The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-08880 09/13/2023, Roger Hillyard, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Roger Hillyard explores the Boddhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance - a fascicle from Dogen Zenji's Shobogenzo on how to help all... The talk explores Dogen's "Four Methods of Bodhisattva Guidance" from the Shobogenzo, emphasizing the third method: beneficial action, which involves using skillful means to benefit all beings without discrimination and while...

Serial: SF-08804 03/22/2023, Dan Gudgel, dharma talk at City Center. Dan Gudgel, in this third talk as shuso, discusses how holding his personal experience lightly and recognizing the limits of his individual perspective helps cultivate... The talk explores the personal experience of illness within the context of Zen practice, emphasizing the importance of non-judgmental awareness and equanimity. The discussion also highlights the support of the Zen community and...

Serial: SF-08823 08/30/2023, Dawn Neal, dharma talk at City Center. In this dharma talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, San Francisco Zen Center, Dawn Neal discusses the Mahayana Buddhist ethical precepts, with a particular focus on how to bring... The talk emphasizes the Buddhist principle of "do no harm," exploring how this overarching precept aligns with various teachings across different traditions, including the Thai Forest Tradition and Vinaya. Reflections on...

Serial: SF-08723 08/26/2023, Gendo Lucy Xiao 玄道, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Gendo Lucy Xiao 玄道explores the meaning of community with stories of her experiences living within San Francisco Zen Center, and... The talk explores the theme of community and harmony, drawing comparisons between musical harmony and social interconnectedness. It reflects on the concept of harmony in both Western and Eastern traditions, particularly through...

Serial: SF-08702 08/20/2023, Fu Schroeder, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Senior Dharma Teacher Fu Schroeder concludes a 3-day sesshin with a review of the ten ox-herding frames and how they relate to our life. The talk on August 20th, 2023, delves into the "Ten Oxherding Pictures," a series of illustrations used in the Zen tradition to depict stages on the path to enlightenment. Each drawing represents a different perspective on the...

Serial: SF-08780 08/13/2023, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Senior Dharma Teacher Tenshin Reb Anderson illuminates Zen and why we sit. We are conversation; we are always in conversation. The talk explores the nature of Zen as an inherent conversation among beings, emphasizing its role in realizing awakening amidst delusion. It describes Zen practice as mutual communion that liberates beings through an intimate...

Serial: SF-08869 07/30/2023, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Jiryu encourages the practice of “Silent Illumination” from the Song Dynasty Chinese Chan teachings that the SFZC Soto Zen style of practice... The talk explores the practice of silent illumination in Zen meditation, emphasizing stillness and presence as taught by Song Dynasty Chan teachers and aligning with the Soto Zen tradition. It illustrates the concept of profound...

Serial: SF-08912 07/23/2023, Ango Sara Tashker, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. An exploration of gratitude and the precept of not killing life - what does it mean? The talk explores the intricate relationship between ethical precepts in Buddhist practice and the natural process of life, emphasizing the inseparability of meditation and ethical conduct. It draws on personal experiences at...

Serial: SF-08732 07/15/2023, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. In this dharma talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Shosan Victoria Austin asks: How do we approach barriers and obstacles to meditation, to invite steadiness and... The talk discusses the importance of accessibility as a practice within Zen communities, both in physical environments and through inclusive participation, to cultivate meditative ease and communal harmony. It contrasts...

Serial: SF-08706 07/09/2023, Dojin Sarah Emerson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Ritual is a way to heal ourselves, each other, and the earth. The talk explores the role of Zen practice as a healing path, emphasizing the importance of addressing the delusion of separation that leads to suffering. The discussion is anchored in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold...

Serial: SF-08875 07/02/2023, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Three barriers to pass through, from Case 47 in the Gateless Barrier koan collection: where is your buddha-nature right now, how can you be free of birth and death when... The talk explores the concept of interdependence versus independence in Zen philosophy, particularly through the lens of Suzuki Roshi's teaching of "big mind" and "small mind" from "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." It contrasts...

Serial: SF-08716 06/28/2023, Ryushin Paul Haller, dharma talk at City Center. Senior Dharma Teacher Ryushin Paul Haller, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, discusses shikantaza (just sitting) and how this practice of awareness can... The talk examines the practice of Shikantaza, a form of Zazen or seated meditation, focusing on awareness without specific goals, promoting a connection between one's identity and experiences. The discussion references Wakko...

Serial: SF-08737 06/24/2023, Wakoh Shannon Hickey, dharma talk at City Center. Rev. Dr. Wakoh Shannon Hickey, BCC, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, describes a 1984 encounter with Jerry Fallwell and the Moral Majority that... The talk focuses on the intersection of personal identity, societal change, and Zen practice, particularly reflecting on experiences related to LGBTQIA+ advocacy. The speaker discusses personal developments as a queer individual...

