Greater Boston Zen Center Podcast: Recent Episodes
Greater Boston Zen Center
Welcome to our podcast coming to you from the Greater Boston Zen Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are a sangha-led sangha, and our podcasts (beginning in 2024) feature talks given by knowledgeable sangha members and guest speakers, often accompanied by group discussion. For more information about our sangha go to our website: bostonzen.org.
GBZC member Julie Nelson (sensei) speaks about Zen stories and koans, both classical and contemporary.
GBZC member James Lopata (Masters of Theological Studies) speaks about the history of Zen.
Julie Nelson speaks about bringing all off ourselves to our practice, even our anger. (June 9, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about waking up being only the beginning of our practice. (May 24, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about why we get distracted from doing things that are important to us. (May 19, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about what our Zen practice can say about a grumpy mood. (May 10, 2023)
Fran Ludwig addresses the question, "How do we live each moment just as it is without being in opposition to anything?" (May 10, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about Raihai Tokuzui, written in the medieval times by the founder of Soto Zen. (May 7, 2023)
Julie Nelson reflects on the difference between using time and being time. (May 5, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about the connection between spring and our essential nature of creation. (May 3, 2023)
Julie Nelson talks about the danger of holding to a romantic ideal of merger, whether in regard to a life partner or a spiritual teacher. (April 28, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about the story of Nanin pouring tea, at the April GBZC sesshin. (April 21, 2023) (No discussion)
Julie Nelson discusses whether it is possible to be grateful in any circumstances, in a way that is not just spiritual bypassing. (April 14, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about how we are basically a story we tell about ourselves. (April 19, 2023)
Rebecca Moonspike leads a discussion about what things help us be present, and what things that feel like interruptions are actually our practice. (April 15, 2023)
Jeff Seul reflects on Kyōgen's "Man Up a Tree," preceding the ceremony of Jukai. (April 8, 2023)
Julie Nelson talks about not using our practice to hide our "gold," our beauty and uniqueness. (April 6, 2023)
Julie Nelson talks about not using our practice to try to bypass our anger. (March 31, 2023)
Susan Myoyu Andersen of the Great Plains Zen Center gives a guest talk at GBZC. (April 1, 2023)
Fran Ludwig concludes her series on Training in Compassion with the last of the lojong phrases: "Don't expect applause." (March 29, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about bliss states, why we need to come out of them, and why perfect wisdom can't do the job. (March 28, 2023)
Julie Nelson talks about not using our practice to try to bypass our trauma and grief. (March 24, 2023)
Fran Ludwig advises that we can work with jealousy by choosing the opposite, sympathetic joy. (March 22, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about the ways we bind ourselves up and prevent our own liberation. (March 9, 2023)
This is a short talk (with no discussion) in which Julie Nelson comments on how traveling in Alaska woke her up to things taken for granted.(March 8, 2023)
Julie Nelson comments on how traveling in Alaska woke her up to things taken for granted. (February 28, 2023)
Karen McCormack leads a discussion of the question "What inspires your practice?" (with an introduction to this format by Jill Gaulding). (February 18, 2023)
Fran Ludwig gives encouragement to set an intention and commit to practice. (February 22, 2023)
Fran Ludwig questions whether we can ever really know someone else's experience. (February 15, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about how we respond to the vicissitudes of life. (February 8, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about the five skandhas: form, sensation, perception, mental reaction, and consiousness. (February 4, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about the Virya Paramita. The quotes are from Diane Rizzetto's book Deep Hope. (February 3, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about practicing with a heavy heart and with worry. The quote is from the work of Rainer Maria Rilke. (January 27, 2023)
Fran Ludwig asks, "Can we accept ourselves and each other as nonjudgmentally as we do a tree?" (January 25, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks briefly about the five skandas (or aggregates) in Buddhist psychology. (January 20, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about establishing the supports we require to cultivate a life of compassion. (January 18, 2023)
Fran Ludwig speaks about how we close gap between what we think our life is, and what it actually is. (December 8, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about the story of "Chiyono's No Water, No Moon." (January 13, 2023)
Julie Nelson speaks about taking the phrase "Are you afraid of this happiness?" as a koan through the day. (January 6, 2023)
Fran Ludwig reflects on the instruction to "observe...even if it costs you everything." (January 4, 2023)
Jeff Seul speaks about opening to suffering, bearing witness, and the Middle Way. (December 17, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about how framing the Buddha's Enlightenment as a story of a "hero going forth" hides other elements. (December 16, 2020; Rohatsu Sesshin; Dharma Discussion not recorded.)
