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Dogen's Bendowa Part 1: What's the Big Deal about Zazen?
Episode 57
Zen master Dogen wrote Bendowa in 1231 to introduce his Japanese students to Soto Zen. In a sense, then, it's "Soto Zen in a nutshell." In this episo…
8 years, 3 months ago
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and the Power of Compassion
Episode 56
Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion (also called Guanyin, Kannon, or Kanzeon), is hands-down the most popular of the Buddhist archetypal b…
8 years, 3 months ago
Listener's Questions: Enlightened Behavior, Openings, Chanting, Recommended Books
Episode 55
This episode answers four listener questions: 1) What is enlightened behavior - can someone be "awakened" and still do immoral or harmful things? 2) …
8 years, 4 months ago
You Don't Need to Improve or Get Anything to Fulfill the Buddha Way
Episode 54
You don't need to improve one iota, change anything about yourself, or obtain anything you don't already have, in order to fulfill the Buddha Way and…
8 years, 4 months ago
Buddha's Teachings Part 5: Karma, the Law of Moral Cause-and-Effect
Episode 53
Karma may be the most widely mentioned - and misunderstood - Buddhist concept outside Buddhist circles. You might, "Well, that's karma!" when someone…
8 years, 4 months ago
Profound, Practical, Mutable: Dharma Transmission in Zen – Part 2
Episode 52
In Soto Zen Buddhism, "Dharma Transmission" is a ritual in which a qualified Zen teacher acknowledges the ability of one of their students to carry o…
8 years, 5 months ago
Profound, Practical, Mutable: Dharma Transmission in Zen – Part 1
Episode 51
In Soto Zen Buddhism, "Dharma Transmission" is a ritual in which a qualified Zen teacher acknowledges the ability of one of their students to carry o…
8 years, 5 months ago
Buddhist History 8: Aśoka, First Buddhist Emperor – Facts and Legend Part 2
Episode 50
Legends of King Aśoka (3rd century BCE), have long guided and inspired Buddhists, particularly rulers. In this 2nd episode of two, I continue the sto…
8 years, 5 months ago
Buddhist History 8: Aśoka, First Buddhist Emperor – Facts and Legend – Part 1
Episode 49
King Aśoka was an Indian emperor in the 3rd century BCE. According to legend, he was a devout Buddhist who explicitly and publicly governed in accord…
8 years, 5 months ago
How to Guide Your Own Meditation Part 2: First-Person Stories
Episode 48
In this second episode of two on "How to Guide Your Own Meditation," I illustrate the process by sharing four first-person narratives about meditatio…
8 years, 6 months ago