Young Urban Zen SF: Recent Episodes
San Francisco Zen Center
Young Urban Zen is a group under the auspices of the San Francisco Zen Center, with a particular focus on those between 20 and 40. It meets on Tuesday evenings for meditation and discussion about Zen practice. People of all experience levels are welcome.
Kōgetsu Mok talks about the koan of our lives as we meet impossible situations, difficult conversations, the mountains of uncertainty, and challenging times.
How can Zen practice help train us to meet these moments with better self-awareness, skillful action, grace, and integrity?
Can we be kind to ourselves in the process, forgive the mistakes of others and ourselves, and see that the mess is beautiful and wholly included in practice?
Michael McCord references a quote by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami: "Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional."
This is very much in alignment with the basic noble truths of Zen and yet can be so elusive in the moments we inhabit.
How do we live into a future where we hold the discomforts, annoyances, turmoil and pain of our existence in altogether different way? What can I do today or tomorrow?
Tim Wicks, the City Center Head of Practice, gives a brief way seeking mind talk telling the story of how he came to practice Zen. He also speaks about three basic tenets of Buddhism and how they are practiced in community.
Kōgetsu Mok discusses Suzuki Roshi's "Not Always So"—Be Kind with Yourself.
Our practice has an emphasis on warm heart and warm zazen. This kind of practice shows us how to take care of ourselves, our lives and others. When we're kind with our breathing, true practice can emerge as we learn to manage our impulses and busy lives.
Hiro Ikushima speaks on the theme of pausing.
In a world that moves swiftly and often without mercy, the simple act of pausing can feel revolutionary. A single breath, a quiet moment of stopping, can open a doorway back to our own hearts. We explore how pausing allows us to meet life with greater tenderness, clarity, and courage — how it invites us to respond rather than react and move through the world with more spaciousness and care.
Zachary Smith addresses Earth Day in the form of Case 5 of the Blue Cliff Record, in which Xuěfēng seems to be claiming that the Great Earth is no bigger than a millet seed.
Eli Brown-Stevenson offers a talk titled The Art of Just This.
Inspired by art and this quote from Suzuki Roshi, Eli talks about the importance of being with the process and not just focused on outcomes and results.
“A wonderful painting is the result of the feeling in your fingers. If you have the feeling of the thickness of the ink in your in your brush, the painting is already there before you paint.”
Michael McCord discusses how one might stop the momentum of burn out.
The Buddha lived a life of extreme luxury and then dove head-long into asceticism for many years, only to come to the realization that a balanced life was where harmony could be found. His story is a road map for modern life full of pursuit, accomplishment and acquisition. Even when a person buys-in to the concept of equanimous living, it doesn't mean that the momentum of a life will change that much. Since we live in our bodies and minds (actually these are joined but appear different much of the time), second by second, and that IS our life, how does the way I have put my life together actually work for me?
Kōgetsu Mok talks about the 5 Remembrances, a very powerful Buddhist teaching on impermanence and on owning our karma and actions.
Resentment often lingers quietly, heavy, unspoken, and rooted in pain. But it can be your teacher, showing you where you are still holding on. In this talk, Hiro Ikushima explores how Zen practice invites us to meet resentment with tenderness and curiosity. By turning toward it, we may uncover the hurt beneath and open the way to healing, compassion, and freedom. Even our hardest emotions can become gateways on the path of practice.
As children, many of us were raised by parents who told us to “be patient—and yet, few of us learned exactly what patience is or how to cultivate it. Mei Elliott explores what patience looks like, and how we can manifest it in our life and practice. If we're experiencing any form of suffering—large or small—patience can provide a doorway to freedom amidst difficulty.
Eli Brown-Stevenson talks about the transformative power of ‘affinity’—that natural resonance of being seen and welcomed—and how zazen practice can help us meet ourselves and others with openness, trust, and compassion.
Zachary Smith reflects on a talk given by Zentatsu Richard Baker, SFZC’s second Abbot, in 2012 about the idea of “mental posture”. Zach discusses how this idea can help us both with sitting and with bringing practice to our daily activity outside the Zendo.
Kōgetsu Mok talks about how our Zen practice can help us better approach love and intimacy. How can the Bodhisattva Precepts, Eightfold Path, and other tools help us be upright with our relationships to others and ourselves?
Michael McCord discusses taking refuge in sangha, from the standpoint of Buddhist training for being with not only the sangha and the world, but clues to our own mystery of suffering. How good is our hearing for those with whom we do not agree? How do we cultivate being present with people whom we find oppressive or askew with our views, especially if we are trying to find our voice?
Zachary Smith unpacks the English word “Love”—perhaps the most overloaded word in the language—and talks about its experiential footprint in practice, as well as how practice can foster love in our everyday relationships.
Kōgetsu Mok talks about how our Zen practice can help us better approach love and intimacy. How can zazen and our practice of the Bodhisattva Precepts help us be upright with our relationships to others and ourselves?
Kōgetsu shares thoughts and reflections on a poem, The Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, and how understanding the nature of duality can alleviate suffering.
The topic is (yet another) Zen story, suitable for the late season and the promise of a New Year, that brings up the question of what actually happens when the world ends. For those who have a copy of the Blue Cliff Record lying around, the case number is 29.
Our topic for this talk is A True Companion: Zazen & Mortality. We will begin with embodiment and stay close to our resources as we take an honest, Dharmic look into the transformative power of this journey from here to the end of our life.
The topic is focused on an old Zen story (Case 4 of the Blue Cliff Record for those who are familiar with the literature), which discusses the apparently paradoxical relationship between what we might call “spiritual ambition”—i.e. wishing to benefit in some way from a spiritual practice like Zen—and the way in which ambition of any sort (aka “grasping”) is a barrier to fruitful practice.
What is the intersection of Zen and Politics? What principles in Zen practice are most pertinent to engaging/not engaging/digesting the political discourses of our times?
When we're struggling or feeling lost, what do we have faith in? In other words, what do we believe will bring greater happiness? In this sense, we're all placing our faith in something-- whether that's the Dharma, a job promotion, romance, Netflix or cookies; we all seek happiness somewhere. Though faith isn't often associated with Buddhism, it's a fundamental part of the practice. During this session, we'll talk about the role of faith in our awakening, and how placing our faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, can provide a reliable refuge. For those that get the willies at the mere mention of faith, fear not-- we'll be exploring definitions of this term that go beyond the typical associations.
The topic is the koan of "Jumping Off the Hundred Foot Pole" (Case 79 Blue Cliff Record) and how we can find trust and faith in ourselves and our practice. How can we cultivate loving kindness and compassion within our zazen practice and how we spread that to the world around us?
Zachary Smith, inspired by a Koan—Case 30 of the Blue Cliff Record—talks about what we’re actually “supposed" to be practicing with.
We have so many different types of work and yet, they are all governed by the same Zen principles: what does this moment ask for? What is my body sensation and mental formation around what is happening? How can I appropriately show up for "production" when Zen is about the "path" not necessarily the end result?
Each moment, the mind takes on an attitude, perspective, or way of seeing. These perspectives will often color our vision such that reality is missed and we see everything through me-colored glasses. We'll talk about what Zazen has to do with taking off distorted lenses and seeing the world anew.
We will discuss what it can be to be "awake" in the midst of our busy lives. Practically speaking, what is it to be "awake" in places like work and bring practice to our daily struggles? How can the practice of awakening help with the daily stresses and anxieties that arise? We'll look at embodied rituals and zazen that can help alleviate suffering and help us get through our difficulties with grace and integrity.
In Zen, words are tools to guide us, but they are not the destination. We will discuss how words can sometimes mislead us in practice, and how we can stay grounded in the direct, lived experience of our true nature rather than getting lost in concepts.
Zachary Smith: we’ll answer the age-old and often-asked question, “Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?”
Michael McCord: Do Zen monks have difficult conversations that they wrestle with whether to have or not? What space does difficulty with others play in the Buddhist path? Tonight we will explore the subject of difficult conversations, and when it may or may not be best to engage. And if so, what we do before, during and after - so that we and others may suffer a little less and set tomorrow up for a bit more thriving.
Eli Brown-Stevenson: We will be discussing a few flavors of fear and the role of zazen (Zen meditation) in overcoming everyday anxieties.
Michael McCord: what does Zen elucidate about who we are if there is "no self"? A machine is looked at as a soulless collection of fallible parts that are subject to decay and failure. How is this different from the Zen concept of the self, an unfixed ever changing collection of matter with no permanent properties that eventually falls apart? And why does it matter?