Fran Ludwig encourages us to be patient with whatever is arising, good or bad, for it will surely change. (December 14, 2022)
Julie Nelson talks about how our affection for certain kinds of stories may distort our understanding of the Buddha's (and our own) enlightenment. (December 9, 2022)
Fran Ludwig talks about the Buddhist holiday of Rohatsu. A lively discussion of teaching transmission follows. (December 3, 2022)
Julie Nelson reflects on Wumen's verse about "walking freely in the universe." (December 2, 2022)
Fran Ludwig asks, "How do we find ourselves taking pleasure in other people's pain?" (November 30, 2022)
Julie Nelson reads and comments on the story "Ziyong's Earth," from The Hidden Lamp. (November 25, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk. How can we avoid creating extra suffering our lives? (November 23, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk. How do we notice what motivates our compassion and altruism? (November 16, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how cultivating compassionate behavior takes time. (November 9, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about some the fruits of our practice. The text (abridged) is from Richard Rohr's book The Naked Now. (November 8, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk based on Robert Sharf's essay, "The Looping Structure of Buddhist Thought." (November 5, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about how holding others responsible for relief of our suffering robs us of the power to fully meet it ourselves. (November 2, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about being able to ride out our upswings and downswings. (October 28, 2022)
James Peregrino speaks about the history and practice of kinhin, or walking meditation. (October 25, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about responding to others who are difficult with kindness. (October 19, 2022)
Ben Connelly of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center gives a guest talk at the Greater Boston Zen Center. His topic is practicing Yogacara Buddhism with Vasubandhu's Three Natures. (October 18, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about the question of what is transmitted in Zen teaching transmission. (October 15, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, sharing poems about really seeing just one particular thing. (October 14, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, discussing how we can avoid holding grudges by learning to express anger with heart. (October 12, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about how we can see through our fixed ideas about ourselves and others. (October 5, 2022)
Jeff Seul speaks about how our Zen practice takes us beyond conceptual understandings, continuing the theme of his Sept. 3 talk. (October 1, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, reflecting on the third Pure Precept. (September 30, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how what motivates our actions makes a difference. (September 28, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives a talk, looking into the question "What does it mean to 'save all beings' when life includes suffering, and then you die?" (September 27, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, speaking about the fundamental joy that is at the heart of zazen. (September 23, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk. How can we live more fully by abandoning hope? (September 21, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, speaking about listening, which will be a theme in the A Thousand Hands book study group. (September 16, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about how being compassionate can mean minding our own business. (September 14, 2022)
Jill Gaulding speaks about Zen and morality, and the viewpoint of a child. (September 13, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about our zendo forms (our rituals concerning how we walk, sit, chant, etc.), why we do them, and why we also investigate them. (A demo that may be hard to follow on audio begins at 17:30. Lively discussion resumes at 36:30). (September 10, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an enouragement talk, relating The Three Refuges to the writings of the Fransiscan Richard Rohr. (September 8, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about the importance of showing up as our authentic selves. (September 7, 2022)
Jeff Seul speaks about how our Zen practice takes us beyond conceptual understandings. (September 3, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about how our relationships with others start with ourselves. (August 31, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, speaking about bowing (especially at zoom sits). August 26, 2022
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about practicing even in the midst of distractions. (August 24, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about Bodhidharma (the first ancestor of Zen in China) and his teachings. (August 20, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about maintaining a sense of humor about ourselves and our practice. (August 17, 2022)
Fran Ludwig speaks about the importance of sometimes withdrawing and simplifying our lives. (August 13, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives and encouragement talk, referring to Wumen's warnings. (August 12, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about how we learn to trust ourselves rather than the opinion of others. (August 10, 2022)
Jeff Seul gives an encouragement talk the last evening of the GBZC Summer 2022 sesshin. (July 30, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks on the topic of spiritual authority. (August 9, 2022). (This talk was also given at the at the GBZC Summer 2022 sesshin.)
