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Western Zen Grows Up and Faces the Koan of Race – Part 2
Episode 77
Second part of a two-part series: The story of my particular school, Soto Zen, in America, but even if you identify with a different type of Buddhism…
7 years, 9 months ago
Western Zen Grows Up and Faces the Koan of Race – Part 1
Episode 76
I tell you the story of my lineage of Zen over the last 100 years or so – its birth in America, its growth, its rocky adolescence, and how it's comin…
7 years, 10 months ago
Sekito Kisen's Sandokai: The Identity of Relative and Absolute – Part 2
Episode 75
This my second episode on the Sandokai, an ancient teaching poem composed by Chinese Zen master Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiqian, 700-790). It's recited d…
7 years, 10 months ago
Sekito Kisen's Sandokai: The Identity of Relative and Absolute – Part 1
Episode 74
Sandokai is a teaching poem composed by Chinese Chan (Zen) master Sekito Kisen (Shitou Xiqian, 700-790). It's recited daily in Soto Zen temples throu…
7 years, 10 months ago
Is Buddhism Secular, Spiritual, or Religious?
Episode 73
Is Buddhism religious, spiritual, or secular? The short answer to that is all three – depending what questions you're asking. In this episode I defin…
7 years, 11 months ago
Taking Care of Our Lives: More About the Karma Relationship Side of Practice
Episode 72
In Episode 38 I talked about how Buddhist practice has two sides – samadhi power and karma relationship. Samadhi power is about cultivating a direct,…
7 years, 11 months ago
Buddha's Teachings 9: The Four Brahmaviharas, or Sublime Social Attitudes - Part 3
Episode 71
In this third episode of my series on the Four Brahmaviharas, I briefly talk about how to use them in daily practice without setting them up as unatt…
7 years, 11 months ago
Buddhist Practice: Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts and Emotions
Episode 70
"Intrusive" thoughts and emotions arise repeatedly with enough intensity for them to be disturbing or distracting, even though they aren't objectivel…
7 years, 11 months ago
The Soto Zen Goal of Goallessness: How to Awaken Without Trying
Episode 69
The goal of Buddhism is to awaken to what's true, because the truth is liberating. And yet my tradition, Soto Zen, points us toward the "goal of goal…
8 years ago
Relating to Buddhist Teachings 2: Wrestling with the Teachings
Episode 68
From the perspective of most Buddhist lineages, including Zen, study is essential. In this episode I'll get into why that is and present a practical …
8 years ago