retreat led by Valerie ForstmanOriginal Love 2023: Click here for full details
On this first day of Fall, Teshin takes up case 27 of the Blue Cliff Record, Unmon’s Complete Exposure. The Case reads as follows: A monk asked Unmon, “What is
Upon being welcomed home from Germany, Valerie describes briefly what it’s like being thrown immediately into the chaotic activity of moving from her home in Dallas to Santa Fe: “Constant
Scott explores Case 32 from the Gateless Gate, A non-buddhist questions the Buddha. The non-buddhist says, in all earnestness to the Buddha: I do not ask about words, I do
In this talk from our Thursday night series, Valerie takes up Case 26 of the Gateless Gate, Hogen’s “Two Monks Roll Up the Blinds.” The setting is in Master Hogen’s
“Your sitting is not for the world, it is the world.” How can our practice be an offering to the world? asks meditation teacher Shana Smith. The question arose from
“Showing their backs then their fronts – falling maple leafs.” ~ Ryokan “Resolving the matter of Life and death is of prime importance.” To explore this phrase which is recited
“Love sitting in Zazen, as if putting out a fire on top of your head” ~ Dogen Valerie Forstman gives the second talk during the April Intro to Meditation weekend.
Description: This is Question & Answer session 1 from the Introduction to Meditation Virtual Weekend. Valerie Forstman is the speaker and teacher for this session. And, here’s a link to
Listen to this talk by Valerie Forstman from the April 2021 Introduction to Meditation Weekend Retreat. A talk at a Zen retreat is traditionally called a teisho which means, Presentation
Valerie examines beginner’s mind and explores the question”what is Zen?” during our March one-day Introduction to Meditation retreat. Suzuki Roshi – a Japanese Zen master who brought Zen teaching to
“Zen is awakening to the dynamic reality of the present moment…..Zen is finding love in all things at ”~ Ruben Habito Valerie’s first talk of our Valentine’s weekend Intro retreat
“… Zazen has been described as silently not influencing anything …” Koans can provide helpful perspectives for dealing with the uncertainty of current world events. In this talk, Valerie Forstman
Description: Senior Student Will Brennan gives a dharma talk, offering reflections on Dogen’s Fukanzazengi. And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk. Also, check out our Upcoming
“Anyone who wants to gain enlightenment, do not enter.” Description: Valerie turns to Love, which knows nothing of rank and order. She looks at a koan from Keizan’s Transmission of Light
“Who would waste the spark from a flint stone?” – Dogen Description: Anything could be that spark. Ryoun Roshi says “koans are a message from the oneness world.” They offer
Description: This is the Question & Answer companion to Encounter of the Heart Retreat: Zen’s Origin, Part 3. Valerie Forstman is the speaker and teacher for this session. And, here’s
Description: Valerie explores Zen’s origin story about the flower, a smile and universal space, case six from the Gateless Gate. And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this
To be able to hear the dharma is truly rare. To do so we must: Stop and see, sit still and let go. Description: This is the Question & Answer
“Empty, new and utterly fleeting, arriving now but already done.” Description: The date of this talk, given by Valerie Forstman is 1-21-21, is a palindrome, front to back — back
“… Does Nansen really kill the cat? …” Description: Maria Reis Habito gives a teisho on Case 14 from the Gateless Gate, Nansen Kills the Cat. And, here’s a link
Description: Natalie Goldberg gives an inspiring talk about Zen in action. She describes some of her background experiences in both Zen and writing and how they interact and nourish each
Description: Dosho Port teaches with the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training and at the Nebraska Zen Center in Omaha, and he has been practicing Zen since 1977.