Jeff Seul speaks about spiritual guidance, with reference to The Wizard of Oz. (August 6, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk at the GBZC Summer 2022 sesshin about how awakening is not a "thing" we acquire but rather a journey of letting go. (July 29, 2022)
Jeff Seul speaks about spiritual authority at the GBZC Summer 2022 sesshin. (No Dharma Discussion) (July 29, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how making practice our whole life means also practicing for death. (July 27, 2022)
Jill Gaulding speaks about how her Zen practice is reflected in her chaplaincy work. (July 23, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragment talk, reminding us that an essential part of cultivating compassion is setting an aspiration for all beings to awaken. (July 20, 2022)
Fran Ludwig speaks about what our practice has to offer us about how to live in a world that is on fire. (July 16, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about where radiance appears in our daily lives. (July 15, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how recognizing our troublesome behaviors as just arisings can make it easier to work with them. (July 13, 2022)
Following the lively discussion on Saturday July 8 (see previous podcast) Julie Nelson gives a modified talk regarding the cultivated or deliberate side of our practice, the wild or liberating side, and the dangers that arise when either side is neglected. Dharma Discussion begins at 22:00. (July 12, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about the cultivated or deliberate side of our practice, the wild or liberating side and the dangers that arise when either side is neglected. This talk was given on a Saturday, and Dharma Discussion begins at 18:00. (July 8, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, addressing how we care for each other in the sangha. The book mentioned is A Thousand Hands edited by N.J. Michon and D. C. Fisher. (July 8, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, discussing how we can hold people accountable in a compassionate way. (July 6, 2022)
Jeff Seul speaks about "taking refuge" as an opting-in (rather than -out), with reference to the GBZC Resilient Sangha Project. (July 2, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how great determination is an essential part of waking up to our heart of compassion. (June 29, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how being fully present to what we·re already doing in our daily lives is fundamental to living a life of compassion. (June 22, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about the cultivation of mudita, sympathetic joy. (June 17, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, speaking about how our longing leads is to our true selves and the source of compassion. (June 15, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how rather than fighting our demons, offering them acceptance and love can diminish their power over us. (June 8, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk during the week of the Uvalde, TX school shooting. (May 26, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, reflecting on how we can hold confusion and difficulty in vast Awareness. (May 25, 2022)
Fran Ludwig speaks about how, by more fully meeting our own pain and suffering, we can bring more genuine compassion to the pain and suffering of others. (May 21, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how cultivating gratitude is part of cultivating compassion. (May 16, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about how identifying our own tendencies in regard to the Three Poisons (greed, anger, and ignorance), and treating them tenderly, can unlock our strengths. (May 14, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk addressing how turning toward the difficulty in our life can open us to a life of compassion. (May 2, 2022)
Jeff Seul speaks about Sengcan's "Affirming Faith in Mind" (on p. 28 of the GBZC Sutra Book, 2019 Edition). (April 30, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about the practice of "tonglen," which receives pain and suffering and transforms it into healing and compassion. (April 25, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk, reflecting on Koun Yamada's "3 Types of Zen." (April 21, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, about how our bodies can transform pain and suffering into love and compassion. (April 18, 2022)
Julie Nelson reflects on Ehei Dogen's distinction between fish and birds (in Genjokoan). (April 14, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about the commonalities between Zen practice and humor. (April 12, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, asking "Where do we find the source of compassion that connects us to all things?"(April 11, 2022)
Jill Gaulding gives a Buddha talk and Sangha talk dedicated to Aaron Lee, with special thanks to Chenxing Han, Funie Hsu, and Duncan Ryūken Williams. (April 9, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about exploring the nature of awareness. (April 4, 2022)
Fran Ludwig speaks about how "cleaning up" and "growing up" help us live our practice. (April 2, 2022)
Ed Oberholtzer speaks about this distinction we make between things that are alive and those that are dead. (March 16, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk. How do we set an intention to live with more compassion? (March 28, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about finding energy in nature. (March 21, 2022)
