The SFZC Audio Archive

Onryu Mary Stares explores how external stimuli can act as a gate to practice if we use intention and curiosity. The talk examines how external stimuli, such as poetry, can serve as gates to Zen practice when approached with intention and curiosity. The poem "Bury Your Face in Your Hands" by Mark Strand is central, with multiple readings...

Abiding Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel discusses her January 2026 visit to Minneapolis with MARCH (Multifaith Antiracism, Change & Healing). In times of fear and violence, how does our practice teach us to pay attention to... The talk discusses responses to societal violence and unrest through Zen practice and emphasizes the intersection of spirituality and social activism. It highlights participation in a multifaith antiracism event organized by...

Kiku Christina Lehnherr explores how the body is completely and inseparably intertwined and interconnected with the mind and with everything in this universe, and how the practice of slowing down a fraction in all our activities... The talk explores the interconnection between the body and mind and the importance of cultivating bodily awareness in Zen practice. It emphasizes the need for slowing down and becoming more intimate with the body to foster...

So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson reflects on Dr. King’s legacy as a practice of staying human in the face of fear, polarization, and fatigue. Through Zen teachings on virya or joyful effort, we explore how commitment, courage, and... The talk explores the concept of "virya" or "joyful effort" in Zen Buddhism, drawing parallels to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolent activism. It examines how commitment, courage, and hope can be sustained through...

The talk explores the concept of non-separation in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing that suffering and delusion arise from the perceived separation from the world and others. It challenges this perception by asserting that everything...

Sozan Michael McCord explores how waiting is not necessarily patience. And it is not a passive default. In this talk, the subject of patience is explored as one of the Buddhist "paramitas" (perfections) that are both... The talk centers on the concept of patience as an active, cultivated practice, integral to the Buddhist paramitas. It emphasizes the importance of embodying patience by accepting each moment's reality rather than simply waiting...

The talk explores the practice of Zen through the lens of connecting poetic insights and the making of homemade bread, using the transformative journey of producing the "Tassajara Bread Book" as an illustrative metaphor. The...

12/22/2025, Gyokuden Stephanie Blank, dharma talk at City Center. Gyokuden Steph Blank considers Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol as a dharma story that reveals the transformative power of illumination, intimacy, and... The talk examines Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as a dharma story, illustrating the transformative power of illumination, intimacy, and karmic fruition. The discussion equates Scrooge's journey of...

12/13/2025, Keiryu Liên Shutt, dharma talk at City Center. Keiryu Liên Shutt presents an informal comparison of Soto Zen and Insight practices within the context of The Three Marks of Existence.   The talk explores the intersection of U.S. Soto Zen and Insight Buddhism through the framework of the Three Marks of Existence: impermanence, not-self, and dukkha (suffering). It compares the core practices of Zen, which...

The talk emphasizes the significance of trees in both natural and spiritual contexts, discussing their role in sustaining life through processes like photosynthesis and their historical and cultural importance within Buddhism,...

The talk explores the concept of living in harmony with differences, emphasizing the importance of viewing the Sangha as a harmonious and pure community rather than a mere collection of individuals. It highlights that differences...

11/09/2025, Thiemo Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Waking up to the realty of hosting our lives. Thiemo uses the awarded kids' story "We are in a Book" to playfully teach studying the Self and tasting... This talk explores the nature of the self and its perception as separate from the world, addressing the illusion of separateness and its contribution to suffering. Using the children's story "We Are in a Book," the...

Serial: SF-12462 Talk by Zenshin Florence Caplow at City Center on 2025-11-01 The talk discusses the intersection of Zen practice and the experience of chronic illness, emphasizing the profound teachings derived from these challenges. The speaker reflects on the themes of energy (virya), confidence (...

Serial: SF-12392 Talk by Sessei Meg Levie at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-10-26 The talk focuses on the impact of Suzuki Roshi's teachings and the establishment of Zen practice in America, particularly through the founding of the San Francisco Zen Center. It highlights Suzuki Roshi's journey from Japan to...

Serial: SF-12408 Koji Vanessa Able asks: What is true readiness and how can we respond when we just don’t feel ready for a change or a challenge? What can practice teach us about showing up, even when we are unprepared? The talk explores the theme of "being oneself" and readiness, particularly in the context of Zen practice and personal experiences. The discussion highlights the challenges of embodying authenticity and the perceived...

Serial: SF-12420 Talk by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Osho at City Center on 2025-10-18 The talk emphasizes the theme of uncertainty and the constant evolution of understanding in Zen practice. Through personal anecdotes and references to Zen teachings, the discussion challenges the audience to examine their...

Serial: SF-12433 Talk by Eli Brown Stevenson at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-10-12 The talk discusses the theme of impermanence in Zen, using the metaphor of bubbles to illustrate the concepts of suffering, impermanence, and no-self. The discussion revolves around the teachings of Suzuki Roshi and the Heart...

Serial: SF-12377 Koji Vanessa Able shares her story of Way Seeking Mind: the lifelong search for ways to express vast religious feeling, from early childhood and through the emotional and psychic challenges of early adulthood. The talk discusses the concept of the "way-seeking mind," tracing the speaker’s spiritual journey and formative experiences from childhood curiosity about the cosmos, through explorations in Christianity and the arts, to...

Serial: SF-12394 Tatsudo Nicole Baden explores how Zen practice literally shifts the architecture of our experience — from a narrow, biographical “here” into a living, embodied field of contact. The talk focuses on the Zen practice of experiencing oneness and the relational act of Dharma teachings, utilizing classic Zen stories and personal experiences to explore themes of presence, awareness, and ethical practice. The...

Serial: SF-12472 The transcript outlines the agenda for an upcoming nine-week Zen practice period, focusing on the theme "the heart of Buddha and koans," emphasizing personal and collective awareness through Zazen practice. Details...

Hoka Chris Fortin asks: How do we—individually and as one—not turn away but bear witness, and respond to the suffering of the world with clear-hearted wisdom and compassion as we awaken together to our True Nature and... This talk examines how individual and collective practice can respond to global suffering with wisdom and compassion, emphasizing engaged Buddhism as a means to awaken to our true nature and shared humanity. It describes the...

Serial: SF-12374 Sokaku Kathie Fischer examines the Xin Xin Ming (Faith in Mind, or Trusting the Mind), a text by the third Chinese Chan (Zen) ancestor, Jianzhi Sengcan. The talk focuses on exploring the teachings of the ancient Zen poem "Xin Xin Ming," attributed to the third Chinese Zen ancestor, Sengcan. The speaker examines the theme of non-attachment and emphasizes the distinction between...

Doshin Dan Gudgel discusses gratitude and devotional practices, using his personal altars as examples, and reading “The Angel Handed Me a Book” by Paul Valéry. The talk focuses on the personal practice of gratitude and devotion within Zen Buddhism, illustrated through the use of altars. Emphasizing the role of devotional practices such as bowing, chanting, and maintaining altars, the...

Serial: SF-12382 09/06/2025, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center.Shosan Victoria Austin points out that most of us are trying to find stability in less-than-perfect places, times, and conditions. How do we build an external and... The talk explores the principles and practices of zazen, emphasizing the creation of stable environments conducive to meditation. Insights into external conditions such as place and posture, as well as internal conditions like...