One Dharma International Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ryodo Yamashita
Morning sky above Buddha Pada, Kalimpong.
Recorded on the final day of Me as Blues Sky Retreat in 2023, this podcast includes Compassion Meditation led by Ven. Ryodo Yamashita, Sudhammacara Bhikku. Guidance on posture preparation and a brief Dharma talk on Compassion are also offered at the outset.
Compassion meditation serves as the third part of the One Dharma Meditation Method, following Four Elements Meditation and Subtle Body meditation, aimed at dropping incessant thinking. If you encounter challenges in cultivating compassion, consider practicing the initial two meditation steps, also accessible in the preceding episode of this podcast.
The One Dharma Meditation method intricately combines the worldview of Mahayana, particularly Zen, with meditation techniques that were passed down for more than two thousand years in the Southern (Theravada) tradition. To practice it with a clear understanding of the context and rationale behind this method, we recommend listening to Ven. Yamashita’s other Dharma talks.
This recording delves into the first two steps of the One Dhamra Meditation Method, namely the Four Elements Meditation and Subtle Body Meditation, guided by Ven. Ryodo Yamashita, Sudhammacara Bhikku, on the final day of Me as Blues Sky Retreat in 2023. The session starts with a brief Dharma talk in which Ven. Yamashita deciphers a Ghata by Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, the English version of Three Refuge.
The One Dharma Meditation method intricately combines the worldview of Mahayana, particularly Zen, with meditation techniques that were passed down for more than two thousand years in the Southern (Theravada) tradition. To practice it with a clear understanding of the context and rationale behind this method, we recommend listening to Ven. Yamashita’s other Dharma talks.
The altar on the ground floor of the Buddha Hall, Buddha Pada, KalimpongThis is a recording of chanting from the last day of Me as Blue Sky Retreat 2023. You can find the full text of the stanzas here.
- Homage to the Buddha (in Pali)
- The Three Refuges (in Pali)
- Five Precepts (in Pali)
- The Three Refuges (in English) Originally from Plum Village
To be mindful, you need to undergo a shift—moving from “this world”* to a dimension where awareness exists. When you happened to be mindful, according to Ven. Yamashita, it did not occur as the result of successful control of your mind, but because of the shift, which happened unnoticed and unintentionally. Without understanding this point, he emphasizes, you will suffer needlessly by demanding your mind to do what it cannot. Pursuing mindfulness that way would make meditation a torture.
He also imparts the teaching that one does not need to be a special person, like great masters or elite meditators, to access the dimension where awareness exists; it is inherent in every single one of us. We are double-structured—Dimension X and the perceived self.
By revisiting key topics covered in previous talks—total surrender, the function of each step of the One Dharma Method, the importance of faith, and our double-structured nature—Ven. Yamashita provides a map leading to a place where mindfulness is.
This marks the concluding talk from the last day of the Me as Blue Sky Retreat, including the final question-and-answer session. Ven. Yamashita plans to offer another international retreat in September 2024.
*In this talk, “this world” is also referred to as the “rectangular world” based on the drawing by Ven. Kosho Uchiyama.
The importance of surrender has been one of the most significant themes in religious discussions. But what does it mean to surrender? And what is it to surrender in the context of mindfulness practice? Trying to control, and doing things to achieve specific desires, are inherent to our human nature. How can we stop this?
According to Ven. Yamashita, surrender occurs when you realize, through wholeheartedly trying to be mindful but to no avail, that your mind is helpless in becoming mindful. When your mind is ‘defeated’ like this and surrenders unconditionally, a different dimension, in which you are mindful, opens up. That is why surrendering totally is a crucial step.
This is the Dharma talk from the 4th day of Me as Blue Sky Retreat held in September 2023. In the question-and-answer session, several questions are raised including: Is surrendering the same as acceptance?, How do we surrender? etc.
The truth that the Buddha discovered, referred to as Dimension X in this retreat, does not exist as a continuation of our ordinary mind. Entering it requires a “jump,” which made it extremely difficult to teach. For this jump to happen, you need to be ready–says Ven. Yamashita. According to him, when he sees practitioners who meet the following three criteria, he considers them ready for the jump to happen. First, they must acknowledge that their mind is the cause of suffering. Second, they need to realize that their ordinary mind cannot prevent itself from causing suffering. Third, they must have absolute trust in the dimension they are jumping into. These three elements must be realized through students’ own experience, not just intellectual understanding.