For our discussion, let's see if we can point to the heart of the matter regarding our practice of Zazen.
The session will be inspired by Case 74 of the Book of Serenity, commonly known as “Fayan’s ‘Substance and Name,’” which, frankly, gives the best-ever accounting of the vicissitudes of the human condition. With this gift in hand we will puzzle together over the central question of what, in Buddha’s name, we should do about it.
Mei Elliott: The theme for the evening was the Buddha's Five Daily Recollections, with an emphasis on the third reflection, which focuses on death and dying. Recollections on death are common in the Buddhist tradition and can be a powerful source of wisdom and compassion.
Michael McCord: Compassion and Empathy, the difference between these two (compassion involves empathy but also brings in the element of action/no action as a decision) and how do concepts like “tough love” fit into and or work with these fundamental elements of practice? As a cornerstone of Buddhist practice (compassion cultivation) how do we set good/healthy boundaries while not veering into ruinous empathy or cold hearted disassociation from another’s struggle?
Kogetsu Mok: The topic will be about Shikantaza and Emptiness. What is shikantaza practice? What is "emptiness"? How can that help us in our daily lives as we navigate the difficulties that come our way?
Kogetsu Mok: How can we use Zen practice to navigate the persistent mountains in our lives with poise and balance?
Eli Brown-Stevenson: in this week's gathering we will talk about the heart/mind that brings us to practice and we will also do a welcoming exercise to help inspire our zazen practice.
Zachary Smith: Lately I’ve been thinking about all the cases where some teacher, for some reason, has been required to boil their knowledge and experience down to a single, simple compelling expression and deliver it. The Buddhist literature is full of examples and we’ll talk, at least briefly, about some of them but I’ll also be giving it a try as well.
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Mei Elliott: Mindfulness has the extraordinary capacity to cultivate wholesome states and diminish unwholesome ones, illuminating the path to happiness. In this meeting we'll explore the Buddhist roots behind the buzzword, and discuss the liberating potential of this practice.
Kogetsu Mok: discussing the Buddhist principle of the "Perfection of Patience" and how this can help us to meet our suffering, anxieties, and difficulties. How can we examine the nature of our suffering with self-awareness and clarity? How can we cultivate patience and tolerance? How can we meet every moment of our lives with wisdom and equanimity?
Patience can help us to find inner freedom and peace which can remind us that we are all interconnected. We can learn to find agency to act skillfully and to not be controlled by habitual patterns. In this, we can begin to create better karmic conditions for ourselves and others.
Michael McCord: in a world with so much suffering, how can a person (should a person?) be joyful? Is this not taking the cares of the world seriously? And in the face of so many existential threats (pandemics, climate change, political polarization, wars, etc.) - what is the appropriate way to live a life that is responsible, connected and thriving?
We'll unpack this from the context of Zen Buddhist principles. Since Buddhism has at its core the concept of "liberation", one shouldn't have to wait until some distant time in the future to exhale and set down the baggage of the world, and find ways to live into mini-liberations all along the way.
Zachary Smith shares a collection of strange Zen stories, including Case 19 of the Blue Cliff Record, about a teacher named Jùzhī with a very eccentric teaching style,
In this week's gathering we will talk about practical application of some of the core Buddhist teachings by bringing inquiry and curiosity to the expectations we hold.
Kodo Conlin: In this brief dharmette, we collapse the gap between audience and speaker and set the stage for intimate exchange about the Zazen.
Zachary Smith covers case 14 of the Blue Cliff Record, “Yun Men’s Appropriate Statement”
Michael McCord: Is it "OK" to use Zen to get from A to B as a transactional practice or should a person only practice Zen and see what the fruits of this are? In other words: can Zen be my workout tool for focus?
Portion from The Loving Kindness Meditation, " Let no one deceive another nor despise any being in any state. Let none by anger or hatred wish harm to another. Even as a mother at the risk of her life Watches over and protects her only child, So with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things. Suffusing love over the entire world, Above, below, and all around, without limit, So let one cultivate an infinite good will toward the whole world "
In this week's gathering we will talk about how zazen is a practice of all of the above and more!
Michael McCord: In this week's session I plan to unpack the various ways strong emotions - particularly ones that are often thought of as 'negative' - play in our lives from the perspective of Zen and its principles for living.
Zachary Smith: following on from Mei’s recent talk on Equanimity, I’ll be talking about another of the four Brahmavihārās, Muditā or Sympathetic Joy. We’ll talk about how this marvelous quality can arise, how it’s related to the Western idea of Love and, in the end, trying to get at the common element of all four “immeasurable”, as they’re sometimes called.
Mei Elliott: Sometimes considered the crown jewel of Buddhist practice, equanimity allows us to remain centered and peaceful, even within troubling circumstances. Through the development of insight, the equanimous mind is unshakable and balanced– helping us to keep our footing regardless of the difficulties that may come our way. During this meeting, we'll explore how equanimity is experienced and cultivated through meditation practice.
Michael McCord: If a person follows a spiritual path, should they expect things to get easier each year? Should I have any expectations at all? If life doesn't get that much easier, why follow a spiritual path?
We'll explore this in relation to the modern work life, home life and personal goal setting.
Most folks identify with the thought: "life doesn't come with a manual on how to make this all work, when will I figure out how to live?"
Mei Elliott: When difficulty arises, it's common to lean on the time-honored advice to practice letting go. Yet the capacity to let go often seems to be out of our control and proves to be more challenging than we'd like. How can we learn to release our difficulties gracefully and in what ways can the Dharma support us with this? In this session, we'll be exploring the relationship between letting go and liberation, as well as practices for learning the art of release.
Kodo Conlin: Let's start the new year with a return to the root of Buddhist teaching. We'll reflect together on the Four Noble Truths, the first teaching the Buddha gave after his Awakening. Perhaps all of the Dharma can be understood by way of its frame, and its applications to our day-to-day are too many to count.
Michael McCord: This Buddhist precept can lead to infinite discussion on what we get intoxicated by (substances, behaviors, etc) and can be easy to misunderstand as a black and white list of do's and don'ts. In this talk and discussion, we'll explore the nuances of practicing with this precept in the modern world and what it means to be intoxicated, what the impacts can be and what are some solutions found in the Buddhist practice to keep from getting ensnared by things that might overwhelm us.
Eli Brown-Stevenson: After we sit and do nothing. I will be sharing a childhood tale about one of the greatest gifts you can give. "The Gift of Nothing".
Anshi Zachary Smith: We’ll explore Dogen’s “Self-Receiving and Employing Samadhi”, which is an excerpt from a longer and much more pointed manifesto, his “Bendowa”, and which captures a number of key points about the nature and function of the Self and how it relates to practice.
Eli Brown-Stevenson — Reflections inspired by our founder Suzuki Roshi’s teaching: the purpose of practice is to have a direct experience of your Buddha nature.
Kodo Conlin: How do we practice compassion without being sunk? How do we love sustainably? Starting with one key distinction, we consider three aspects of sustainable compassion.
Anshi Zachary Smith: We’ll explore the boundaries and nether regions of everyday experience and how the creatures we meet there can be our allies and teachers.
Michael McCord: How the practices of the Zen temple support and address the needs of everyday life.
Following on Mei's talk on Form & Emptiness, the topic will be Preparing the Mind to Realize Emptiness. As an ancient Zen adept put it, "The clear circle of brightness is what exists from the very beginning". Put another way, there is an aspect of our experience here and now that is unhindered and luminous. But how do we come to see this? And how do we live it? We will talk about some of the ways the Zen ancestors encourage us to prepare the mind to realize emptiness.
Mei Elliott: Form & Emptiness are a foundational teachings in Soto Zen, and yet many find the subject perplexing and mysterious. My hope is to present the topic in a way that is both accessible and useful in your own practice. During the talk I'll include teachings on not-self, Nagarjuna's "two-truths," and the relationship between emptiness and freedom from suffering.
Michael McCord: Do you have thoughts that plague you? Do you get emotionally sidetracked by situations in the past or the future that seem to give you no peace?
Tonight, we will explore the principal causes of these disturbing thoughts and body sensations and how the context of Zen practice addresses these directly. We'll look at practical steps as well as an overall context of how to hold our bother, where to put our mind, and what acceptance has to do with this.
