261 – The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma Friendships – Part 1

267 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chp 4 - Mindfulness: Cultivating Awareness Every Moment: The third Field of Zen practice is Mindfulness, which is cultivating clear awareness of what is happening, moment by moment, within you and around you. Mindfulness is absolutely fundamental to Zen practice, allowing you to practice within all the... by The Zen Studies Podcast

29 min listen

266 - What Would the Buddha Say About the Suffering in the World?: Recently, someone submitted a Dharma question for me to address: “I wonder what Buddha would say to us about the crises facing humanity, particularly the suffering of our own making?” I can't know, but I dare to put some words in the Buddha's... by The Zen Studies Podcast

21 min listen

265 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter Three, Part 3: Zazen – Our Total Response to Life: This is the third episode of three comprising the “Zazen” chapter of my book, “The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners.” I start by offering what I should have put at the beginning of my chapter on Zazen: Basic instructions... by The Zen Studies Podcast

23 min listen

264 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter Three, Part 2: Zazen – Our Total Response to Life: This is the second episode of three comprising the "Zazen" chapter of my book, "The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners.” I finish my discussion of the five efforts of Zazen, covering becoming intimate with Life, seeing the true... by The Zen Studies Podcast

32 min listen

263 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter 3, Part 1 - Zazen – Our Total Response to Life: The second Field of Zen practice is Zazen. “Za” means seated, and “zen” means meditation. However, as 13th-century Zen master Dogen famously stated, “…Zazen is not meditation practice.” Superficially, our Zazen may look like the... by The Zen Studies Podcast

37 min listen

262 - The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma Friendships – Part 2: The Buddha famously said “admirable friendship,” or what I’m calling Dharma friendship, is the entirety of the holy life. In the last episode, I discussed the value and nature of personal Dharma friendships. In this episode, I talk about what... by The Zen Studies Podcast

29 min listen

260 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter Two: Bodhicitta, Way-Seeking Mind: This episode on Bodhicitta, or Way-Seeking Mind, is chapter two of my book The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners.” Bodhicitta is the first Field of practice because without it we never even begin practice, and, if we don’t... by The Zen Studies Podcast

33 min listen

259 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter One: What Is Zen Practice?: In this introductory chapter to my book, “The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners," I discuss the nature of practice and "progress" on the path of practice. I then introduce the Ten Fields, and the rest of the book will consist of... by The Zen Studies Podcast

38 min listen

258 - One Reality, Many Descriptions Part 6: The Two Truths of Absolute and Relative 2: The Two Truths teaching is another classic Chan/Zen description of Reality-with-a-Capital-R. Reality has two aspects, often called relative and absolute. I call them the “dependent dimension” and the “independent dimension.” I describe this... by The Zen Studies Podcast

26 min listen

257 - One Reality, Many Descriptions Part 5: The Two Truths of Absolute and Relative – Part 1: The Two Truths teaching is another classic Chan/Zen description of Reality-with-a-Capital-R. Reality has two aspects, often called relative and absolute. I call them the "dependent dimension" and the "independent dimension." I describe this teaching... by The Zen Studies Podcast

25 min listen

256 - Do Your Own Practice: Spiritual Translation Versus Transformation: One way to frame our practice is to say it has a "translation" aspect and a "transformation" aspect. Translation means to apply Buddhist teachings and practice to our life to free self and other from suffering, and live with greater wisdom and... by The Zen Studies Podcast

31 min listen

255 – The Medicine of Emptiness When Witnessing Suffering and Injustice: When we witness - or experience - suffering or injustice, the medicine of emptiness can give us strength and equanimity. It should also increase our compassion, allowing us to be open, sensitive, and responsive without getting overwhelmed by anxiety,... by The Zen Studies Podcast

35 min listen

254 - Practice is How You Live Each and Every Moment – Part 2: Everyday life gives us countless opportunities for "awakening work." I discuss ways to practice each and every moment in order to awaken to the truth of Dukkha and the ending of Dukkha, and to the truth Emptiness. In Part 3 I will talk about how we... by The Zen Studies Podcast

36 min listen

253 - Practice is How You Live Each and Every Moment – Part 1: The formal aspects of Buddhist practice – the things you can look at and identify as “Buddhist practice” – are very important. These include meditation, Dharma study, and time with Sangha. However, unless you’re a monk in a really strict... by The Zen Studies Podcast

32 min listen

252 - Reflections on Dogen’s “Bussho, The Buddha-Nature” Part 2: Total Existence: In my second episode reflecting on Dogen's “Bussho,” or “The Buddha-Nature," I discuss how Buddha-Nature is a teaching about our existential koan as human beings. I also talk about how Dogen says we have already got Buddha-Nature, and then... by The Zen Studies Podcast