This is the Dharma talk delivered on the 3rd day of Me as Blue Sky Retreat held in September 2023. As always, the talk is followed by a lively question-and-answer session. The questions include “How do you know you touched Dimension X?”, “Is being in Dimension X like being in love?”, “Is it possible to slip back into ordinary dimension after touching Dimension X?” and more.
When participating in a retreat like ours, the most significant obstacle is not the pain in your leg but your ego. However, attempting to escape from it or suppress it only deepens the entanglement in ego– judgments, hatred, and reactive responses, qualities that are contrary to mindfulness. Then, what should we do? According to Ven. Yamashita, we should move to “dimension X,” a realm where the ego cannot survive. This dimension X, known by various names in many traditions within and outside Buddhism, coexists within you alongside your perceived identity.
This is the Dharma talk from the second day of Me as Blue Sky retreat followed by a question and answer session.
While our suffering can take many forms, we know our mind is the culprit. Mindfulness can bring an end to it, so we are convinced. However, can meditating with the same mind that causes suffering truly make us mindful?
“NO”. says Ven. Yamashita. In this introductory talk, he teaches that real practice won’t start unless you realize this fundamental dead-end, the helplessness that there is nothing you—your ordinary mind— can do for you to be mindful. Only when your ordinary mind surrenders, what makes mindfulness possible begin to reveal itself. Let’s call it “Dimension X” for the time being and explore its historical background in the context of Buddhism.
This is the first Dharma Talk from Me as Blue Sky retreat held in September 2023. The talk is followed by a question and answer session.
December 7th, 2018, Pune, India
Day 3 (the last day) of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat in Vajuradhatu
A view from Vajuradhatu Retreat Center, Pune
In this final Dharma talk, Ven Yamashita once again lays out what mindfulness truly means. Mindfulness, an impossible attempt for our ordinary mind, and yet the Lord Buddha tasked us to do, is the bridge for us to cross to the other shore. In order for this to work; however, we need a careful understanding of how we are made, double-structured nature.
This talk is followed by a question and answer session.
December 6th, 2018, Pune, India
Remains of East gate, Kapilavastu castle, Nepal. Prince Siddhartha's journey started here.
This is the 2nd Dharma Talk given at the 2018 Mindfulness and Zen retreat at Vajradhatu, Pune, India.
"The Buddha's path is your path. Buddhism is about you, and every single one of us. So it is quite important that we understand the Prince Siddhartha's story as our own". By using Siddhartha's two different approaches for enlightenment as an example, Ven. Yamashita explains the pitfall of trying to control our minds and what really means to take the middle way.
December 5th, 2018, Pune, India
Dharma Talk (somehow we do not have Dharma talk photo of 2018. This is from 2019 Vajradhatu Retreat)
This is the introductory Dharma Talk given on the 1st day of 2018 Mindfulness and Zen retreat at Vajradhatu, Pune, India.
In this talk, Ven. Yamashita explains the reason why we need subtle body meditation, which is the first part of the One Dharma Method. Subtle body meditation is an "exit' from our mind-maid stories that we call "suffering". How so?
Topics covered include: the reason why mindfulness is so difficult (spoiler alert: because it is impossible), our double-structured nature, the difference between ordinary knowing and mindful knowing, how we cross to the other shore, and so on.
The talk is followed by a question and answer session. Questions are difficult to hear, but you can hear it in the teacher's answer.
Meditation instruction recorded at the 2018 international retreat, Deer Park Institute, Bir, India.
Sunrise on the Holy river of Ganga, near Baranasi, India
On December 2nd, 2018, Bir
Please note that no recording of guided meditation was made at the 2019 international retreat. This is the latest version available in English as of 2020.
November 29th, 2018, Bir, India
Walking meditation in front of the Buddha Hall, Deer Park Institute, Bir
Day 2 of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat at Deer Park Institute
When you lose touch with this one crucial thing about you, suffering is inevitable. You mistake who you are, and get caught up in life’s misery—birth, old age, sickness, and death. Also, key teachings of Buddhism, expressed in contrasting expressions such as nirvana/samsara, form/formless, this shore/the other shore, will simply confuse you.
What is that "one thing"? Ven. Yamashita calls it our double-structured nature. Understanding it is the first step out of the confusion surrounding yourself and the teachings of Buddhism.
November 28th, 2018, Bir, India
Day 1 of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat at Deer Park Institute
Dharma Talk at Deer Park Institute, 2018, Bir, India
Have you ever been fascinated by mindfulness? Have you ever tried it but found it difficult to remain in that state and wondered why? If your answer is yes, this is the talk for you. Because you know from your own experience that speaking sweetly about mindfulness is never helpful enough. Then what should we do? "We need a strategy," says Ven. Yamashita. Our mind acts quite contrary to what mindfulness entails. But there is a solution. This Dharma talk invites you to understand how our mind operates in order to understand mindfulness.