Jeff Seul speaks about the Zen Peacemakers' Three Tenets, and reflects on the war in Ukraine. (March 19, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk. We are told that Kanzeon "receives only compassion." Does this mean she blocks everything else out? (March 17, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about "Great Doubt." The texts mentioned are on pp. 18 and 57 of the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 Edition). (March 12, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about the value of curiosity, and the harm that can be caused by a lack of it. (March 3, 2022)
Fran Ludwig speaks about the openings that arise with doubt, disappointment, and disillusionment. (February 19, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk, describing a personal experience of the koan "When I walk across the bridge the bridge flows." (February 14, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about zazen and shikantaza (the practice of "just sitting"). The readings are from pp. 45, 67, and 73 of the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 Edition). (February 12, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about recognizing our mistakes as opportunities for growth. (February 7, 2022)
Fran Ludwig presents, as an encouragement talk, "a thought experiment exploring who I am." (January 31, 2022)
Julie Nelson speaks about how distinguishing between "entity" and "process" thinking can help us understand both ancient Zen texts and current zendo relationships. (See her podcast on January 13 for a shorter version, and the "Non-Duality" blog post series on julieanelson.com for a longer discussion.) (January 11, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about Zen practice versus "Zen-y" practice (i.e., practice driven by odd beliefs about what a Zen student should look like). (January 20, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how attending to our own pain allows us to attend to the pain of others. (January 17, 2022)
Ed Oberholtzer speaks about walking in and with mountains. (Does not include Dharma Discussion.) (January 15, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about the uses and abuses of power. (January 13, 2022)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk. "You cannot feel earth unless you feel space." (January 10, 2022)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about mild anxiety as a form of selfing. (December 16, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk. Does Zen encourage taking stock and making resolutions on the New Year·s holiday? (December 30, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk on the occasion of the winter solstice. (December 20, 2021)
Fran Ludwig talks about the destruction that proceeds a new beginning. (Rohatsu Sesshin, December 11, 2021)
Julie Nelson contrasts the traditional abbreviated story of the Buddha's enlightenment with her own messy life, and reviews what is often left out in the telling. (Rohatsu Sesshin, December 11, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Discussion.)
Jeff Seul speaks about images of light and dark in relation to Rohatsu, the celebration of the Buddha's great realization. (December 11, 2021)
Ed Oberholtzer speaks about stars, in relation to Rohatsu, the celebration of the Buddha's awakening. (Rohatsu Sesshin, December 10, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Discussion.)
Fran Ludwig speaks about the goals of our practice. The text is from Yamada's book, Zen: The Authentic Gate. (December 4, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about taking functions seriously, and names lightly. The text is "Kit's New Practice" from The Book of Householder Koans by E.M. Marko and W. E. Nakao. (November 27, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about the concept and feeling of home ("home for the holidays," "home sangha") and its relation to our Zen practice. (November 25, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about Zhaozhuo's saying, "Buddhahood is passion, and passion is Buddhahood." (October 4, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about waking up--and what comes next. The text is taken from Koun Yamada's Zen: The Authentic Gate. (October 28, 2021)
Jeff Kogen Seul speaks about grief. The text is from the Chinese text Zhuangzi, excerpted in the book The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life. (October 30, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk. The text is Dainin Katagiri's Each Moment is the Universe. (October 20, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about how we can practice with betrayal, both by approaching feelings of having been betrayed as a Dharma Gate, and by considering whether inflicting "betrayal" could be in line with our Zen precepts. (October 23, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about cultivating a practice of being intimate with whatever is arising. (August 30, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about how we practice in the midst of destruction. The text is from Joan Sutherland's Acequias/Gates. (September 23, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk. The text is Fasicle 52 of