The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-12481 The talk focuses on the acceptance of leadership roles within a Zen practice community, specifically addressing Vanessa Able's role as Shuso at the City Center in Fall 2025. It explores themes of readiness and humility in...

Serial: SF-12385 Talk by Ryushin Paul Haller at City Center on 2025-10-04 The talk explores how Zen practice, particularly shikantaza, aids in navigating personal and global chaos by fostering presence and authenticity. It examines the notion of "staying true" to one's values and principles,...

Serial: SF-12434 Chikudo Catherine Spaeth teaches that zazen shows us what to care for, and leads the way in our request to study the precepts with a teacher. In this caring we become a good friend to our practice. The talk centers on the significance of Zazen practice in fostering self-realization and understanding Zen precepts. It emphasizes the importance of experiencing emotions authentically during Zazen to transcend self-narratives...

Serial: SF-12371 Tenmyo Dojima shares how her early struggles with depression led her to rediscover Buddhism in the U.S., begin monastic training in Japan, and continue the joy of walking the Buddha Way—together with others, rooted in... The talk explores the transformative journey from personal hardship to spiritual awakening through dedicated Zen practice. It emphasizes the significance of community, or Sangha, by recounting a story where Buddha tells Ananda...

Serial: SF-12398 Talk by Shinshu Roberts at City Center on 2025-09-13 The talk explores Dogen's teachings, particularly focusing on the Genjo Koan and the idea of "realization beyond realization," illustrating how Dogen's teachings remain relevant in contemporary practice. These teachings highlight...

Sozan Michael McCord considers the deeper purpose of monasteries—not only as places of study and community, but as spaces that preserve and sustain collective practice, creating lasting impact beyond the moment of gathering... The talk explores the role of monasteries as settings for grounding and sustaining collective practice, emphasizing their importance in fostering presence, awareness, and adaptability. Practical examples highlight how rituals...

Serial: SF-12452 Shosan Victoria Austin and Mary Mocine speak about Blanche Hartman and Zen sewing, and conduct an eye-opening ceremony for a statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva in the SFZC sewing room. The talk primarily discusses the practice and symbolism of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva within the context of Zen practice, highlighting the teachings of wholehearted practice and the Ten Vows of Samantabhadra. Additionally, it...

Serial: SF-12375 08/23/2025, Myles Cowherd, dharma talk at City Center.Myles Cowherd explores the transformative power of sincerity and acceptance as a counterpoint to a life of seriousness and fear. The talk explores the transformative role of sincerity and acceptance in overcoming seriousness and fear. The discussion highlights sincerity as a way of bearing witness to one's reality without judgment, promoting self-...

Serial: SF-12424 Talk by Paul Haller Jonah Willihnganz at Tassajara on 2025-08-16 This talk centers on the integration of Zen practice with mythopoetic traditions, exploring their combined potential to foster a sense of wholeness and spiritual awakening. Two primary aspects of Zen practice are discussed: the...

Serial: SF-12447

Serial: SF-12415 Talk by Ryushin Paul Haller at City Center on 2025-07-26 The talk discusses the practice of shikantaza in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the importance of experiencing the present moment fully and the challenge of maintaining non-reactivity amidst life's uncertainties and discomforts. The...

Serial: SF-07287 07/13/2025, Gengyoko Tim Wicks, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Gengyoko Tim Wicks explores cultivating joyful energy in times of crisis, with reference to Eihei Dogen Zenji and the Dhammapada. The talk addresses the significant impact of "hyper-normalization," a term from Soviet scholar Alexei Yurchak, referring to the normalized acceptance of societal dysfunction during the Soviet Union's decline, and how it parallels...

Serial: SF-12438 Talk by Michael McCord at Tassajara on 2025-07-12 The talk explores the significance of retreats like Tassajara in providing a transformative space for developing presence, awareness, and adaptability. The speaker examines using Zen rituals and practices for grounding oneself...

Serial: SF-07259 06/21/2025, Chikudo Catherine Spaeth, dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk delves into the theme of spiritual growth as a deepening of vows within the context of a five-day retreat at Tassajara. Emphasizing transformation and interconnectedness, it reflects on the symbolic journey of personal...

Serial: SF-07270 06/15/2025, Gyokuden Steph Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm.Gyokuden Steph Blank shares her experience of grief and gratitude arising through the intimate process of accompanying her father during his recent transition from... The talk focuses on the themes of fatherhood, grief, and Zen practice, exploring the speaker's personal experiences with a deceased father, touching on the importance of humor and guidance provided by father figures. Reflections...

Serial: SF-07272 Talk by Michael Gelfond at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-06-08 This talk explores the Satipatthana Sutta and its significance in Buddhist practice, specifically concerning mindfulness. It discusses mindfulness as a path to liberation by emphasizing attention to inner and outer experiences,...

Serial: SF-08183 Talk by Michael Gelfond at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-06-08 The talk explores the Satipatthana Sutta, focusing on the foundational Buddhist teaching of mindfulness as a direct path to liberation. The speaker emphasizes mindfulness as essential in experiencing moment-to-moment existence,...

Serial: SF-09504 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Inside Vasubandhus Yogacara Kakuon on 2025-06-01 This talk explores the Yogacara, or Mind-Only school, focusing on Vasubandhu's "30 Verses on Consciousness Only," specifically verses 5, 6, and 7. The discussion centers on the transformation of consciousness, particularly the...

Serial: SF-07278 05/31/2025, Teah Strozer, dharma talk at City Center. Teah Strozer explores the ways that our assumptions and fixed ideas about people or situations can blind us to change and to what’s actually in front of us. The talk emphasizes the importance of maintaining a beginner's mind and the practice of "not knowing" as integral to Zen philosophy. Several stories illustrate the pitfalls of holding rigid views and the liberation found in...

Serial: SF-08177 Talk by Jiryu Rutschman Byler at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-05-18 The talk at Green Gulch Farm focuses on the Zen practice of mindfulness, embodied awareness, and the experience of being alive. Emphasis is placed on integrating Zen teachings into daily life by engaging the body, settling the...

Serial: SF-09809 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2025-05-18 The talk primarily discusses the intricacies of the mind and consciousness as understood in Zen philosophy, focusing on the teachings of Vasubandhu's "Thirty Verses" and their interpretation in Ben's book. The discussion...

Serial: SF-09731 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2025-05-12 The talk centers on the teachings of the Yogacara school, a pivotal theme in Zen meditation, focusing on the transformation of consciousness and the notion of "mind-only." Xuanzang's 7th-century journey to Nalanda University in...

Serial: SF-08078 05/10/2025, Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at City Center. Central Abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman takes up Case 12 from the Book of Serenity, titled ‘Dizang Planting the Fields’, which touches upon a number of key practice... The talk delves into a koan from the Book of Serenity, Case 12, featuring Dijon and Shushan, which probes the intersection of meditation with worldly engagement. The discussion questions the sufficiency of meditation in the face...

Serial: SF-09503 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Inside Vasubandhus Yogacara Kakuon on 2025-05-04 The talk explores the practice and complexities of the Yogacara teachings, focusing on Vasubandhu's "Thirty Verses" to understand the mind's workings. It compares the experiential aspect of mind practice to understanding and...