Note: If you are interested in the subtle body meditation mentioned in the Dharma talk, you can try it with the guided meditation instruction available at https://en.onedhamma.com/meditation-2/
Ven. Yamashita teaching the subtle body meditation to the Young Global Leaders (class of 2014)
9/14/14 Hounen-in, Kyoto, Japan With Ven. Issho Fujita An introductory talk on meditation given to the Young Global Leaders Forum, a project of the World Economic Forum. YGL is "a community of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping the global future." Ven. Issho Fujita speaks for the first 25 minutes (the very beginning of his talk is cut), followed by Yamashita-sensei.
12/28/13 New Delhi, India
From this talk: “If your mind created this anxiety, your mind can also stop this anxiety.”
Topics covered include: Yamashita-sensei’s background and connection with Deer Park (Himachal Pradesh, India), an explanation of Blue Sky (Clear Sky) Meditation, the meaning of Dharma, and the cause of anxiety and how to handle it.
Talk given 12/22/13, Goa, India. Topics covered include breath awareness (anapanasati) and habitual tendencies, ego and the thinking mind, resistance, and true practice.
12/21/13 AM, Goa, India From this talk: “With your new identity you cannot have any negativity. This and compassion are the same. No negative emotion can survive in the dimension of compassion.” Topics covered include: Real medicine, the new dimension, the difference between ego and monkey mind, the right tool for meditation, and overcoming negativity.
12/20/13 AM, Goa, India
From this talk: “Let's focus on our own minds. This is the most important point.”
Topics covered include: Yamashita-sensei's self-introduction, pitfalls in approaching the Dharma, Right Attitude, problems in relationships, and a strategy for handling "monkey mind."
12/20/13 PM Goa, India From this talk: “Why does mindfulness really change the game?” Topics covered include: The real meaning of mindfulness, updating Buddhism, realizing you're a patient, when meditation doesn't work, and the ego's game
12/9/13 Deer Park, Himachal Pradesh, India
Walking Meditation in front of the Dharma Hall, Deer Park Institute, Bir, India
From this talk: “Little by little you enter into the dimension of the Blue Sky. Then, standing in the Blue Sky, you finally can deal with the white clouds. Your thought, your emotion. Everything.”
Topics covered include: Thinking addiction, dysfunctional relationships, clouds of anxiety and attraction, and the view from the Blue Sky.
12/7/13 Deer Park, Himachal Pradesh, India
A view of Himalayas from Deer Park, Bir, UP, India
From this talk: “ We have clouds, but at the same time our essence is Blue Sky. So when can we enter the Blue Sky? Any time we realize it.”
Topics covered include: Real happiness, the secret of mindfulness, the essential point of observation, Blue Sky and the world of clouds, and Engaged Buddhism.
Note: Questions from the Q&A at the end may be difficult to hear, but the content is clear from the answers.
12/5/13 Deer Park, Himachal Pradesh, India
From this talk: “If we can change our minds, the world itself will be different.”
Topics covered include: Not realizing you're locked up, thinking mind and true identity, and a different approach to problems
9/3/13 Henson-so, Mungyeong, Korea - Day 3
English / Korean
From this talk: "Unless you understand this change of identity, meditation doesn’t work."
The final Dharma talk from the 2013 Korea retreat.
Topics covered include: the most difficult point in meditation, the role of trust in practice, the ego's tricks, and the world of Blue Sky and clouds.
9/2/13 Henson-so, Mungyeong, Korea - Day 3
English / Korean
From this talk: "During the retreat, we really concentrate on touching Silence. Then after the retreat, you go back to your daily situation. Then how to keep a connection with the Silence is your job."
Topics covered include: Endless thinking, walking meditation, zen metaphor, and touching the silent world.
9/1/13 Henson-so, Mungyeong, Korea - Day 2
English / Korean
From this talk: "You don't have to know any texts at all, but you have to be very honest about yourself. "
Topics covered include: Knowing oneself, what all the traditions are talking about, the importance of failure in meditation, and meditation and creativity.
8/31/13 Henson-so, Mungyeong, Korea
English / Korean
Topics covered include: Confusion with different traditions and meditation techniques, clarifying vipassana and mindfulness, Blue Sky Meditation and Blue Sky Yoga, and the retreat schedule.
