The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-07889 Guided by the great Mahāyāna teachings of Prajñāpāramitā our Zen training asks us to join with all beings and follow the investigation of our karmic responsibilities from even the distant past to where we practice today without... The talk explores the communal aspects of Zen practice, emphasizing Zazen's role in fostering interconnectedness and challenging the notion of a separate self through shared experiences and communal meditation. It touches on the...

Serial: SF-07838 Transforming: one season to another. Practicing and transforming through difficult times. 01/08/2022, Gendo Lucy Xiao, dharma talk at City Center. The talk provides a personal account of a visit to the Fourth Ancestor's Monastery in China, emphasizing the cultural and spiritual significance of the yellow plum blossoms and their symbolic resilience in winter. This theme is...

Serial: SF-08010 Recommendations for practice. 12/22/2021, Rinso Ed Sattizahn, dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the teachings of Shunryu Suzuki, especially in the context of the recently rediscovered lectures which contributed to his seminal work, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." The discussion elaborates on Suzuki's...

Serial: SF-11056 A talk about some of Suzuki Roshi’s teachings on the Sixteen Great Bodhisattva Precepts. 12/19/2021, Ango Sara Tashker, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk examines the integration of the winter solstice's themes of darkness and introspection with Zen practice, highlighting the balance between duality and unity through Buddhist precepts. It emphasizes the role of Zazen in...

Serial: SF-11143 How Zen practice supports us in having an ongoing relationship to the past and all the ways we are conditioned; and to move upright through the Dharma gates of our individual and collective delusions. 12/12/2021, Dojin Sarah... The talk explores how Zen practice is inherently relational, focusing on the alchemical transformation of delusion into wisdom through full awareness and presence. The speaker emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and...

Serial: SF-07823 There are various New Year's traditions that involve reflection on how each person lives their life. One fascinating example from the history of the U.S. of how a person lived is that of Kit Carson, a trapper, guide, courier, and... The talk explores the theme of New Year as a time of transition, drawing on diverse cultural traditions to illustrate the rituals and reflections these celebrations evoke. It delves into the role of introspection and balance...

Serial: SF-10932 Talk by Tenzen David Zimmerman at City Center on 2021-12-03 The talk explores the concept of karma, emphasizing its potential transition from being a burden to a pathway for enlightenment. Central to the discussion is the Zen koan of Baizhang's Fox, which illustrates the consequences of...

Serial: SF-07896 Talk by Tenzen David Zimmerman on 2021-12-01 The talk delves into the Zen koan of Baizhang's fox, exploring the intricate interplay of karma, causation, and the dualities of relative and ultimate reality. Through the narrative, the discussion underscores the dangers of...

Serial: SF-07782 Talk by Tenzen David Zimmerman on 2021-11-30 This talk delves into the complexities of karma and causation, using the famous Zen koan "Bai Zhang's Fox" found in the Book of Serenity and the Gateless Gate as a basis for exploration. The narrative underlines the intimate...

Serial: SF-08027 Talk by Roger Hillyard at City Center on 2021-11-29 The talk, given during the Rohatsu Sesshin, focuses on navigating resistance and the “rapids” one encounters in spiritual practice, emphasizing the importance of collective effort, wholeheartedness, and acceptance. The speaker...

Serial: SF-10954 In the context of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, Kaira Jewel Lingo explores the Buddhist teaching of "the perceiver and the perceived." Getting close to life, ourselves and each other through the practice of the intimacy of Dharma... The talk emphasizes the importance of intimacy and mindfulness in overcoming societal divisions, highlighting the teachings of Dogen, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Ajahn Chah. A poignant story from Father Theophane underscores the theme...

Serial: SF-11022 Using Suzuki Roshi's teaching, some reflections on the practice of "listening to your inner voice." 11/14/2021, Steve Weintraub, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk addresses the essence of Zen practice by emphasizing two main aspects: the location of practice and the non-measurement of progress. Drawing on Suzuki Roshi's teachings, it suggests that the focus should not be solely on...