Zachary Smith: We’ll discuss our impulse to know or understand and how that desire may not always serve us.
Michael McCord: We’ll contrast the pop culture phenomenon of mindfulness with the tradition of Zen.
Michael McCord: What is our relationship with the scary, ugly, mean, petty, undeveloped, seemingly unworthy parts or ourselves? And what about these parts of others?
We will reflect on the idea that spiritual breakthroughs often arise from our mistakes and failures. How can Zen practitioners cultivate a mindset that welcomes mistakes as valuable opportunities for growth and awakening?
Kodo Conlin: Founder Dōgen put it, "The path of all buddhas and ancestors arises before the first forms emerge; it cannot be spoken of using conventional views.” Our topic for tonight is getting under the words, invitations to broaden our spectrum of experience, abiding in the vastness beyond words and stories.
Anshi Zachary Smith: “We’ll explore, among other things, the intellectual and philosophical environment in which Zen Buddhism developed in China, in particular the that fact that it contained both a proliferation of dualistic “list-making” and a preponderance of radical non-dualism (perhaps “anti-dualism”) as pioneered by some earlier Mahayana Buddhist schools, e.g. the Huayan school. We’ll also see how this balancing act has continued even up to the present day.”
Michael McCord: We'll explore the ritual garment practice of Buddhist monks who draped cloth such that one shoulder was bare with their daily garments, symbolizing they always had at least one arm ready to help others. How can we live this way in the modern world when "our" stuff seems to be overwhelming as it is - and what ways may this help us as well?
Anshi Zachary Smith raises Case 7 of the Blue Cliff Record, “Hui Chao Asks About the Buddha,” to see what it can tell (or show) us about the exact nature of the much-debated term “Buddha Nature” in the context of Zen practice. We will also be bringing in a bit of Dogen, which is always a good thing—rather like adding pepper, or maybe even smoked Paprika, to soup.
Maybe it's me, or what seems like perpetual election season, but little seems more relevant than reflecting on Social & Communal Harmony. What does the Buddha have to say about this, as one who lived through his own period of political upheaval and community division, and was insulted a fair amount? Let's pick up some of the Buddha's words and see what light they shine on how he was able to walk beneficially through this wild world.
Hiro Ikushima: "We will discuss the profound benefits of incorporating mindful practice in our daily lives, and how it can assist us in embracing our daily struggles as invaluable teachers that guide us in studying ourselves and ultimately cultivating inner freedom."
Heather Shoren Iarusso: “What do unicorns, rainbows, and demi-girls have to do with the practice of Zen? Come to the talk and all will be revealed.”
“This case raises and explores the question of what actually happens when, as Dogen asks, you take “the backward step that turns your light inwardly to illuminate your self”. Not surprisingly, it’s not exactly as straightforward as turning on the kitchen light on the way to the fridge and there are some nuances to sort out.” — Anshi Zachary Smith
Hiro Ikushima: Dogen-zenji said, "To study the Buddha Way is to study the self, to study the self is to forget the self." Bassui Tokushō, a Rinzai zen master, gave his disciples a self-inquiry "Who is this that hears the sound?"
We'll explore what it means to study the self and delve into self-Inquiry to peel back the layers of an illusory sense of self.
Heather Shoren Iarusso: "Aversion" is one of the mental afflictions the Buddha calls The Five Hindrances, which hinder our ability to experience calm and insight on and off the meditation cushion. By turning toward these uncomfortable feeling-tones, we slowly become less reactive and more spacious. This frees the heart to be compassionate and receptive toward ourselves and others.
For many, walking a path of meditation sometimes entails stumbling into challenges of frustration and self-evaluation. Ever clear-eyed about the nature of things, Zen practice employs the imagination to open us to the possibilities of wholesome growth, of a change in frame: stepping out of the limits of "the world according to me" and into the vast, joyful freedom of the Bodhisattva Universe animated by the Four Immeasurable Vows and Six Perfections. — Kodo Conlin
Anshi Zachary Smith: Case 29 of the Book of Serenity, which, in addition to a whole lot of slapstick hi-jinks and, perhaps, the most creative and outrageous insult a Tang Dynasty Zen teacher has ever leveled at his interlocutor, makes a number of subtle points about the nature and practice of teaching/transmission itself. Thus, it’s a fitting follow-on to Kodo’s talk about Practice Discussion of last week.
With rivers of Dharma books and oceans of online instruction, how do I know the teaching that is right for me now? What does a practice that’s matured by decades even look like? One approach to clarifying such questions is the practice of practice discussion, to meet face-to-face in a space of shared reflection where the Teaching Just for You can arise. We will discuss the how's, what's, and why's. — Kodo Conlin
Inspired in part by the recent sesshin at City Center, we will be discussing the practice of Zen as a path of metamorphosis, a complement to our oh-so-everyday style. Let's see what arises as we discuss the path of transformation. Kodo Conlin facilitates.
With the sounds of the Mountain Seat Ceremony still ringing through the halls of San Francisco Zen Center, we take another trip through the territory of Shikantaza, this time informed by the disarmingly everyday phrase Suzuki Roshi used to guide us in Zazen: just to be yourself.
Anshi Zachary Smithdiscusses the famous and nonetheless mysterious Turtle Nosed Snake from Case 24 of the Book of Serenity as well as Case 22 of the Blue Cliff Record. In the Case,Xuěfēng Yìcún warns his students to look out for the poisonous snake or, perhaps, he’s just suggesting they get up close and take a good look. We’ll also be taking a good look.
Shoren Heather Iarusso — Even if you aren't able to make it to a monastery, there are ways to infuse your everyday life with practices to help you awaken your inner monk. Everyday mind is studying The Way.
Consider this four-part series a gradual entry into shikantaza, the foundational meditation practice of our school of Zazen. Facilitated by Kodo Conlin, this course is designed sequentially for both experienced and first-time meditators: we develop our skills of awareness to include all aspects of our experience, one at a time. We begin with awareness of the breathing, proceeding to include, one by one, practices for wise awareness of the body, emotions, and thinking. This gradual approach is meant to support the cultivation of a clear, wise relationship to all aspects of our experience, with nothing left out. Finally, we enter shikantaza—just wholeheartedly sitting—a comprehensive immersion in the arisings of this moment, the practice of freedom amidst all things.
First session 1/31: To form our foundation: meditation on breathing and tips for establishing a daily practice.
Second session 2/7: To build upon our skills to include awareness of the body and wise practice with emotions.
Third session 2/14: To develop a mindful relationship to thinking.
Fourth session 2/21: Having now trained with breath, body, and mind, we open to shikantaza, the heart of Zazen meditation.
Consider this four-part series a gradual entry into shikantaza, the foundational meditation practice of our school of Zazen. Facilitated by Kodo Conlin, this course is designed sequentially for both experienced and first-time meditators: we develop our skills of awareness to include all aspects of our experience, one at a time. We begin with awareness of the breathing, proceeding to include, one by one, practices for wise awareness of the body, emotions, and thinking. This gradual approach is meant to support the cultivation of a clear, wise relationship to all aspects of our experience, with nothing left out. Finally, we enter shikantaza—just wholeheartedly sitting—a comprehensive immersion in the arisings of this moment, the practice of freedom amidst all things.
First session 1/31: To form our foundation: meditation on breathing and tips for establishing a daily practice.
Second session 2/7: To build upon our skills to include awareness of the body and wise practice with emotions.
Third session 2/14: To develop a mindful relationship to thinking.
Fourth session 2/21: Having now trained with breath, body, and mind, we open to shikantaza, the heart of Zazen meditation.
Consider this four-part series a gradual entry into shikantaza, the foundational meditation practice of our school of Zazen. Facilitated by Kodo Conlin, this course is designed sequentially for both experienced and first-time meditators: we develop our skills of awareness to include all aspects of our experience, one at a time. We begin with awareness of the breathing, proceeding to include, one by one, practices for wise awareness of the body, emotions, and thinking. This gradual approach is meant to support the cultivation of a clear, wise relationship to all aspects of our experience, with nothing left out. Finally, we enter shikantaza—just wholeheartedly sitting—a comprehensive immersion in the arisings of this moment, the practice of freedom amidst all things.
First session 1/31: To form our foundation: meditation on breathing and tips for establishing a daily practice.
Second session 2/7: To build upon our skills to include awareness of the body and wise practice with emotions.
Third session 2/14: To develop a mindful relationship to thinking.