6/30/13 Hualien, Taiwan - Day 3
English / Mandarin
Early morning Yoga, Hua-Lien, Taiwan
From this talk: "Your identity is changing. You are White Clouds. But now you know, you are also Blue Sky."
Topics covered include: confusion with words of enlightened teachers, just sitting, view from the new dimension, and practical advice for applying meditation in daily life.
6/28/13 Hualien, Taiwan - Day 1
English / Mandarin
Meditation Hall, Hua-Lien, Taiwan
From this talk: "Observing things as they are, it means observing things with acceptance."
Topics covered include: Likes and dislikes, objective observation, acceptance, and the fundamental mistake.
12/28/12 Goa, India
From this talk: "You don't have to become a so-called Buddhist. You don't have to become a member of such and such an organization. You can always start with you."
Topics covered include the similarity between Zen and early Buddhism, conflicts between religious traditions, ancient methods and modern people, the unity of old and new identity, and form and formlessness.
12/27/12 Goa, India From this talk: "The purpose of compassion meditation is how to have a relationship based on compassion with [everybody]." Topics covered include: Real freedom, some benefits of meditation, mindful eating, mindfulness in everyday life, and compassion.
12/28/12 Goa, India
From this talk: "Just saying yes to your present situation, finally your dissatisfaction has ended...that is the meaning of staying in the present moment."
Topics covered include: habitual tendencies, freedom from external circumstances, contentment with the present moment, and the difference between "no" and "yes."
12/08/12 Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India
From this talk: "[Desire] means you are saying "no" to your present state. But now you said "yes." You are content. That's why your desire will disappear."
Topics covered include subtle consciousness, the problem of dulling yourself down, desire, and leaving the world of thinking mind. With a question and answer period at the end.
12/07/12 Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India
From this talk: "Suffering is self-created. That's it. You made it. You created the suffering...but I'm not blaming you. I'm giving you hope."
Topics covered include the first noble truth, criticizing mind, identifying as thinking mind, and who watches the breath. With a question and answer period at the end, including discussion about morality and saying "yes," and saying "yes" in the face of social problems.
Please feel free to discuss this week's podcast below.
12/06/12 Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India
He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me. In those who harbor such thoughts, hatred will never cease. He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me. In those who do not harbor such thoughts, hatred will cease. For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time. Hatred ceases by love. This is an old rule - from the Dhammapada
Topics covered include the freedom not to judge, the structure of negative emotions, the problem of "no" and "yes," and an explication of the famous verses from the Dhammapada's first chapter. With a question and answer period at the end.
12/18/11
From this talk: "When we observe from the Blue Sky point of view, this is true mindfulness."
Topics covered include avoiding confusion between traditions, form and formlessness, true mindfulness, and the cloud of anxiety.
12/17/11
From this talk: "Meditation's not a personal thing anymore..as humanity itself, we should meditate to advance one step further. It means from the world of thinking mind. Now everywhere...we are already reaching the limit...[there are] so many environmental problems, so many psychological problems. So now humanity, as a race, we are already reaching some kind of dead end. But I think it's very good. Extremely good. Why? Because if we reach a dead end, it means, a dead-end of one stage. The dead-end of thinking mind...Now we can say goodbye to all of these kinds of things. We can only say goodbye when things don't work well. ."
Topics covered include the truth the Japanese discovered after the great 2011 earthquake and tsunami, attachment to thinking mind, and form and formlessness..
12/16/11
From this talk: "We've been looking for peace of mind in completely the wrong place."
Topics covered include getting to the point, moving from room A to B, and the true meaning of mindfulness.
Please feel free to discuss this week's podcast below.
12/09/12 Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India
From this talk: "We are Blue Sky from the beginning, but with our thinking mind we couldn't understand. Why? Because our thinking mind can understand only the world of form. Why? Because our thinking mind itself is form."
Topics covered include remembering one's original intention, the power of No and Yes, the pitfall of meditating with thinking mind, and Blue Sky, clouds, and identity. With a question and answer period at the end.
Dharma Talk 12/03/11 New Delhi, India
From this talk: "Before being whatever religion, you're just a human being. You have a body, you have a mind, you have this reality. We have a heart, and sometimes it's painful. Let's come back to this reality itself."
Topics covered include interdependence, connections with traditions and teachers, problems with mindfulness, and the meaning of One Dharma. There is chanting in Hindi at the beginning and a guided meditation during the second half of the podcast with Yamashita sensei's One Dharma Method. Many of the ideas he outlines in the latter part of this talk are tied to what has become known as Buddhism 3.0 in Japan.