The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-09797 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-11-10 The talk focuses on Zen practice as explored through Suzuki Roshi's teachings, emphasizing practicing without the goal of attaining enlightenment. It discusses how ambition and seeking personal gain can lead practitioners away...

Serial: SF-08319 11/06/2024, Gengyoko Tim Wicks, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple by tanto (head of practice) and practice period co-leader Gengyoko Tim Wicks. In the talk, Tim shares some of the... The main thesis of the talk centers around the practice period at the San Francisco Zen Center, focusing on themes of welcoming and practice as explored through texts and teachings. The speaker discusses the integration of...

Serial: SF-09538 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Kakuon on 2024-11-03 This talk centers on the exploration of Suzuki Roshi's teachings in the book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," specifically addressing the sections "Right Practice," "Right Attitude," and "Right Understanding." The discussion connects...

Serial: SF-08483 10/30/2024, Jisan Tova Green, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Jisan Tova Green describes the Sejiki Ceremony, in which hungry ghosts are cajoled and offered food, including the sweet dew... This talk explores the theme of "hungry ghosts" in Zen practice, emphasizing their symbolism of inner emptiness and suffering. The discussion centers on the Sajiki ceremony's role, which mirrors practices from both Buddhist and...

Serial: SF-08429 10/27/2024, Furyu Nancy Schroeder, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Senior dharma teacher Furyu Schroeder examines a variety of approaches for working with the difficulties in our life, all of them include bringing our attention... The talk explores the Buddhist concept of the self through the doctrine of the five skandhas, emphasizing the transient and interdependent nature of existence. The narrative underscores the importance of practicing the Buddha way...

Serial: SF-09730 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-10-27 The talk explores the intertwined paths of liberation within Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the vital insights of non-separation, as articulated in the Four Noble Truths. It discusses the dichotomy between the formal practices aligned...

Serial: SF-08449 10/23/2024, So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple by Fall 2024 Practice Period co-leader So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson. This talk centers on the Zen practice of... The talk explores the theme of "welcoming" in Zen practice, emphasizing the foundational Zen concept of "Beginner's Mind" as articulated by Suzuki Roshi. It references Galen Ferguson's "Welcoming Beginner's Mind," which builds on...

Serial: SF-09549 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Kakuon on 2024-10-20 The talk primarily focuses on the teachings from Suzuki Roshi's book "Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind," specifically the lecture on communication, emphasizing the importance of expressing oneself authentically to address suffering and...

Serial: SF-08474 10/19/2024, Gengyoko Tim Wicks, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple’s October one-day sitting held at Unity Church, by tanto (head of practice) Gengyoko Tim Wicks. Using this famous... The talk focuses on the intersection of Zen practice, personal growth, and the integration of past experiences. Key elements include the use of Zazen and koans in Zen practice to confront life's challenges, and the analogy...

Serial: SF-09531 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Kakuon on 2024-10-13 The talk emphasizes the teachings of Suzuki Roshi, specifically focusing on the lecture "Constancy" from "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." The discussion revolves around the idea that recognizing the state of emptiness enables...

Serial: SF-08443 10/12/2024, Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple by Central Abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman. In Case 36 of the ‘Gateless Gate’ (Mumonkan), Zen teacher Wuzu poses a... The talk explores themes of Zen practice and lineage, focusing on the encounter with a "person of the way" as posed in Koan Case 36 from the "Mumonkan" (Gateless Gate). It emphasizes the importance of meeting others and oneself...

Serial: SF-08656 Talk by Eli Brown Stevenson at City Center on 2024-10-09 The talk emphasizes the limitations of language in conveying Zen teachings, highlighting how translations can alter meanings and pointing out that true practice lies beyond words in embodied experience. References are made to...

Serial: SF-08456 10/06/2024, Gyokuden Stephanie Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, from Green Gulch Farm by Gyokuden Steph Blank, Steph reflects on practice in the temple and in the marketplace with an abiding love for both... The talk focuses on the intertwining paths of Zen practice in monastic and secular life, emphasizing that the essence of practice lies in recognizing non-separation and using gift-bestowing hands to engage with the world. The...

Serial: SF-08314 10/05/2024, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple by Shosan Victoria Austin. When we are challenged by anger, it's easy to react and difficult to respond. How... The talk addresses the challenge of anger within Zen practice, emphasizing transformative practices rooted in Buddhist teachings, such as the paramitas or perfections, to overcome anger and foster altruism, connection, and peace...

Serial: SF-08661 Talk by Ryushin Paul Haller at City Center on 2024-10-02 The talk examines the nature of awareness and reality through the lens of Dogen Zenji's teachings, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the subjective nature of our perceptions and the concept of "unsurpassed Bodhi." The...

Serial: SF-08278 09/25/2024, Hondo Dave Rutschman, dharma talk at City Center. This dharma talk was given at Beginner’s Mind Temple by Hondo Dave Rutschman. One of the most important questions each of us has to work out in our life is deciding... The talk explores the theme of stewardship within Zen practice, articulating how traditional practices and teachings have been preserved across generations, emphasizing the responsibility to maintain these traditions for future...

Serial: SF-08242 09/22/2024, Thiemo Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This dharma talk was given at Green Gulch Farm by Tanto Thiemo Blank. ​The talk gives an introduction into the precepts of the Zen lineage ​as well as T​hiemo's ​p​... This talk examines the Jukkai ceremony, or lay ordination, in the Zen tradition, which involves receiving the bodhisattva precepts, and explores the significance of these precepts from both conventional and ultimate perspectives...

Serial: SF-08303 09/15/2024, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk given at Green Gulch Farm, Abiding Abbott Jiryu Rutschman-Byler continues to explore four core elements of zazen practice: low belly, upright spine... The talk explores the practice of Zen meditation, focusing on the four crucial points of Zazen posture: grounding the low belly, straightening the spine, clearing the mind, and welcoming the entirety of one's existence. It...

Serial: SF-08608 Talk by Gengyoko Tim Wicks Chanting Experience at City Center on 2024-09-11 The talk explores the integration of chanting into Zen practice, highlighting its role in achieving mind-body unity and fostering both individual and collective experiences. It discusses the physical, psychological, and communal...

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-08365 09/01/2024, Gil Fronsdal, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This extemporaneous talk was given at Green Gulch Farm by Gil Fronsdal. In the talk, Gil brings forward the teachings that arose in that moment. The talk emphasizes the experiential and participatory nature of Zen practice beyond the mere words or teachings conveyed in a Dharma talk. It underscores the importance of being present and aware, arguing that the essence of...

Serial: SF-08435 08/31/2024, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, Abbot Jiryu describes the fundamental Zen practice of "welcoming everything," and emphasizes the posture - grounded belly, upright spine, and clear mind... The talk centers on the Zen practice of "welcoming" as a comprehensive approach to life, advocating the acceptance of all experiences, emotions, and sensations without resistance. It discusses the concept of “silent illumination...

Serial: SF-08402 Talk by Heather Iarusso at Tassajara on 2024-08-30 The talk examines the life and teachings of the 12th-century Chinese woman Miao Zhang, focusing on a koan involving her and a senior monk, Wanan, which illustrates themes of gender, Dharma, and equality. It explores the...