Fourth session 2/21: Having now trained with breath, body, and mind, we open to shikantaza, the heart of Zazen meditation.
(1 of 4) Zazen Instruction for Young Urban Zen — We begin this four-part series on the practice of Zazen with some foundations: the vast context of Zazen, essential skills for cultivating an awareness of the breathing, tips on posture, and considerations for starting a practice at home.
Anshi Zachary Smith hosts on the topic of "Stinginess, Resentment, and Other Stories" and will be talking about two precepts - the 8th and 9th - which uniquely implicate and invite us to explore the problematic side of a particular mechanism that’s one of our greatest gifts as humans. That is: our gift for planning, imagining, and pursuing outcomes that align with our desires (or aversions). We’ll also talk about how stinginess and ill will are related to the other precepts, especially the other items in the second group of 5.
This will be our fourth and final session of this series on the Zen Precepts.
Even before you take the refuges, the precepts ceremony requires that you put on your robe. This is pretty significant. In particular, if you really look at the Robe Chant, it seems what it’s saying is like, “spreading/draping this formless garment of beneficial practice over all beings,” which is kind of cool. In other words, the fabric itself is a metaphor for our connection with and vow to practice for all beings. — Anshi Zachary Smith
First of four talks on the Bodhisattva Precepts: along with Zazen, the essence of Soto Zen training. Kodo introduces the series with a story of the origins of the precepts, how we find true shelter, and a compassionate approach to living our lives peacefully, and in integrity with all beings.
The Buddhist scriptures speak of 84,000 negative emotions, which is a whole lotta weeds! Fortunately for us, the Buddha and his disciples distilled these afflictive psycho-emotional states into lists that aid in our ability to be mindful of their arising and to experience freedom within suffering. The Five Hindrances is one such list.
Perhaps Suzuki Shosan was wise in teaching that to know death—that is the entire Buddhist teaching. While we are well-supported to ignore this truth, Zen practice does much to keep our mortality front and center. Doing so wisely, gently, with humility, and maybe a touch of humor, can steady the mind and open our hearts to poignancy and to our priorities for this precious human life.
This week Bryan Clark talks about gratitude and shares a reading from Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind on Calmness
Anshi Zachary Smith discusses the nature of inquiry and response over the course of Buddhist History with examples from the Pali Canon, the Mahayana Scriptures and the literature of Zen. We’ll see how questions that are very similar in intent give rise to radically different answers and, perhaps, dig into why this might be true.
A monk said to Tozan, “Cold and heat descend upon us. How can we avoid them?” Tozan said, “Why don’t you go where there is no cold or heat?” The monk said, “Where is the place where there is no cold or heat?” Tozan said, “When cold, let it be so cold that it kills you; when hot, let it be so hot that it kills you.”The Blue Cliff Record, Case 43 (Tozan Ryokai, 807-869)
The monk asks “how can we avoid cold and heat?” Does he mean this literally? Is his question just about how to avoid extreme weather? Come to YUZ tomorrow and find out where the place is where there's no heat or cold (and it's NOT San Diego).
Questions on my mind after a week of meditation retreat in the Redwoods: What unifies and what divides us, our hearts and minds? How do we live a life that's sane amidst frenzy and whirl? An interactive community night on the topic of complexity and simplicity.
Anshi Zachary Smith discusses a story that appears both in Dogen’s Shinji Shobegenzo (case 6) and in his “Valley Sounds, Mountain Colors” fascicle, in which an academic Buddhist teacher named Zhǐxuān asks a Zen Master, Lángyé Huìjué, to explain why we experience the world in the way we do. (Brief) hijinks ensue.
The benefits of meditation are well-documented and worthwhile. Yet, a pith teaching from 20th century Japan, "Zazen is Good for Nothing," points beyond our aims of self-improvement, to a freedom that refuses to be grasped by the mind bent on gain.
What happens when we overlay old stories onto new situations? Sometimes these thick karmic filters cause harm to ourselves and others. The Buddha described Nirvana as "free from reference points." How can we discern our "reference points" and practice with them so that we do no harm?
Taking a page from Dogen's own collection of koans, we will turn Guishan's conversation with Yangshan about a gift of silk -- What role does giving play in our practice of radical thusness? And, what does our Zen tradition contribute to the conversation about such a foundational Dharma practice?
"Anshi Zachary Smith (bio here) will be hosting and we will be discussing “Quīngyuán and the Price of Rice” which is the 5th Case in the Book of Serenity. We will talk about the price of rice in the ancient town of Lúlíng which may (or may not) be of use as a metaphor for the whole of the Buddha’s teaching. We shall see."
Our Zen practice celebrates each moment, whether it is wanted or unwanted or in some in between mundane place in our experience. Learning to let the present moment catch on fire and become illuminated is something that monastic practice is centered around, whether waiting in a line, washing a bowl or working through an illness. In this talk, we'll explore the different places we find ourselves in - whether wanted, unwanted or in between - and how the simple practices of Zen allow us to be with them.
Heather Iarusso explores "faith" from a Zen perspective, what it means to her as a priest, and how practicing zazen is a leap--albeit a seated one--of faith.
Facilitated by Kodo, consider this three-part series a gradual entry into shikantaza, the foundational meditation practice of our school. This course is designed sequentially: we will develop our skills of awareness to include all parts of our experience, one at a time.
First session 8/9: To form our foundation: meditation on breathing and tips for establishing a daily practice.
Second session 8/16: To build upon our skills to include awareness of the body and wise practice with emotions.
Third session 8/23: To develop a mindful relationship to thinking. Having now trained with breath, body, and mind, we open to shikantaza, the heart of Zazen meditation.
Zen practice is radically inclusive; all elements of daily life are a part of practice. This includes our relationship to food: how we eat, what we eat, when and why we eat. Despite engaging in eating throughout the day, it often remains opaque and uninvestigated in our daily life. In a country wracked with obesity, malnutrition, and an endless hunger for more, what does it look like to eat wisely? As food is so closely linked to craving, to emotions, and to well-being, if we are to fully wake up, we must include our relationship to food.
In the first class in this series we studied the eight types of hunger as discussed by Jan Chozen Bays, author of the book Mindful Eating. These types of hunger describe why we eat.
In the coming class, we will explore how we eat, learning practices for doing so mindfully and wisely.
During the session we will do some mindful eating together, so please bring a food item in a quantity sufficient to have 3 or 4 bites.
If you would like to listen to part 1 of this series, you can find it here: https://www.yuz-sf.org/zen-talks/2021/6/1/eating-food-finding-freedom?rq=mei
Facilitated by Kodo, consider this three-part series a gradual entry into shikantaza, the foundational meditation practice of our school. This course is designed sequentially: we will develop our skills of awareness to include all parts of our experience, one at a time.
First session 8/9: To form our foundation: meditation on breathing and tips for establishing a daily practice.
Second session 8/16: To build upon our skills to include awareness of the body and wise practice with emotions.
Third session 8/23: To develop a mindful relationship to thinking. Having now trained with breath, body, and mind, we open to shikantaza, the heart of Zazen meditation.
Facilitated by Kodo, consider this three-part series a gradual entry into shikantaza, the foundational meditation practice of our school. This course is designed sequentially: we will develop our skills of awareness to include all parts of our experience, one at a time.
First session 8/9: To form our foundation: meditation on breathing and tips for establishing a daily practice.
Second session 8/16: To build upon our skills to include awareness of the body and wise practice with emotions.
Third session 8/23: To develop a mindful relationship to thinking. Having now trained with breath, body, and mind, we open to shikantaza, the heart of Zazen meditation.
How can we relate wisely to the mind-bending teachings on emptiness? We will take cues from Dongshan’s Awakenings to find our footing.
Bryan Clark: "Suffering is caused by trying to control cause and effect. Zen is the celebration of spontaneous activity.”
A look at how mindfulness exposes the way everyday awareness fractures and obscures reality.
Kodo Conlin hosts the last Zoom meeting before Young Urban Zen returns to the Buddha Hall at City Center.
Kodo surveyed 10 Dharma teachers for a brief teaching that clarifies the practice of Zazen. Here’s what he heard.
Hiro Ikushima continues his series of talks on the Tenzo Kyokun (the Instructions to the Cook). This time, he focuses on the "Three Minds" that are essential to Dogen's teaching in this text.
Sometimes our practice drifts to the back burner. For YUZ’s return to in-person community night, Kodo Conlin introduces three Working Grounds that can be the basis of a focused practice for the coming months.