Serial: SF-08873 06/14/2023, Sozan Michael McCord, dharma talk at City Center. Sozan Michael McCord, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, explores what freedom means, and asks whether we really know that we are free. The talk explores the theme of liberation through both historical and Buddhist lenses, using Juneteenth as a parallel to the Buddhist concept of inherent freedom. It discusses the announcement of freedom to enslaved individuals...

Serial: SF-08756 06/10/2023, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, dharma talk at City Center. Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, considers liberation from the humanist perspective as a poignant, balanced understanding and... This talk explores the concept of freedom within Buddhist and Zen practice, emphasizing the interconnectedness of meditation and ethics. It highlights personal sacrifice for the benefit of others as a path to true freedom,...

Serial: SF-08835 06/04/2023, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The Avatamsaka Sutra says that everyone without exception is endowed with the wisdom and virtue of the Buddhas, however because of of delusion and attachments they... The talk explores the teaching on inherent wisdom found in all sentient beings, as articulated in the Avatamsaka Sutra, and its interpretation as a koan in the Book of Serenity, Case 67. It discusses the potential for...

Serial: SF-08785 05/27/2023, Chimyo Atkinson, dharma talk at City Center. Chimyo Atkinson, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, explores the nature of our delusions, and how to apply Buddhist teachings and work skillfully with... The talk explores the core teaching of impermanence in Soto Zen, encapsulated by Suzuki Roshi’s phrase "Not Always So," emphasizing the importance of recognizing and letting go of preconceived notions to engage fully with the...

Serial: SF-08715 05/20/2023, Chimyo Atkinson, dharma talk at City Center. Chimyo Atkinson, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, uses Dogen’s “Instructions to the Cook” (Tenzo Kyokun) and her own work experience to frame a discussion... The talk focuses on the teachings of Dogen, particularly emphasizing the concept of sanshin as the culmination of working with love and compassion within Buddhist practice. The speaker details the personal journey and...

Serial: SF-08700 05/14/2023, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this Dharma talk, Jiryu uses the seventh century Chinese Buddhist ancestor Fazang’s analogy of “the golden lion” to encourage our practice of finding and... The talk explores the essence of Zen practice through the analogy of Suzuki Roshi's teachings and the vivid metaphor of the "golden lion" by Fatsang. It highlights the tension between adhering to strict Zen forms and experiencing...

Serial: SF-08748 05/06/2023, Grace Dammann, dharma talk at City Center. Grace Damman, in this dharma talk from Beginner’s Mind Temple, discusses how the Noble 8-Fold Path and Buddhist practice have supported her through grave injury, the healing... The talk primarily explores personal experiences with disability and how Buddhist practice, specifically the Eightfold Path, offers a transformative path to understanding and overcoming suffering. Detailed reflections on personal...

Serial: SF-08917 04/26/2023, Heather Shoren Iarusso, dharma talk at City Center. Heather Shoren Iarusso, in this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, examines aversion, one of the mental afflictions the Buddha calls The Five Hindrances, which hinder... The talk focuses on the second hindrance in Buddhist practice—ill will or aversion—using personal anecdotes to explore its impact on the mind and spiritual development. The discussion emphasizes how these hindrances disrupt...

Serial: SF-08724 04/22/2023, Doshin Mako Voelkel, dharma talk at City Center. Abiding Abbot Doshin Mako Voelkel, in this Earth Day talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, examines how Zen practice encourages and supports continuous care for our natural... This talk explores the intersection of Zen practice and environmental consciousness, particularly on Earth Day. It delves into the historical context of Earth Day’s establishment, the societal implications of environmental...

Serial: SF-08892 04/16/2023, Furyu Nancy Schroeder, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Using the koan called Rhinoceros Fan, this talk focuses on fear and how powerfully it keeps us from leaving the nests of our habitual views. This talk focuses on the exploration of fear within the context of Zen practice and the teachings on the self, using Yan Xuan's Rhinoceros Fan from the "Book of Serenity" as a central narrative. The discussion emphasizes the...

Serial: SF-08710 04/12/2023, Henzan Roger Hillyard, dharma talk at City Center. Roger Hillyard explores accepting and practicing with darkness, in this dharma talk from Beginner's Mind Temple. The talk focuses on the figure of Mara in Buddhist tradition, symbolizing obstacles to enlightenment such as desire and denial. The narrative explores the interaction between Mara and the Buddha under the Bodhi tree, illustrating...