28 min listen

251 – Reflections on Dogen’s “Bussho: The Buddha-Nature” Part 1: Total Existence: In his essay "Bussho," or "The Buddha-Nature," Dogen explores and expands a classic Mahayana Buddhist teaching. I reflect on a few central concepts from the first paragraph. by The Zen Studies Podcast

29 min listen

250 - In Zazen We Stop Imposing Ourselves on the World and Meet It Instead: In zazen we stop imposing ourselves on the world either through our habitual thinking or through any effort to control or judge our meditative experience. Only then can we meet the world us it is unfolding around, within, and through us - but this... by The Zen Studies Podcast

31 min listen

249 - Are the Buddha’s Teachings on Renunciation Relevant for Householders? – Part 2: In this second half of a two-episode discussion, I briefly review the limitations of sensual or worldly pleasures. Then I explore how engagement with the world, contrary to simply being a compromise, can be its own path of practice. Finally, I talk... by The Zen Studies Podcast

33 min listen

248 - Are the Buddha’s Teachings on Renunciation Relevant for Householders? – Part 1: The Buddha was pretty clear. If you wanted to experience complete liberation, it was best practice renunciation - to leave all worldly things behind: Family, sex, alcohol, fancy food, music, entertainment, frivolity, etc. Why did the Buddha recommend... by The Zen Studies Podcast

27 min listen

247 - Sangha Challenges: How and Why to Open Up to the Treasure of Sangha – Part 3: In Part 3 of my “Sangha Challenges” discussion, I finish my list of reasons you may resist joining a Buddhist community or find it challenging to maintain your relationship with one over time. I present each challenge as an opportunity for growth... by The Zen Studies Podcast

42 min listen

Two Episodes Recommended by Listeners: This is my third and final post during my 2023 sabbatical month. I'll be back soon with a full episode, but in the meantime I wanted to share two past episodes with you that multiple listeners have said were important to them. by The Zen Studies Podcast

3 min listen

Recommended Episodes on Zazen: Here again with recommended episodes for you to listen to while I'm on my August sabbatical from Zen teaching and writing. Your chosen form of meditation may be what I call "Directed Effort" meditation, or "Letting Go" meditation (I discuss Directed... by The Zen Studies Podcast

2 min listen

Announcement and Recommendation: I take a sabbatical from my Zen teaching one month a year, and this year it’s in August. In this announcement I explain (and thank you for your patience), and recommend one of my 236 past episodes to listen to (published six years ago!). by The Zen Studies Podcast

2 min listen

246 - Sangha Challenges: How and Why to Open Up to the Treasure of Sangha – Part 2: In Part 2 of my “Sangha Challenges” discussion, I talk about various reasons you may resist joining a Buddhist community or find it challenging to maintain your relationship with one over time. I present each challenge as an opportunity for growth... by The Zen Studies Podcast

26 min listen

245 - Sangha Challenges: How and Why to Open Up to the Treasure of Sangha – Part 1: Should you join a Sangha? Sangha, or community, is one of the “Three Treasures” of Buddhism, but is it really necessary? How important is it? There are many "Sangha Challenges" - reasons you might feel resistance to joining a community, or... by The Zen Studies Podcast

23 min listen

244 - Zazen as a Religious Act: Seated Zen meditation – zazen – is less like the meditative practices of many other spiritual traditions, and more like prayer in theistic traditions. This is not because we believe in God (although we might), but because zazen can be seen as a... by The Zen Studies Podcast

31 min listen

243 - The Buddha’s Life Story as Archetype and Teaching: Understanding the teachings of Buddhism starts with becoming familiar with the Buddha's life story. This isn't because he is believed to have been divine, or even a prophet. Instead, his story is important because it serves as an archetype for the... by The Zen Studies Podcast

38 min listen

242 - Reflections on Sansuikyo, Dogen’s Mountains and Waters Sutra: One of Zen master Dogen’s most beloved writings is a relatively short essay called “Sansuikyo,” or the Mountains and Waters Sutra. In this episode, I reflect on two aspects this work: The statement that mountains and waters are, in of... by The Zen Studies Podcast

28 min listen

241 - What Does It Mean to Waste Time?: Buddhist and Zen masters through the ages have begged us not to “waste time.” What does this really mean? How do we know if we’re wasting time, and does it really matter? by The Zen Studies Podcast

38 min listen

240 – One Reality, Many Descriptions Part 4: Buddha-Nature 2: This is part four of my series called “One Reality, Many Descriptions,” Buddha-Nature Part 2. I first talk about Buddha-Nature as trust. Then I offer the requisite discussions of what Buddha-Nature is not, and how it is necessary for us to awaken... by The Zen Studies Podcast

26 min listen

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261 – The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma Friendships – Part 1

261 – The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma Friendships – Part 1

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