The Bodhisattva Precepts are the path and heritage of Zen. How can we practice them when conditions seem less than ideal? Kodo Conlin discusses an approach to practice with the Precepts that emphasizes community, self-awareness, trust, and growth.
https://www.yuz-sf.org/
Anshi Zachary Smith delivers a talk that asks, and attempts to address, the eternal question, “The Dharma Gate of Repose and Bliss? What Zazen is Dogen talking about?” Many practitioners are baffled by the claim, made in Dogen’s Fukanzazengi, that Zazen is not meditation in the traditional sense but simply the doorway to an experience that is translated as above but also as “ease and joy” in some version of the liturgy. They might (rightly) ask, “How is me sitting here with my knees aching and my mind running off like a dog in a dog park ‘the Dharma Gate of anything?” We’ll get into why, and how it works.
Zachary is a priest at City Center who started practicing here in 1993, was ordained as a priest in 2014 and received Dharma Transmission in 2019. One might reasonably ask what took him so long.
You can find his bio here: https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/anshi-zachary-smith
After a practice period in the Ventana Wilderness, Kodo Conlin returns to discuss a vision of urban practice as seen through mountain eyes, gleaning five commitments we can make to transformational practice.
Myles Cowherd shares about the koan, Hyakujo's Fox, and how all this chatter about staying in the moment might be the remedy for our suffering.
With Seigen Johnson, we'll spend some time considering how we find ourselves reflected in our theology and balancing our responsibility to past, present, and future.
In the talk the poem, “Still I Rise”, by Maya Angelou is referenced. You can read the poem’s text here:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise
You can also listen to the exact musical recording played by Seigen during the talk here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UFMB4i1AJo
On this two-year anniversary of the closing of the SF Zen Center’s due to the pandemic, Michael McCord speaks about being prepared for life. Being prepared for life in such a way that you have spaciousness to take care of yourself and others.
This week, Eli shares words about the spirit of practice. As always a cup of tea is welcome!
Anshi Zachary Smith speaks on the topic of, "The philosophical heritage of Zen and the bind that it puts all of us in as practitioners.”
Anshi Daigi Zachary Smith has been practicing Zen since 1993. He took jukai in 1995, was Shuso (Head Student) in 2007, ordained as a Zen priest in 2014 and received Dharma Transmission on April 17, 2019, all with former abbot and Senior Dharma Teacher Ryushin Paul Haller. He currently directs North Mountain Zendo, a zazenkai (sitting) group in North Beach. In addition to his involvement with Zen, Zachary is a husband, a father of four, an engineer, a musician, a bike fanatic, and an avid but mediocre poet. He may be the only person in the history of Zen in the West to have interrupted a residential practice period to tour with a rock band.
Horin Nancy Petrin explores the concept of refuge, inspired by the line from the Sandokai, "If you don't know the way right before you, how will you know the path as you walk?" You can find an English translation of the Sandokai (The Harmony of Difference and Samesness) here.
This week, Myles Cowherd talks about Suffering: What is it all about, and can we make friends with it?
He also discusses the Four Noble Truths, "the truths of the Noble Ones" in both Theravada and Zen buddhism, see them compared here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ALdRZQVNJngHxgmCD5Mbg6WaPhNyUJTQMuGfGllqVyw/edit
Sandwiched between some light commentary, Eli Brown-Stevenson hosts a very special guest, Suzuki Roshi time traveling from 1965, who will be giving a lecture on Beginner's Mind. As always a cup of tea is welcome!
Eli is a resident priest at City Center and has lived between City Center and Tassajara since 2012. He currently serves as Zen Center's Corporate Secretary and will be starting a new role as Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for Zen Center in February. You can find his bio here.
“Why cooking rice and making soup in the kitchen are as valuable as practicing in the zendo, and how this practice can be applied to any kind of work.”
Anshi Zachary Smith asks - and attempts to address - the eternal question, What would Suzuki Roshi or Dogen say about New Year’s Resolutions?
Anshi Zachary Smith delivers a talk on the particular flavors and possibilities of this weird - in the original sense of the word - mini-season between the Winter Solstice and the New Year.
Heather Shoren Iarusso discusses Buddha Nature in relation to the single syllable word ‘Mu’ and the Koan, “Does a dog have Buddha Nature?”
Heather is a resident priest at City Center who arrived at Tassajara in 2008 and was ordained as a priest in 2015. She currently serves as Zen Center's Online Practice Center Director.
Eli shares another childhood tale about one of the greatest gifts you can give. "The Gift of Nothing". All are welcome. A cup of tea or a hot beverage is encouraged but not mandatory.
Michael McCord talks about "Kshanti Paramita" - The perfection of patience, forbearance, tolerance is the foundational paramita (character quality) of Buddhists. How do we work in this way while living in what feels like a competitive and aggressive world? How can we work with the key principle of Zen practice and have appropriate boundaries with those around us? How can we cultivate this quality in our relationships that do not feel spacious?
Kodo hosts guest speaker Myles Cowherd for a conversation about: Generosity - why does it make us feel abundance?
Heather Iarusso speaks on “A Tale of Drunken Enemies”.
“I am a lover of stories and unfortunately, a binger of Netflix. Since I've spent seven of the past 13 years in a Zen monastery, I had a lot of binging to catch up on! I landed on the ‘Black Mirror’ series created by Charlie Brooker. I devoured all 23 episodes in a matter of days. Most of the stories were haunting, innovative, and prescient; however, there was one in particular titled ‘Men Against Fire,’ that has left an indelible impression because of its Dharmic lesson.”
Heather is a resident priest at City Center who arrived at Tassajara in 2008 and was ordained as a priest in 2015. She currently serves as Zen Center's Online Practice Center Director.
Eli shares some commentary on a chapter in Zen Mind Beginner's Mind titled Mistakes in Practice. Come one come all, mistakes and all!
Tonight Michael McCord explores the Koan of "Self Help": Is Buddhism so stuck in acceptance that nothing ever changes?
We'll explore what it is to be with our inclination to push away some things, as well as what it is to not hold on to ways of escaping that which is arising. In this "middle way" of working with our attraction and aversion, how do we actively plan for positive change without living in a dissatisfied state, not accepting what is happening now?
The gate of Dharma is unsurpassably wide. All beings may enter. So what does it mean to have a family style? How can we think about what teachings are essential to the Soto Zen way that we have inherited from Suzuki Roshi? This talk can serve as a summary introduction to three keys of our living tradition.
“I'll take this opportunity to give a talk about koan #23 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate), a tale of the Sixth Ancestor and his encounter with his Dharma brother Huiming. I'll touch on mudita/empathetic joy and therefore the four brahmaviharas/divine abodes, but I hope to talk mainly about how to skillfully face fear, and how the encounter with what we fear can lead us to a deeper exploration of the sense of self.”
Buddha describes Nirvana as a nectar-like Dharma that’s free from reference points. What are these reference points and how can investigating them help us alleviate our suffering? A talk by Heather Iarusso.
Eli Brown-Stevenson shares a favorite childhood tale of his about the path of the bodhisattva along with an exercise.
In this talk Dharma talk Anshi Zachary Smith discusses the laws of Karma and their relation to cause and effect.
In this talk by Kodo Conlin will we will continue our Foundations of Dharma series with a talk on the topic of The Fourth Noble Truth: the Noble Eightfold Path. We will discuss four key conditions that support the development of the path.
This talk will serve as the fourth in an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen. There's no requirement to have heard the earlier talks in the series, but if you would like to listen beforehand, they are available here:
- Joy & the First Noble Truth
- The Second Noble Truth
- Ven. Sāriputta & the Third Noble Truth
Discussion prompts:
List some (10) of your own words that capture the essence of “rightly directed”
Write about person who supported you toward orienting toward “rightly directed”
We will explore the relationship between the Noble Eightfold Path, as outlined in the Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths, and The Way (Tao), which was adopted from Taoism by Chinese Buddhists during the period of cross-fertilization that led to the Ch’an School.
Prompts:
In your experience what is it that supports this sense of connection and being present?
How does that sense of presence and connection affect your actions in the world?
Kodo Conlin discusses three manifestations of the Third Noble Truth--the cessation of dukkha--and how they can be recognized and realized in practice.
Eli Brown-Stevenson offers a talk on the topic of Vulnerability & Tenderness as bases for Wisdom and Compassion.
