The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-10938 What are reactivity and responsiveness? How do they work in terms of inner process, impact and relational practice? 10/10/2021, Korin Charlie Pokorny, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The main thesis of this talk addresses the contrast between reactivity and responsiveness from a Zen practice perspective, emphasizing the importance of cultivating responsiveness to achieve healing and liberation from...

Serial: SF-11145 10/09/2021, Ryushin Paul Haller, dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores the practice of zazen during Shashin, focusing on the nature of effort, intention, and awareness in meditation. The central thesis emphasizes that zazen involves an all-inclusive and non-goal-oriented engagement...

Serial: SF-11100 Senior Dharma Teacher Eijun Cutts reflects on a familiar yet upside-down way of understanding the practice of the precepts, and explores the teaching of Kanno Doko, Calling and Responding. 10/03/2021, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma... The talk explores the concept of Zen precepts, emphasizing their inherent connection to one's true nature rather than being external rules to follow for moral development. It challenges the traditional perspective that moral and...

Serial: SF-11069 In the talk, Abbot Ed Sattizahn uses the "Every Day is a Good Day" koan, and Suzuki's Roshi's teaching, to explore how it may be genuinely beneficial, to ourselves and others, to appreciate our life beyond the "good" and "bad" of... The talk centers on the theme of appreciating life and Zen practice amidst difficulties. It explores the non-dual nature of experiences, emphasizing daily practice as a means to appreciate life fully. A major focus is placed on...

Serial: SF-10978 A talk about our Zen’s Chinese ancestors based in Suzuki Roshi’s teaching on Sekito Kisen’s Harmony of Difference and Equality. 09/19/2021, Furyu Schroeder, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the theme of "great doubt" in Zen practice, emphasizing its role as a catalyst for awakening and deepening understanding of the self and the world. Drawing on teachings from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and Sekito Gisen...

Serial: SF-10940 The buddhas and Zen ancestors encourage us to become lucid dreamers - realizing that we are dreaming while remaining within the dream, where subject and object appear as separate but are really just manifestations of one mind. 09... The talk examines the dream metaphor in Buddhist and Zen teachings, focusing on Dogen's essay "Within a Dream, Expressing the Dream." It explores the concept that all experiences are akin to dreams, as discussed in the...

Serial: SF-10997 Talk by Jisan Anna Thorn at Tassajara on 2021-09-07 The talk focuses on the themes of impermanence, non-self, and recognizing the potential for transformation within these states, as understood in Zen Buddhism. The speaker reflects on personal experiences and observations,...

Serial: SF-10990 Yunmen’s Every Day is a Good Day. 09/04/2021, Rinso Ed Sattizahn, dharma talk at City Center. The talk addresses the significance of valuing one's life and practice amidst global suffering and personal challenges, emphasizing that appreciation and gratitude can transform experiences regardless of their nature. It draws...

Serial: SF-10985 Teachings and practices connecting our fundamental and profound practices of gratitude and generosity. 08/29/2021, Zenshin Greg Fain, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk focuses on the themes of generosity and gratitude as essential components of the Bodhisattva path in Mahayana Buddhism. The discussion emphasizes the practice of the six paramitas, with particular attention to "dana" or...

Serial: SF-11050 Talk by Arobin Orden at Tassajara on 2021-08-25 This talk focuses on honoring the often overlooked women ancestors in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing their significant contributions and stories. It draws on historical narratives from ancient India and China to more recent accounts...

Serial: SF-10900 Once when a student straightened a hanging picture in the temple, Suzuki Roshi went and made it crooked again - why did he do that, and what does this story show about our "fixing" mind versus Suzuki Roshi's path of "seeings... The talk primarily discusses the theme of "fixing" versus "letting things be", inspired by a story involving Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and Richard Baker at Sokoji Temple. The narrative exemplifies a Zen principle focusing on...

Serial: SF-11098 An examination of what it means to both fully express ourselves and a consideration of how the world is being made in each moment (by each one of us). 08/21/2021, Furyu Nancy Schroeder, dharma talk at City Center. The talk centers on understanding and cultivating the mind through Zen practice, leveraging various teachings to illuminate the process of mental defilement and realization. Central themes include the mind-only teachings of...

