The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-08358 In this talk, given during the first one-day sitting of the winter 2024 practice period, Abiding Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel discusses the sources and outcomes of the many different places and ways we construct our individual... The talk focuses on the integration of Zen precepts into daily life during the winter practice period, emphasizing self-reflection and personal ethical behavior. Key themes include the exploration of sila (virtuous behavior)...

Serial: SF-09518 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Koun Ejo Gui Spina on 2024-01-21 The talk focuses on the Zen teaching of "Transmission of Light" by Kazon, exploring the concept of enlightenment as presented in the narrative of teacher and disciple encounters. It emphasizes the dual realization of ultimate...

Serial: SF-09821 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-01-21 The talk explores the Zen tradition of "Transmission of Light," focusing on the koan involving Ejo's awakening under Dogen Zenji. The discussion emphasizes the transmission as a core of Zen identity, with a focus on the...

Serial: SF-08280 01/17/2024, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Shosan explores how we are practicing with the current physical changes to the temple space. This year, our urban... The talk explores transformation within the San Francisco Zen Center through the lens of Dogen Zenji's teachings, particularly focusing on the concept of taking refuge in the Three Treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It...

Serial: SF-08411 01/14/2024, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk by Tenshin Reb Anderson considers how to apply the Teaching of Thusness to the significant outbreak of infection and disruption in the midst of our... The talk focuses on the concept of "just sitting" as the essence of Zazen within the Buddha way, emphasizing the role of Zen practitioners, both priests and laypeople, in supporting and encouraging this practice. Reflections...

Serial: SF-09829 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-01-14 The talk primarily addresses the unexpected changes in plans at Green Gulch Farm due to a COVID outbreak and reflections on Zen teachings regarding impermanence and interconnectedness. It revisits themes from the three-and-a-half...

Serial: SF-08406 01/10/2024, Anshi Zachary Smith, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, Zachary discusses an often-used koan (teaching story): Yúnmén’s “Every day is a good day.” Zen, a Mahayana Buddhist school... The talk analyzes the koan from the Blue Cliff Record, Case 6: "Every Day is a Good Day," exploring its philosophical implications. It examines the duality of pre- and post-15th day, the lunar calendar's symbolism, and its...

Serial: SF-08262 01/07/2024, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk is a contemplation of the Flower Adornment Scripture saying “Clearly observe the Dharma of the king of Dharma. The Dharma of the king of Dharma is thus... This talk focuses on the commencement of an intensive meditation period and the aspiration of attaining Buddhahood, particularly through the lens of the Avatamsaka Sutra. The discussion explores the story of the boy Sudhana and...

Serial: SF-09735 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-01-07 The talk focuses on several key aspects of Zen philosophy, emphasizing the study of the Avatamsaka Sutra's approach to interconnectedness, as echoed by Dogen's teachings. Moving on from Dogen's 'Uji', considerations regarding...

Serial: SF-08501 In this talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, Liên speaks about how Skillful View, in services of restoration, is about opening up to acknowledging harm and harming, (re)learning ways to be more skillful, and then enacting them. The... The talk centers on the concept of location within systems of discrimination and the Buddhist practice of addressing personal and societal suffering through the framework of the Four Noble Truths. The speaker discusses the impact...

Serial: SF-08690 Talk by Keiryu Lien Shutt Audio Synced at City Center on 2024-01-06 The talk focuses on the importance of understanding one's social location within systems of oppression and the role of Buddhist practice in navigating these dynamics. It discusses personal experiences and reflections on race,...

Serial: SF-08480 01/03/2024, Jisan Tova Green, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, Tova speaks of the importance of sangha as we vow to be of benefit to all beings. This first talk of 2024 is also the first... This talk centers on the theme of vows, particularly the bodhisattva vow and its implications for Zen practice. The discussion highlights the importance of vows as commitments to benefit all beings, drawing connections to...

Serial: SF-08619 Talk by Unclear on 2024-MM-DD The talk explores the theme of rest as a spiritual practice, emphasizing the necessity for rest in cultivating mindfulness and presence, as drawn from Buddhist teachings. The practice of shamatha, or calming the body and mind, is...

Serial: SF-08626 Talk by Unclear on 2024-MM-DD The talk explores the work of Zazen practice within the Zen tradition, focusing on the question of "the meaning of the patriarchs coming from the West," a koan from case 17 of the Blue Cliff Record. The discussion delves into the...

Serial: SF-08650 Talk by Unclear on 2024-MM-DD The talk explores the theme of elevating women's voices within Zen Buddhism, drawing on personal experiences at the Montaña de Silencio Zen Center in Medellin and examining contemporary literature that highlights historical...

Serial: SF-08687 Talk by Unclear on 2024-MM-DD The talk titled "The Practice of Awakening" explores the centrality of awakening in Zen practice, emphasizing its role in fostering a harmonious life by understanding the true nature of existence. The discussion further examines...

Serial: SF-08694 Talk by Unclear on 2024-MM-DD The talk emphasizes the adaptability of Zen practice, allowing practitioners to establish a place of practice under any circumstances, drawing inspiration from Dogen's teachings about internalizing the practice. The speaker...

Serial: SF-08696 Talk by Unclear on 2024-MM-DD The talk explores transcending dualities such as good and evil through Zazen practice, emphasizing the significance of shedding concerns and attachments to achieve a direct, unmediated experience of being. It highlights Keizan's...

Serial: SF-09778 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2023-12-31 The talk focuses on a Jukai ceremony at Green Gulch and the ritual significance of the proceedings, emphasizing the concept of Uji, or "time being." The speaker describes the ceremonial giving of the Bodhisattva precepts and the...

Serial: SF-09854 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2023-12-17 This talk delves into reflections from Green Gulch, transitions in the Zen community, and a deep exploration of Dogen's concept of "Uji" or time being, emphasizing the interconnectedness of life and the cosmos. The discussion...

Serial: SF-08771 In light of several major transitions unfolding for SFZC and the sangha at large, including the upcoming yearlong renovation of Beginner’s Mind Temple, Abbot David offers dharma pointers for how we might relate to and navigate... The talk focuses on navigating transitions and change, particularly in the context of the San Francisco Zen Center's upcoming building renovations, leadership transitions, and the relocation of senior monks to Enzo Village. The...

Serial: SF-08966 Talk by Paul Haller at City Center on 2023-12-09 The talk centers on the story of Shakyamuni Buddha's awakening, examining two narrative versions that highlight the transition from rigorous asceticism to the embracing of compassion and community, facilitated by an encounter...

Serial: SF-08809 01/25/2023, Ryushin Paul Haller, dharma talk at City Center. Ceremony calls forth sacredness. In the opening ceremony we enliven the sacredness of each of the centers of activity in our lives. The talk explores the concept of self-construction and the practice of Zen, particularly during Sashin, emphasizing the need to release one's fascination with self-constructed realities. Integrating teachings from the Heart Sutra...

Serial: SF-08893 Talk by Paul Haller at City Center on 2023-12-05 The talk discusses the interplay between unsettledness and the process of settling in the practice of Zen, emphasizing how moments of awareness and engagement with the present can facilitate a deeper understanding of the self....