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This talk will serve as the second in an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen. There's no requirement to have heard the first talk in the series, but if you would like to listen beforehand, the talk is available here:
Joy & the First Noble Truth
Michael McCord looks at the link between compassion and the ability to see; that when we not only buy into the fact that we are all connected but actively engage in the connectedness that is all around us, we better align our view of what is actually happening - and from there can more skillfully engage or not engage the unfolding events in our lives.
Kodo Conlin hosts guest speaker Seigen Johnson, former Zen Center resident and current graduate student at Boston University's School of Theology to discuss “Taking Refuge in Sangha through Healing Haunted Histories: Recognizing and Repairing Moral Injury”.
The final song omitted from the recording can be listened to here: Beautiful Chorus - I Rise Up
This talk will serve as the beginning of an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen.
With this first talk, we will bring up such questions as, "What is this 'suffering' and why does Buddhism emphasize it so often?" "How is joy, too, part of the path?" and "What practices sustain us?"
As a sequel to last year’s talk on Emptiness and and the Two Truths we’ll go into more detail about the tangled relationship between the Relative and the Absolute as well as its impact on day-to-day life. In particular, we’ll examine the proposition, held in common by Buddhists and some ancient Greeks, that, because of this relationship, suffering is an integral part of the human experience and inextricably bound to that which makes us human.
In Zen spaces, particularly at SFZC, it's common to hear about 'Beginner's Mind' but what does that really mean? Just like Buddha-nature, it's something that is inherent to life and we are born with, yet we tend to cover it up. This Tuesday we will be unpacking what this Beginner's Mind is and where it came from.
Is zazen the same or different than apps like "Headspace" or other exercises designed to calm the mind down? Is it "OK" to have a goal to calm down by utilizing meditation techniques? We explore the practice of zazen and meditation in the context of the busy modern life and how zazen is more useful and relevant than ever.
Inspired by a teaching by Jarvis Masters, Kodo Conlin asks, what is essential to our Dharma practice? How is the Dharma expressed through us when we stay close to the essential?
Kodo shares an intuitive meditation on a timeless poem from the ancient Buddhist tradition.
Anshi Zachary Smith gives a talk titled “I, Me, Mine: A Helpful Guide to the Intricacies of Self-Construction.”
The Buddha identified attachment to the notion of a separate self as, perhaps, the main problem with human existence and famously established the doctrine of “No-Self” as the key to living comfortably and skillfully with the Human Condition. Over a thousand years later Dogen insisted that the key to liberation is a particular kind of self-study. Nonetheless, the question remains, what is this “self” and how can we study it in a way that doesn’t reify it more firmly than ever?
On the first anniversary of George Floyd's death, we have an evening together to reflect on how we have been changed, and how we would like to be changed.
Mei Elliot gives a talk called "Eating Food, Finding Freedom." This will be part one of a two part series on the theme of mindful eating.
Zen practice is radically inclusive; all elements of daily life are a part of practice. This includes our relationship to food: how we eat, what we eat, when and why we eat. Despite engaging in eating throughout the day, it often remains opaque and uninvestigated in our daily life. In a country wracked with obesity, malnutrition, and an endless hunger for more, what does it look like to eat wisely? As food is so closely linked to craving, to emotions, and to well-being, if we are to fully wake up, we must include our relationship to food. Tonight we will be studying the eight types of hunger as discussed by Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindful Eating.
Two weeks from today, we will continue this two part series with another class on mindful eating to take place on June 1st, 2021.
Miguel Rojas will be giving a talk titled, "The Four Vows." He will be speaking about the four bodhisattva vows, listed below, and will be discussing how to practice with them for inner reflection.
Beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them.
Dharma gates are boundless, I vow to enter them.
Buddha's Way is unsurpassable, I vow to become it.
Miguel Rojas is a Dharma practitioner and Zen Buddhist priest. He’s been practicing for about 15 years and can almost remember the ceremonies. He started with Zen Center of Los Angeles and now practices with SFZC and with Dragon’s Leap temple. He likes cookies.
Do you desire to suffer less? Do you want to have less pain? With a world still suffering through a pandemic, we look at a slow emergence of our own city and country. How will we return to our forever changed lives and how will we engage what comes next?
Eli Brown-Stevenson gives a talk on Karma 101, doing his best to uncomplicate that which is ancient and twisted.
In our increasingly divisive society, how can we see past the external signifiers of "other" and open our heart-mind to all beings. The Buddha's teachings of emptiness and compassion empower us to stand with justice and be with just this.
Anshi Zachary Smith leads us on a talk around the question, “What ARE you anyway?”
There are many Koans that ask this question including, most notably, Chao Chou’s Four Gates. We discuss the Koan and the question itself as a way of getting at something fundamental about the human condition and experience.
Kodo Conlin leads us on a talk around simplicity.
"From beginningless time... and extending forever... it is all simply thus... If you let body and mind drop off, whilst keeping your mind open and empty of any deliberate thought, you will find a state of the utmost normalcy..." — Master Keizan
Mei Elliott gives a talk called "The Gift of Safety: Finding Fearlessness in a Time of Violence." In light of the recent violence and ongoing harassment against Asian Americans, how can the Dharma support us in working with our internal "safety system" which is often wrought with fear and anxiety, particularly during times like these. How can we be free in the midst of fear and how can we train our brain to recognize safety? In addition to creating internal safety, what does the Dharma have to say about creating safety for others? One of the greatest gifts a practitioner can offer others is the gift of fearlessness; how can we train to become a refuge for all beings? This talk weaves together dharma teachings, as well as practical, tangible responses we can all take to reduce hate crimes in our communities.
Eli Brown-Stevenson leads us on a talk titled “Everything Changes So Why Plan?”
After reflecting on a year that certainly drives home the fundamental point of Buddhism, everything changes, Eli shared and commented on one of Suzuki Roshi's lectures "Nothing Special" expressing the importance of practicing without the expectation of obtaining something.
Michael McCord leads us on a talk titled, "Dealing with our Shadow Side." He explored questions like, "How do we deal with the weaknesses that plague us over and over again?" and "What are the Zen teachings to help deal with the areas we'd like to change about ourselves?"
Mei Elliott gives a talk called “Learning to Trust Oneself.”
Being able to trust is an important foundation in any close relationship. Yet for many, trusting others comes far more easily than trusting oneself. Often when faced with making decisions, we are at a loss, lacking confidence that we will make the right choice and unable to trust ourselves to proceed. This lack of trust and confidence can ripple out beyond our decision-making, and extend into a lack of confidence in our character, intelligence, and worth. How can the teachings of the Buddha support us in establishing trust? As we engage in this inquiry together, we will also explore what it means to trust oneself in a tradition that questions the very notion of self to begin with.
Heather Iarusso leads YUZ on what it means to “Shelter in (the) Present.”
Her description of the talk is as follows: How can paying radical attention to the present moment alleviate anxiety about the future, help us let go of remorse about the past, and infuse our lives with the wonder of now. Although causes and conditions are beyond our control, practicing The Way illuminates the perfection and liberation abiding in each moment.
Kodo Conlin continues on the theme from last week with a talk titled "Concentric Circles of Care: Goodwill for the Happiness of All Beings." The description for the talk is as follows:
We start where we are, developing goodwill, mettā, for ourselves. Isn't it so, that challenges mount as we begin to widen this circle of care? Together we will explore some skillful approaches for extending our mettā, pointing toward our potential for boundless goodwill.
Kodo Conlin leads us on a talk titled "Mettā: Accessing Refuge Amidst Affliction." His description is as follows:
Fortunate for us now, the Way is rarely practiced amidst perfect conditions. Still, we find refuge.
Mettā, the cultivation of lovingkindness, is one way to access a refuge within, even as we find ourselves challenged.
This practice of lovingkindness is especially timely, as it is the foundation of a set of practices that will be explored during anupcoming 3-day retreatfrom San Francisco Zen Center. All are welcome to register.
Zachary Smith hosts YUZ on Yun Men's Appropriate Statement (Response). He describes the topic as follows:Yun Men, when asked about the meaning of Buddhism - that is, of the whole body of the Buddhist Teaching - famously responded, “An appropriate statement,” and in the commentaries (Blue Cliff Record case 14) this is called, “An iron hammerhead with no handle-hole,” (and also, “A rat gnawing on ginger” but never mind that). Nonetheless we’ll be seeing if we can get a handle on the story and the message it delivers about how to live creatively and skillfully in any time but especially in these “interesting” times.Zachary is a Zen priest, Dharma transmitted teacher, and a long-time practitioner. You can find his bio here.