Serial: SF-10980 Studying our attachment to our biography as a resource for our self undersanding and transformation. And the joy of renunciation and exploring the edges of freedom. 08/18/2021, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the complex interplay between renunciation and freedom within Buddhist practice, emphasizing how attachment to one's identity and biography can be both a resource for understanding and a barrier leading to...

Serial: SF-10905 Continuing with our focus this month on the Mind Only teachings, this talk offers a walk-through of some of the school's major components…among them, compassion, generosity and wisdom. 0814/2021, Furyu Nancy Schroeder, dharma... The talk explores the themes of compassion and suffering within the Zen Buddhist perspective, highlighting the teachings of the Bodhisattvas and the nature of the Saha world. It emphasizes the importance of turning toward...

Serial: SF-10955 An exploration of Arising Bodhicitta, Not othering, and Taking action. 08/11/2021, Qayyum Johnson, dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on three main themes: rousing bodhicitta, the practice of not othering, and taking action in response to the current climate and social challenges. It discusses the importance of bodhicitta—the thought of...

Serial: SF-10982 Talk by Layla Smith Bockhorst at Tassajara on 2021-08-11 The talk explores the application of Zen principles to personal practice and global issues, reflecting on impermanence, the world's suffering, and emotional challenges. It emphasizes the importance of improvisational practices to...

Serial: SF-11141 Talk by Horin Nancy Petrin at Tassajara on 2021-08-04 The talk focuses on the practice and significance of the 16 Bodhisattva vows, especially the aspiration "to live and be lived for the benefit of all beings." It discusses how engaging with these precepts can guide practitioners...

Serial: SF-10943 In this time of worldwide sickness, teachings of Vimalakirti—the bodhisattva who manifests illness for the sake of teaching sentient beings— is brought up. Linda also offers a Jataka tale about a baby Quail to illustrate non-... This talk centers on the exploration of themes from the Vimalakirti Sutra, particularly relating to illness, duality, and the practice of compassion. The discussion aligns the teachings of the Sutra with contemporary issues such...

Serial: SF-11092 Talk by Zenshin Greg Fain at Tassajara on 2021-07-28 The talk explores the futility of resisting one's experience and the inseparability of practice and realization in Soto Zen. It emphasizes 'thusness' or 'suchness' as teachings intimately conveyed by Buddhist ancestors,...

Serial: SF-11051 This Sunday Dharma talk was a special offering by Green Gulch Abbess Fu Schroeder and Rev. angel Kyodo williams, in conversation about the suffering caused by racism, and how our Buddhist communities can begin the work of healing... The talk at Green Gulch Farm addresses the intersection of Zen practice and racial conditioning, emphasizing how racial dynamics are deeply embedded within social and spiritual communities. It explores the concept of Radical...

Serial: SF-10945 In this talk, Sr. Dharma Teacher, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts, brings forth the spirit of the Mahayana Buddhist Vimalakirti Sutra and the second turning of the wheel teachings. She suggests that the reconciliation of the truth of... The talk focuses on the teachings of the Vimalakirti Sutra as part of the second turning of the wheel in Mahayana Buddhism, emphasizing the transformation from the arhat ideal to the bodhisattva ideal and themes of emptiness and...

Serial: SF-10960 Talk by Marc Lesser at Tassajara on 2021-07-23 This talk explores the interplay between acceptance and discernment within Zen practice, the challenges of integrating these concepts into daily life, and the role of the Seven Factors of Awakening. The discussion emphasizes...

Serial: SF-11099 Turning the light of attention in order to contact our true nature through an exploration of the practice instructions of Dogen Zenji's Fukanzazengi. 07/21/2021, Zesho Susan O’Connell, dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the significance of balance and introspection in Zen practice, focusing on the concept of "taking the backward step" as outlined in Dogen's "Fukanzazengi." The discussion emphasizes the need to turn attention...

Serial: SF-11108 Talk by Steve Weintraub at Tassajara on 2021-07-21 The talk discusses the essence of Zen practice through the lens of Suzuki Roshi's teachings. It highlights the foundational role of Tassajara and Suzuki Roshi's influence, emphasizing practice establishment in moments of delusion...