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19 - The Heart Sutra Part 1: Introduction to the Most Common Mahayana Text
The Heart Sutra is probably the best-known Buddhist text in the world. It's less than 250 words long and considered to present the essence of Mahayan…
9 years, 2 months ago
18 - Zen Forms (Customs and Rituals) and Why They Matter
In traditional Zen practice, we have a lot of what we call "forms." Forms are the established ways we enact our practice with our bodies… including t…
9 years, 2 months ago
Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Part 3: First Sermons and Students, and the Early Sangha
In this first of two episodes about the Buddha's 45-year teaching career and the early Buddhist community, I'll talk about the Buddha's first sermons…
9 years, 2 months ago
Sangha: The Joys, Challenges, and Value of Practicing in a Buddhist Community
Is it really necessary to participate in a Sangha, or Buddhist community? What are the benefits, joys, and challenges of doing so? You may be surpris…
9 years, 2 months ago
To Study Buddhism Is to Study the Self (and Why That's Not Selfish)
Liberation from self-concern is central to all forms of Buddhism, although the methods used to achieve that liberation differ widely. In this episode…
9 years, 2 months ago
Buddha's Teachings Part 1: The Three Marks and the Teaching of Not-Self (Anatta)
From the beginning, the Buddha's teachings featured the Three Characteristics of Existence: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (dissatisfactoriness), and …
9 years, 3 months ago
What Zen "Acceptance" and "Non-Attachment" Really Are
The practices of acceptance and non-attachment are critical to Zen and Buddhist practice, but they are easily misunderstood. It can sound like we're …
9 years, 3 months ago
Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Part 2: Spiritual Struggle, Enlightenment, Teaching, and Death
Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama experienced a spiritual awakening over 2,500 years ago in India, and became an "awakened one," or Buddha. Over…
9 years, 3 months ago
Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Part 1: Source Texts, and Birth Through Homeleaving
Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama experienced a spiritual awakening over 2,500 years ago in India, and became an "awakened one," or Buddha. Over…
9 years, 3 months ago
What Is "Zen Practice," Anyway?
If you've spent any time in a Zen community, or reading Zen books, you will have encountered the term "practice" countless times. Buddhist teachers t…
9 years, 4 months ago