Michael McCord led YUZ on a talk around "But What if We're Wrong?: Seeking truth in the age of propaganda.”
Peter Coyote speaks about the continuity between spiritual practice and political practice, providing a chronicle of his life before zen (and according to him, a chronicle of his "deficiencies") as well as why he's stuck with this practice for nearly 50 years. He also shares stories about the efficacy of Zen in relating to political obstructions.
Peter, a Zen priest and teacher, has a long history as an actor, author, director, and Emmy-winning narrator. Though he is well known for his film career (having acted in E.T., Patch Adams, Erin Brockovich, etc.) he identifies foremost as a Zen student. To learn more about Peter, you can view his bio here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Coyote.
Mei Elliot gives a talk on the topic of Right Intention.
As we crest into 2021, many people are considering intentions and goals for the coming year. While New Year's resolutions tend to be an All-American pastime, what does intention setting have to do with Buddhist practice? And what do intentions have to do with freedom, with happiness? During this meeting, we discuss the three facets of right intention that appear in the eightfold path: renunciation, kindness, and compassion. We will also explore practices for deliberately cultivating wholesome intentions and for noticing the more subtle intentions already operating within our actions of body, speech, and mind.
Heather Iarusso gives a talk about Mu and the classic question: “Does a dog have Buddha Nature?” which is the first koan in the Gateless Gate (a central collection of Zen koans).
Zachary Smith leads YUZ with a talk entitled “Gratitude and Dukkha: A Thanksgiving Meditation."
Perhaps the single most obvious feature of humans as a species is how continually dissatisfied with life, and their lot in it, they seem to be-- often regardless of the actual circumstances. The Buddha summed up this observation in the First Noble Truth and offered a ground-breaking and novel explanation for it in the Second. The rest, as they say, is history but it’s still a rich area of investigation because, frankly, things have not improved much in the last 2,500 years. On this special occasion we’ll revisit the fundamental question of suffering and see how it can be turned through Practice.
Mei Elliott speaks about love and longing. During this time of social distancing, many people are anticipating a holiday season without the ability to travel to be with loved ones. Missing one's friends and family is particularly pronounced during this extended period of isolation and has become a source of longing for many of us. This longing can take many shapes: longing for time with one's parents and siblings, romantic longing for a partner, the grief-based longing for a loved one who has died, or the general longing for anything that is just out of reach. Whether it's for food, sex, entertainment, etc. how can we satisfy this yearning? During this YUZ meeting, Mei Elliott explores the roots of longing as well as practices for finding freedom and wholeness in its midst.
This was our final class in the three-part lecture series called "Sitting for Liberation." This series explores The Three Marks of Existence, one of the Buddha's most transformative teachings. During the past two weeks we've investigated how becoming intimate with suffering and how embracing impermanence can bring ease, wonder, and contentment to our lives.
This Tuesday was our last meeting, which focused on the not-self characteristic. The teachings on not-self are an integral part of Buddhist study, providing deep freedom and clarity in daily life.
This series is being led by Heather Shoren Iarusso. Heather is the SFZC program director, as well as a Zen teacher and priest, currently living in residence at City Center. To learn more about Heather you can view her bio here.
We continue with our three-part lecture series with Heather Shoren Iarusso called "Sitting for Liberation." This series explores The Three Marks of Existence, one of the Buddha's most transformative teachings. We will investigate how becoming intimate with suffering, embracing impermanence, and comprehending the not-self characteristic can bring ease, wonder, and contentment to our lives. As the talk was given on election night, the relevance of this event is woven into the subject matter for the evening.The series is being led by Heather Shoren Iarusso and is taking place on three consecutive Tuesdays, with one class for each of the three marks. This past Tuesday, 10/27, we focused on the characteristic of suffering.
Heather Shoren Iarusso, SFZC program director, as well as a Zen teacher and priest, leads us in this three-part lecture series that explores The Three Marks of Existence, one of the Buddha's most transformative teachings. We will investigate how becoming intimate with suffering, embracing impermanence, and comprehending the not-self characteristic can bring ease, wonder, and contentment to our lives.
2020 has been an eventful year to say the least. A year filled with issues that have weighed heavily on many people's core beliefs. During these times when it's easy to find oneself in the midst of contentious topics, many find it hard to practice with the precept "not to harbor ill will." On 10/13, Eli Brown-Stevenson, a resident priest at City Center, shared how he has been practicing with this precept during these recent times.
Mei Elliott discusses fear and anxiety. Whether you're having a bout of full blown panic or experiencing daily anxiety, fear manifests in a variety of ways. Without realizing it, fear is often the driving force behind everyday choices, guiding our conversations, determining our decisions, and legislating our preferences. Given its power, how can we learn to be free from suffering in the midst of fear? During this talk we explore ways to identify and practice with anxiety and fear in daily life.
Zachary Smith, along with his usual co-host Mojo the Cat, leads us through a talk that was inspired from a particularly lovely passage in Dogen’s Genjo Koan where Smith explored what it meant to live a life of continuous practice.
Michael McCord gives a talk titled "Working with Helplessness: What to Do When the World Needs So Much Change." Michael is a Zen priest and teacher, as well as the director of SFZC's City Center where he lives and practices.
Mei Elliott leads the conversation around the theme of feeling stuck. Whether we feel stuck in a relationship or job, in a stubborn habit pattern or self-view, or are simply feeling stuck sheltering in place, the teachings of the Buddha offer a way to relate to life when things won't seem to budge. We will spend the evening exploring how perceptions and fixed views contribute to a sense of entanglement and how our practice can loosen our sense of feeling stuck.
Kodo Conlin leads YUZ with a talk titled "Encountering Suzuki Roshi: Five Faculties of Zen Practice." Through the lens of Zen teachings, Kodo discusses an ancient Buddhist practice known as the five faculties--faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Suzuki Roshi, the founder of San Francisco Zen Center, embodied these qualities for so many people, to transformative effect.
In honor of voting season, Eli Brown-Stevenson turned around the table and asked the group which topics they’d like him to focus on.
Zachary Smith leads YUZ in an exploration of Blue Cliff Record Case #9, “Chao Chou’s 4 Gates.” Without giving too much away in advance (never a good idea when Koans are involved) suffice it to say that Chao Chou invites us all to consider what it actually means to be a “self” - this self - and that we’ll take up the invitation.
Mei Elliott explores the topic of loneliness. Given the increased social isolation many are experiencing during this time, she speaks about the way we can integrate loneliness into our practice such that it too becomes a Dharma gate. Regardless of whether you are working with loneliness or are meeting other challenges in your life, the teachings will center around skillful ways for meeting difficulty, whether that happens to be loneliness or otherwise.
Eli Brown-Stevenson weaves together traditional Zen teachings from Suzuki Roshi with modern sources like Pixar's Inside Out.
Mei Elliott reflects on the theme of Joy. Despite spending a lifetime seeking joy, many people are still befuddled about where to find it, and often find themselves chasing after it, without realizing they're running in the wrong direction. During this talk we explore what joy is, where we can reliably find it, why joy is needed now, and how we can invite it into our lives.
During this time of great challenge and tragedy, joy can not be a mere accessory nor can it be seen as self-indulgent. On the contrary, joy is a necessary requisite on the path of liberation, and a necessary nourishment for bodhisattva activity. If we are to save all beings, we need the buoyancy that joy provides. The Buddha spoke abundantly about joy, and as such, we'll explore where this topic appears in the core Buddhist teachings.
Zachary Smith: Any therapists worth their salt will tell you that the full range of human emotion should be within the realm of experience on a daily basis and especially in times like these emotions can run high. Emotions carry a message - something to teach us - and the request of practice is to stand up close enough to them to hear that message in full without being overwhelmed or spun off into habitual response or defense.
How do you envision, in specific ways, a more peaceful and just community? Can you see it? You're invited to describe one specific aspect of your vision of what possible, an aspect that feels nourishing for you to consider. What felt sense arises in you as you hold this vision? Is this nourishing for you, and how do you know? How could this inform your approach to activity, conversation, and community?
Mei Elliott speaks about the many recent tragedies, both related to racism and the pandemic, and how to hold our pain for the world.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that "a riot is the language of the unheard." How can we learn to truly listen to the "riot" within, without turning away or suppressing it? When anger, grief, numbness, or despair rise up, how can we meet it with wisdom and kindness? This talk explores meditation training as an anti-racist response to injustice, highlighting how it can begin to dissolve implicit bias.
