The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-08416 09/07/2024, James Ishmael Ford, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple’s pop-up zendo at Unity Church on Page Street, by visiting teacher James Ishmael Ford. In the talk, Roshi Ford tells... This talk revolves around a narrative exploring Zen practice and spiritual development, framed within the allegory of a stolen life turned into a genuine spiritual journey. The central theme is the transformation of a thief into...

Serial: SF-08681 Talk by Gengyoko Tim Wicks Zazen Experience at City Center on 2024-09-04 The talk examines the Zazen experience, a practice central to Soto Zen, emphasizing seated meditation as a path to enlightenment. Through discussion and structured group interactions, participants explore the physical, mental,...

Serial: SF-08390 Talk by Jiryu Rutschmann Byler at City Center on 2024-08-31 The talk explores the Zen practice of "welcoming" as a method to engage with the complexities of life, including thoughts and emotions, without resistance or the need to control them. It emphasizes the importance of utilizing...

Serial: SF-08386 Talk by Catherine Spaeth at Tassajara on 2024-08-30 The talk discusses the evolution of Zen liturgy at Tassajara, emphasizing the role of the Prajnaparamita Sutras and highlighting how the incorporation of female figures and modern cultural elements into the liturgy reflects...

Serial: SF-08315 The talk discusses the radical and transformative aspect of Buddha's teachings, focusing on the concepts of anatta (no-self) and pratitya-samutpada (dependent origination) as foundational teachings that challenge conventional...

Serial: SF-08478 Jan Willis discusses the conditions around the time of Buddha's lifetime, and how the Buddhist community was created The talk explores the radical societal shifts initiated by the Buddha in 6th century BCE India, highlighting the rigidity of the existing caste system introduced by the Aryans and the subsequent stratification into varnas or...

Serial: SF-08439 This talk was given at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Zenshinji) by Shogen Danielson. Shogen's talk touches on the absolute, the inconceivable aspects of the human condition, that we also call Buddha Nature. Recorded on August 23... The talk focuses on the interconnectedness and wholeness of life, emphasizing the non-duality of existence by illustrating concepts found in Zen Buddhism. The speaker contends that distinctions such as birth and death, self and...

Serial: SF-08289 Shundo David Haye explains the elements and significance of the Full Moon Ceremony to those who had participated in it on their arrival day at Tassajara, and encourages everyone to understand their role in creating and sustaining... The talk explores the idea of manifesting the Buddha Dharma in everyday life and benefiting the world as illustrated in the story of Dongshan and Nanyuan. It emphasizes the importance of community practice at Tassajara, the...

Serial: SF-08673 Talk by Doshin Dan Gudgel at City Center on 2024-08-21 The talk primarily explores the concept of karma, focusing on the chant of confession and repentance practiced in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the ancient and interconnected nature of personal and collective karma. It discusses the...

Serial: SF-08450 08/17/2024, Sokaku Kathie Fischer, dharma talk at City Center. In this dharma talk, given at Beginner’s Mind Temple, Kathie references Eihei Dogen's work, "Receiving the Marrow by Bowing," to tell the stories of important Zen... This talk delves into the themes of meditation practice, the importance of gravity as an organizing principle, and the support of women's roles in Zen Buddhism through historical narratives. It emphasizes the egalitarian approach...

Shindo Gita Gayatri discusses the unique quality of zazen, and references Dogen's Fukanzazengi, Thich Nhat Hanh and Ayurvedic medicine in her talk. The discussion primarily explores the essence of Zazen, drawing insights from Dogen's teachings that Zazen is simply "just sitting" without striving for goals or mental techniques. Emphasis is placed on posture and the natural...

Serial: SF-08357 08/14/2024, Roger Hillyard, dharma talk at City Center. This talk was given at Beginner's Mind Temple, by Roger Hillyard. The path is sometimes dark and difficult, sometimes smooth and joyous. It is always circuitous and doesn't... The talk explores the metaphor of life as a labyrinth, emphasizing the non-linear and circuitous nature of the spiritual path, and the importance of presence and mindfulness in navigating it. It reflects on personal experiences...

Shindo Gita Gayatri reflects on times of change at Zen Center and in the wider world, using Dogen's fascicle Uji (Being Time) and the non-dual Advaita Vedanta teachings from her native India to illustrate her thoughts. The talk explores the concept of change at both the Zen Center and globally, drawing on Dogen Zenji’s fascicle "Uji" (Being Time) and Advaita Vedanta teachings. The discussion highlights how time and existence are intertwined,...

Serial: SF-08503 Talk by Jiryu Rutschman Byler at City Center on 2024-08-11 The talk explores the fundamental purposes and misunderstandings surrounding Zen practice, emphasizing that Zen is not about achieving a particular state or feeling but about appreciating and fully experiencing life as it is....

Joan Amaral invites everyone to cherish and enjoy the shared body practice of being in the mountains. The talk explores the connection between individuals and their environment, emphasizing a deep relational practice where mountains and nature engage with human presence and vice versa. It reflects on teachings from Dogen Zenji,...

Serial: SF-08259 Talk by Ryushin Paul Haller at City Center on 2024-08-03 The talk explores the concepts of realization about delusion and the human condition via chaplaincy training and Zen practice. It emphasizes Dogen Zenji's teaching on the distinction between realization and delusion and discusses...

The discussion explores the concept of "warm-heartedness" within Zen practice. The central theme is readiness, willingness, and the embracing of not knowing, emphasizing how deeply these practice elements enhance open-heartedness...

Serial: SF-08677 Talk by Jisan Tova Green at City Center on 2024-07-31 The talk explores the concept of "deep listening" by examining four levels: listening to oneself, another person, one's community, and the cries of the world. This is linked to practices of compassion embodied by the bodhisattva...

Serial: SF-08621 Talk by Audio Recording Test at City Center on 2024-07-24 This talk centers on the practice of loving-kindness meditation as a means to transcend dualities such as birth and death, emphasizing the cultivation of compassion and peace in one's thoughts and actions. The practice encourages...

Serial: SF-08243 07/21/2024, Dr. Grace Dammann, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Dr. Grace Dammann, a previouse Green Gulch Resident and physician, who was honored by the Dalai Lama for her extraordinary work speaks about the difference between... This talk examines the relationship between medicine and chronic pain and its intersection with Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the distinction between pain and suffering through the metaphor of the "two arrows" parable. Key attention...

Serial: SF-09801 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-07-21 The talk explores themes from Suzuki Roshi's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," emphasizing the non-dual nature of zazen practice, comparing it to the simple existence of frogs, and highlighting the concept of nothing special in Zen...

Serial: SF-08615 Talk by Audio Test at City Center on 2024-07-19 The talk focuses on cultivating peace through the practice of loving-kindness, drawing on Buddhist teachings to emphasize the importance of mindfulness, compassion, and the relinquishment of material desires. The discussion...

Serial: SF-08290 07/14/2024, Jisan Tova Green, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Each life is a journey and we are all travelers. Some are forced to travel, displaced by wars or the climate crisis, others are unhoused, others travel for work,... The talk explores themes of hospitality and interconnectedness, highlighting the role of Jizo Bodhisattva as a symbol of protection for travelers, both literal and metaphorical. Reflections on personal travels as Branching...

Serial: SF-09857 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-07-14 The talk centers on Dogen Zenji's concept from the Genjo Koan, focusing on understanding "just this is it" within Zen practice, emphasizing the importance of studying, forgetting, and actualizing the self. It touches on concepts...