the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. (September 22, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about our thoughts of gain and loss, and right and wrong. The text is Case 26 of The Gateless Gate, "Fayan Points to the Bamboo Screens." (September 18, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk. What is the role of a teacher in Zen practice? (August 9, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement about just wanting to see or to have "the good parts," including the good parts of ourselves. The text is a poem by Ikkyu. (August 19, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about the place of freedom from which we meet the exigencies of life. The text used is Kosho Uchiyama's Opening the Hand of Thought. (July 29, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk. The text is "The Field of Boundless Emptiness" from Cultivating the Empty Field by Hongzhi Zhengjue. (August 11, 2021)
Fran Ludwig speaks about keeping company with pain that has traveled from generation to generation. The text is "The Five Remembrances." (July 31, 2021)
James Cordova gives and encouragement talk about not knowing why we are here. The text is Case 17 in the Blue Cliff Record. (July 28, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about observing widespread destruction. The text is Deep Hope by Diane Rizzetto. (July 22, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about seeing through the boundary between you and me. The text is the story, "Layman Pang and his daughter Ling Zhao fall together."( July 5, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about turning towards conflict and tension. The texts are from the Diamond and Vimilakirti Sutras. (July 8, 2021)
Fran Ludwig speaks about how our unconscious behaviors can cause harm to others. (July 3, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives and encouragement talk about what we can do when feeling overwhelmed. (June 21, 2021)
Kate Hartland gives an encouragement talk about trust in teachers, and the problems therein. The text is from Zen Master Raven by Robert Aitken. (June 25, 2021)
Fran Ludwig speaks about "What happens when we run out of options?" (June 22, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson speaks about what in our Zen practice is really essential. The text is the Vimilakirti Sutra. (June 19, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about some (often confusing) aspects of our Zen practice: In this case, samadhi (a blissful mind state), kensho (a.k.a. satori, enlightenment), and cultivating a Zen life. What are samadhi and kensho? Are they goals, means to a goal, or something else? How do we express the Dharma in our lives? (June 8, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk based on a reading by Keizan Jokin (from the GBZC Sutra Book, 2019 edition). May 13, 2021
Fran Ludwig speaks about how our practice helps us remove remove the masks that hide our true nature. (June 5, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk. The text is from Pema Chodron's No Time to Lose. (May 5, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about imagining oneself as a particular locus of not-knowing. (May 20, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about some basic aspects of our Zen practice together here at GBZC: In this case, chanting the sutras. Why do we chant? How do they variously express the Dharma? What are some unsettled issues? The text is the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 edition). (May 11, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson speaks about some basic aspects of our Zen practice at GBZC: In this case the roles of students, teachers, and dokusan. What are they? How do they express the Dharma? What are some unsettled issues? (April 13, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Kate Hartland gives an encouragement talk The text is Case 98 from The Record of Empty Hall. (May 7, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk. The text is from Acequias/Gates by Joan Sutherand. (May 6, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk. The text is from Dogen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, fascicle 11. (April 28, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives and encouragement talk on the line, "Let what stands in the way become the way." (April 12, 2021)
Kate Hartland speaks about Case 58 from The Record of Empty Hall. (April 11, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Kate Hartland gives an encouragement talk. The text is from Cultivating the Empty Field by Hongzhi. (April 9, 2021)
Fran Ludwig speaks about Zen community. The text is Case 13 in The Gateless Gate, Deshan's Bowls. (April 4, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk on the practice of dropping thoughts and noticing where you are. Texts include Case 24 of the Record of Transmitting the Light and How to Be Sick by Toni Bernhard. (March 25, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk based on Fascicle #10 of Eihei Dogen's Shobogenzo. (March 24, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about enlightenment and "endarkenment," and how small things can be "great." One text is Joan Sutherland's Vimilakirti & the Awakened Heart. (March 23, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk addressing the question, "Can you love even the hard things in life?" (March 1, 2021).