Zachary Smith leads YUZ on the three pure precepts, which are an integral part of the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts.
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Heather Iarusso speaks about the 5th precept often translated as “I vow to refrain from intoxicants” and Heather writes, “Usually when we think of intoxicants, we think of drugs and alcohol. However, viewed through the lens of the Dharma, and amid the crucible of the pandemic, we will explore how the number one intoxicant is our resolved karmic conditioning
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Eli Brown-Stevenson hosts a discussion about the 4th precept, often translated as “I vow not to lie“.
Eli Brown-Stevenson hosts a discussion about practice during the pandemic. While the evening focuses on this theme, it also ties in the first precept, I vow not to kill (also framed as I vow to support life), which isthe first grave precept in the Bodhisattva Precept Series.
Mei Elliott introduced the 13-week series on the Bodhisattva Precepts. She spoke about the complexity and applicability of the precepts, and illuminated how precept practice is a pivotal component of liberation. To learn more about the theme, see the email below.
If you are interested in engaging in a deeper study of this topic, consider reading Being Uprightby Reb Anderson or Waking Up to What You Do by Diane Eshin Rizzetto.
Zachary discusses important features of the mental landscape that are revealed through zazen and how they relate to our everyday lives.
He explores two major modes of being - normally translated as “the relative” and “the absolute” - that become apparent when we sit, and talks about how to talk about the relationship(s) between them. There are a number of texts from the ancient literature, notably the Sandokai and Tozan’s 5 Ranks, that explore this relationship and how it develops with practice. Zachary speaks, in concrete terms, about how these modes of being show up in zazen and why they’re of interest.
正中偏
三更初夜月明前
莫怪相逢不相识
隐隐犹怀旧日嫌
偏中正
失晓老婆逢古镜
分明觌面别无真
休更迷头犹认影
正中來
无中有路出尘埃
但能不触当今讳
也胜前朝断舌才
偏中至
两刃交锋不须避
好手犹如火里莲
宛然自有冲天志
兼中到
不落有无谁敢和
人人尽欲出常流
折合还归炭里坐
Zachary’s Translation:
The Crooked in the Straight
Around Midnight, before moonrise on that first night
No wonder you don’t know it when you see it
You’re still reminiscing on your sketchy past
The Straight in the Crooked
Rising late, she stumbles across an old mirror
She clearly meets herself face-to-face - no separation
But still mistakes her reflection for her head
Straight On Through
Within nothingness is a road out of the dust
If you just avoid the obvious faux pas
You’ll surpass the past masters who left everyone speechless
Arriving at the Crooked
There’s no need to shrink from sharp confrontation
An adept is like a lotus in the land of fire
As though you can soar at will
Arriving at Both
If you don’t fall into “is” or “is not”, who dares to chime in?
Everyone wants to be extraordinary
All the same, you come home and sit by the hearth.
Maggie Brewer discusses Zen in the Real World: no separation, meditation, and encouragement.
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Kodo Conlin talks about Buddhist Meditation Practices for City Life, including a discussion of some of the supportive conditions for cultivating a meditation practice of your own.
Mei Elliott continues with a theme that we began speaking about in December: emptiness. This week in particular, we will be focusing on emptiness and dependent arising.
During this meeting we will explore the relationship between dependent arising, emptiness and freedom from suffering. We'll investigate how dependent arising can help us navigate difficult relationships, work with challenging emotions, and deepen our understanding of the emptiness of self.
As emptiness can be a perplexing topic, I plan to explore different teachings on this theme over the course of several meetings. This is the second talk in the series.
Eli Brown-Stevenson shares about the Dharma of raising a child as it pertains to the New Year. He is the father of San Francisco Zen Center's youngest resident, three-year-old Maya.
Mei Elliott speaks about the Heart Sutra, perhaps the most well-known text in the Mahayana tradition, which states that "form is emptiness and emptiness is form.”
Most of us are well acquainted with the realm of form: this is the normal, conventional world— the world we live, work, and interact in. Given this, what is emptiness? How could that possibly be the same as form? And how is this relevant in daily life?
During this talk, we will explore the relationship between form and emptiness, and investigate how realizing emptiness can provide freedom from stress and suffering. This theme will be continued in the coming months as we explore additional facets of emptiness.
Zach Smith talks asks: what we can preserve from practice that carries us forward in day-to-day life and promotes skillful, wakeful engagement?
This week Eli explores the question "Where are you from?", which can have many answers and refer to many things. Taking where we are rooted as the living soil of practice, this talk explores how we can bring our whole being to it.
Mei Elliott speaks about climate change and taking refuge. Taking refuge is one of the foundational practices in Buddhism. During this talk, we will be exploring what it means to take refuge in the triple treasure, and how doing so provides a direct response to suffering, both internally and externally. This conversation will allow us to understand how meditation provides a powerful response to climate change and the impending crisis of extinction. To fully explore this theme, the talk will include teachings on emptiness, mindfulness, and the three poisons.
Is it okay to strive to intentionally acquire states like peace and contentment? How do you know when you have them?
Mei Elliott explores many questions related to concentration practice. Is it possible to cultivate concentration without gaining mind? Do both shamata and shikantaza develop concentration? What does focusing on the breath have to do with freedom from suffering?
To answer these questions we will be exploring Zen teachings as well as material from the early Buddhist canon, including information about the jhanic factors.
A follow-up class to Meditation and the Thinking Mind.
How do we speak the questions we don't know how to ask each other? Can we find ways to cross the gulfs that divide us and keep us separated? It is up to us to start having the conversations we want to be hearing and creating the realities we want to inhabit.
Siobhan's talk focuses on finding ways connect across difference using the framing of "Skillful Speech" which is one of the steps on the Eightfold Path. She will be inviting us to look at how we can begin to heal by having the courageous conversation that you don't want to have.
The teaching of interdependence, as an interpretation of Dependent Arising, is a cornerstone of California Zen. How can we enrich our understanding of Dependent Arising to foster transformation?
Engetsu Lefevre speaking about the Genjokoan and creativity. The Genjokoan was written by Eihei Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen in Japan, and it addresses how true reality can be expressed in everyday life.
Compassion - Miriam-Webster "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it"
Will this make a person soft, weak? Many can see how this is a good trait with loved ones or the unfortunate in our society but on a daily basis - will a person get taken advantage of at work? in fighting for justice? or dealing with the more fortunate in society at large? How does this central tenant of Buddhism apply in a person's everyday life?
Bryan Clark speaks on the four noble truths as stages of practice. He's calling it his, "feeble attempt to shoe horn his personal journey into established Buddhist doctrine."
Mei Elliott explores how to work skillfully with thinking in meditation. For many practitioners, it can be easy to relate to thoughts as "the problem" in our meditation, and yet, the thinking mind is imperative for communication, work, survival, and for understanding the very teachings that allow us to practice. Given this, it can be difficult to know how to relate to thoughts, and what to do when they arise in meditation: do we drop them, ignore, reject, chase, or allow them? During this YUZ session we will explore how to skillfully relate to thoughts through traditional meditation instruction from the Zen and early Buddhist traditions. Learning how to see our thoughts clearly, frees us from compulsive reactivity, providing us with insight into the nature of not-self and greater freedom in daily life.
Mei will be focusing on this curriculum for a two part series. Both classes on this theme will gravitate around practical meditation training, and will provide opportunities for you to ask questions about your practice. The date for part two in this series will be announced shortly, and will likely occur in the coming month.
Siobhan shares about the theme in the context of her personal experience:
My relationship with my parents is a central theme in my life. My dad has alzheimers and my mum is his main carer. They just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, and the dynamics between them have transformed as age has set in. Watching the change in their relationship from hardworking politicians in Europe, (my father was a member of the European Parliament and my mum worked with him), to the simplicity of their current lives where the main decision of the day is which cafe to go to and read the papers, has been a really beautiful and tender witnessing. Seeing how they both are dealing with aging and death, particularly of their friends, has been an inspiring example, heartfelt with no grasping.
Siobhan will also speaks about how to practice with the challenging dynamics that often arise with our parents: the wish to be approved of and the pain of not meeting their standards; or the difficulty of not being able to save, control or fix parents that suffer and struggle.
Wonder is an inspiring field of practice that both includes and reaches beyond the practical.