Serial: SF-11103 A talk exploring the healing of dehumanization that comes with naming, remembering and reparation in Buddhist tradition. 11/13/2021, Duncan Ryuken Williams, dharma talk at City Center The talk discusses the construction of a Buddhist monument aimed at addressing the history of racialized exclusion and violence faced by Japanese-Americans during World War II, highlighting the internment experiences of key...

Serial: SF-10994 How it is that our fundamental human affliction ─ our everyday messy karmic consciousness ─ is none other than the unchanging, ever-present clear, and luminous knowledge of Buddhas? Abbot David explores this inquiry through an... The talk examines the nature of karmic consciousness and its relation to Buddha nature, utilizing the koan "Guishan's Karmic Consciousness" from the Book of Serenity. The speaker discusses how karmic consciousness, characterized...

Serial: SF-11123 The Avatamsaka Sutra tells us that “Ordinary beings live according to their karma, being their karmic habitual tendencies, while a bodhisattva lives according to vow.” How might we understand this teaching? How can we learn to... The talk explores the distinction between living by karma, defined as habitual tendencies and conditioning, and living by vow, a conscious choice and commitment to spiritual principles, which is essential to the path of a...

Serial: SF-11038 Scholar, author, priest and social activist Duncan Ryuken Williams teaches in the talk on the text Sandokai, situating it in its context among Buddhist teachings on shifting vantage points, and correlates the wisdom of this... The lecture explores the integration of Zen teachings, particularly the "Sandokai," with contemporary discussions on identity and racial justice. It examines the Buddhist approach to understanding self through various frameworks...

Serial: SF-11058 A history of Sejiki Cermony, feeding of the hungry ghost. An open-hearted wish to welcome all beings without discrimination. 10/30/2021, Doshin Mako Voelkel, dharma talk at City Center. The talk discusses the Sejiki Ceremony, a ritual traditionally performed to honor and provide nourishment to hungry ghosts and suffering beings, drawing on teachings from the Ulumbana Sutra. This ceremony, tied to themes of...

Serial: SF-11096 Talk by Roger Hillyard at City Center on 2021-10-28 The talk examines the concept of 'karma' as a tool akin to a garden that can be cultivated to foster ethical living and personal transformation. By viewing karma not as a dark, unyielding force, but as a grace and an opportunity...

Serial: SF-11065 Talk by Jiryu at Green Gulch Farm on 2021-10-24 The talk explores the metaphor of "riding the great sea turtle" to illustrate the harmony between absolute and relative truths in Zen practice. By examining the dynamics of embodiment, wisdom, and mental thought, it emphasizes...

Serial: SF-11013 Abbot David shares some approaches for how we might view karma in relation to the concepts of choice, free will, and determinism from a Buddhist orientation. 10/20/2021, Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the concepts of karma, free will, and determinism from a Buddhist perspective, contrasting them with Western philosophical ideas. It emphasizes the Buddha's teachings on karma, which include volition, body,...

Serial: SF-11053 Talk by Kaira Jewel Lingo at City Center on 2021-10-20 The talk emphasizes the concept of intimacy as a core practice in Zen philosophy, urging an embracement of mindfulness to foster connections and dismantle divisions arising from societal structures and personal biases. Through a...

Serial: SF-10907 A Dharma talk exploring the themes of karma, love, power and control and the Dharma practices of non-attaching or letting go. 10/16/2021, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. The talk addresses the concepts of love and power through the lens of letting go of control, exploring how these themes are embedded in Zen practice and understanding of karma and dharma. It discusses the difference between...

Serial: SF-10897 10/12/2021, Ryushin Paul Haller, dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores the concept of radical honesty in Zen practice and the balance with compassion. It delves into how admitting personal truths and vulnerabilities, exemplified by an anecdote involving Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi,...

Serial: SF-11009 Talk by Korin Charlie Pokorny at Green Gulch Farm on 2021-10-11 This talk delves into the concept of "Zen responsiveness," emphasizing the nuanced distinction between reactive and responsive approaches within a Zen practice. It analyzes how reactivity is typically quick, defensive, and based...