Kate Hartland gives an encouragement talk about the grieving that comes with the loss of a dream. The text is from Zen Master Raven by Robert Aitken. (February 12, 2021)
Kate Hartland speaks about about "Shishi Rejoices Grinding a Cup and a Tray," Case 22 of The Record of Empty Hall. In this koan, two monks sharing tea suddenly find themselves face to face with chaos. (February 2, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about perfection as taking reality as the way it is, using a metaphor from Argentine tango. The reading is from Dogen's "On the Endeavor of the Way." (February 17, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives a talk about zazen as "the Dharma gate of joyful ease"...and about other Dharma gates we would rather not face. Texts used are from pp. 45, 56, and 73 of the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 edition) and Robert Aitken's The Practice of Perfection. (February 27, 2021)
Diane Fitzgerald speaks about cause and effect. The texts are Case 2 "Baizhang's Fox" from The Gateless Gate and "Dai shugyo" (Great Practice)" from Dogen's Shobogenzo. (February 13, 2021)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk based on the text "On Cleansing," from Dogen's Shobogenzo. (February 17, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about welcoming times of great difficulty. (February 8, 2021)
Kate Hartland gives an encouragement talk. The text is from Reb Anderson's Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains. (January 21, 2021)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk about how, in our practice, we both become unsettled and find a home. (January 7, 2021)
Julie Nelson speaks about things that block faith and love. The texts are "Compassion Unbound" (p. 72) and "Affirming Faith in Mind" (p. 28) from the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 edition). (January 26, 2021)
Diane Fitzgerald speaks about making oneself fully available to the moment as it is. The text is Book One, Koan 96 from Dogen's Shinji Shobogenzo. (January 23, 2021) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk about our desire for the apparent security of the familiar. (January 6, 2021)
Carol Morley speaks about our need to feel special. She begins with the poem by Jane Hirschfield, "Like Others." (January 16, 2021)
Laura Wallace gives an encouragement talk. The text is the poem "Wandering Star" by the nun Rohini, from page 21 of the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 edition). (January 5, 2021)
Fran Ludwig gives an encouragement talk about how to live the life we actually have, rather than the one we think we want to have. (December 28, 2020)
Fran Ludwig speaks about the image of light and enlightenment in Zen practice. (December 26, 2020) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk on the subjects of karma, contrition, and liberation. (December 24, 2020)
Laura Wallace gives an encouragement talk. The texts are "Invocation of Kanzeon" from our Sutra book and "The Guest House" by Jalaluddin Rumi. (December 22, 2020)
Diane Fitzgerald speaks about the precept of ·not finding fault with others.· (December 12, 2020) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Fran Ludwig gives a short encouragement talk about how our behavior plays an important role in shaping what we become. One of the texts is from Reb Anderson, "The goal of zazen is the liberation of all living beings from suffering...but the goal is exactly the same as the practice." (November 23, 2020. Posted December 13, 2020)
James Cordova gives an encouragement talk based on a passage from The Collected Teachings of Zen Master Bassui. (December 2, 2020)
Kate Hartland speaks on Case 82 from the Book of Equanimity. (Fall 2019. Posted November 28, 2020) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson offers two short readings about things shining with the light of the Dharma. One is from The Dark Side of the Mirror by David Brazier and the other is from page 22 of GBZC Sutra Book (2019 edition). (November 19, 2020)
Julie Nelson speaks about going "under" difficult and turbulent situations. The texts are the Heart Sutra and excerpts from Charlotte Joko Beck's Everyday Zen. (November 10, 2020) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Laura Wallace speaks about what we can do. The texts are from pages 62, 71, and 85, and 11 of the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 edition). (October 31, 2020)
Fran Ludwig gives a short encouragement talk. How do we let go and entrust ourselves to the Way? (October 26, 2020. Posted November 7, 2020)
Josh Bartok speaks about Case 28 from the Book of Equanimity, "Huguo's Three Shames." (October 3, 2020)
Julie Nelson gives a short encouragement talk about not being attached to the results of our actions. (October 29, 2020)
Kate Hartland speaks about the power of trust. The text is Dogen's 37 Wings of Enlightenment. (October 25, 2020) (Does not include a Dharma Dialog.)
Julie Nelson speaks about the paramita of Kshanti, meaning forbearance, patience, or tolerance. (October 24, 2020)
Fran Ludwig gives a short encouragement talk on the topic of inner beauty. (October 12, 2020)
Julie Nelson speaks about how we work with wanting (or desiring) in our Zen tradition. The texts are the Four Noble Truths and the book The Feeling Buddha by David Brazier. (October 13, 2020)
Josh Bartok speaks about hope in this time of great difficulty and uncertainty. (September 22, 2020)
Josh Bartok speaks about intention. The text is Dogen's discussion (in Shobogenzo) of the koan, Nanuye Polishes a Tile. (September 12, 2020)