“We are always looking for the lack, like Eka (Huike) searching for his mind – this lack is so convincing and so untrue. It blinds us to who we really
“May each and everybody whether staying still or standing up have ten thousand blessings….Today I have advantage after advantage, now, please practice.” ~ Dogen Description: Valerie explores the dharma hall discourse
“… the awakening of Shakyamuni Buddha and the simultaneous awakening of all existence, past, present and future …” Description: To explore the origin point of practice in this second talk
Description: Henry reminds us that training is our own work, effort, commitment and investment of time and energy. Yet the context of practice pulls us outside of ourselves, out of
“… This very moment is awakening ...” Description: Valerie Forstman’s dharma talk probes Case 23 from the Blue Cliff Record, Hofuku and Chokei on an Outing. Hofuku says “This very moment
“… how modern-day bodhisattvas may direct their efforts toward the benefit of all beings ...” “… Nondual, non-selfish engagement with the world is an essential part of our practice ...”
“… What holds us back from experiencing the boundless freedom of who we truly are? ...” Description: In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in 2020, Valerie takes
Description: Henry talks about the corona-virus pandemic and endemic racism in America and what our practice offers as a solution to racism; bearing witness from deep realization of inseparability. And,
“… Zen is a mechanism for letting go ...” “… One fruit of wisdom is not being so caught up in having our desires met ...” Description: Zen draws its
“… The capacity to awaken is not something you have. It’s what you are ...” Description: In this talk given jointly by Valerie and Henry on the last day of
“… Focusing on the breath, we learn how to tame the delusive mind ...” Description: Master Joshu features in several important koans in the Zen canon. He is often heard
“… Bodhidharma Puts the Mind at Rest...” Description: Ruben Roshi has been both Henry and Valerie’s teacher. He is the guiding teacher at the Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas
“… how everyday experience is actually as vast and boundless as outer space ...” “… By letting everything be, things have the intrinsic capacity to release themselves ...” Description: Resuming the discussion
“… to learn to surrender to forces beyond our control ...” “… From the Zen point of view, every moment is holy ...” Description: In continuing the discussion about levels of Zen
“… Our every step is taken on instability ...” Description: This talk is about opening up to uncertainty. We all tend to avoid uncertainty in our lives. When we encounter it,
“… Support comes in varying forms ...” Description: In this second original love retreat Henry focuses on a simple message: There is help. Henry asks us to hear and receive this
“… how we human bodies find peace with ourselves ...”
Description: Third talk from the Original Love One – Mindfulness Retreat. Henry continues the great exploration about how we human bodies find peace with ourselves. The human body at peace with itself is more precious than the rarest gem. Henry talks more about the hindrances, mindfulness practices and the Zen practice of just sitting
And, here’s a link to our YouTube video of this talk.
Post & Featured Image (edited): 1) Lone man on beach at sunset Double Six beach, Bali Indonesia by Komar, purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (this image is not permitted to be shared separately from this post).
“… Zen is an effortless practice. It’s just letting go **…”
Description: In these two short talks given at the Esalen Institute in January 2020, we hear about Zen’s emphasis on awakening, which is closely linked to the original meaning of the word “Buddhism.” Zen is a unique spiritual path in that it is more interested in the heart-to-heart transmission of the awakening experience than it is in rhetorical dogma. Koans have a central place in this tradition, as they present a yardstick by which to gauge one’s depth of awakening.
Post & Featured Image: butterfly flying outdoors on a beautiful nature with freedom by nnudoo, purchased from YayImages, for use only on our website/social channels (this image is not permitted to be shared separately from this post)..
“… who we are in the present moment–this very moment …”**
“… Housebuilder, I have seen you! You will never build your house here again **…”
Description: In this dialogue, which took place at the Esalen Institute in January 2020, yoga teacher Tias Little and zen teacher Henry Shukman talk about the similarities and differences between these two great traditions. Both yoga and zen share an emphasis on inquiry. When we inquire deeply within our bodies and our sensory fields, as we do in practice, we start to “see” in a way commensurate with knowing more and more who we are in the present moment–this very moment where we find ourselves.
Post & Featured Image: Stones in water by elenathewise, purchased from YayImages, for use only on our website/social channels (this image is not permitted to be shared separately from this post)..