The SFZC Audio Archive

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Title Speaker Date

Sincerity and Authenticity

Serial: SF-10378 7/16/2017, Shokuchi Carrigan dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk examines the significance of sincerity in Zen practice, emphasizing its foundational role in receiving the bodhisattva precepts, and framing it as an essential quality for spiritual development. The discussion elaborates...
Ceremony, Time, Practice
Jul 16 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Caring For The Soil

Serial: SF-10322 7/15/2017, Sojun Mel Weitsman dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk delves into the essence of Zen practice as taught by Suzuki Roshi, emphasizing the importance of deriving meaning from direct experience rather than relying solely on theoretical understanding. It highlights the metaphor...
Practice, Zazen, Buddha
Jul 15 2017
Tassajara

The Book of Joy

Serial: SF-10387 7/15/2017, Laura Burges dharma talk at City Center. The talk examines how to find joy amidst life's suffering by embracing teachings from "The Book of Joy," which features the insights of the 14th Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu. The discussion highlights the importance of...
Suffering, Compassion, Practice
Jul 15 2017
City Center

Cultivating Joy Through Shifting Perspectives

Serial: SF-12174 Talk by Laura Burges at City Center on 2017-07-15 The talk explores finding joy amidst life's inevitable suffering by drawing parallels between the teachings in "The Book of Joy" by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, and Zen principles. This involves cultivating eight pillars of...
Anger, Gratitude, Healing
Jul 15 2017
City Center

Forgiveness

Serial: SF-10391 7/12/2017, Arlene Lueck dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the theme of forgiveness within the framework of Buddhist teachings. It emphasizes the transformative power of forgiveness in overcoming hatred and negative karma, using meditation and practices like the Four...
Time, Forgiveness, Practice
Jul 12 2017
City Center

Problems

Serial: SF-10425 7/12/2017, Linda Galijan dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk addresses the concept of problems, exploring how individuals can relate to and find freedom within them. It contrasts the pursuit of quick solutions prevalent in modern culture with traditional Zen teachings that...
Time, Work, Suzuki Roshi
Jul 12 2017
Tassajara

The World-Honored One Ascends the Seat

Serial: SF-10415 7/9/2017, Tenshin Reb Anderson dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk explores the concept of Dharma as unsurpassed, penetrating, and perfect, examining its multifaceted meanings as teaching, truth, and phenomena. The speaker discusses the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness...
Observe, Buddha, Bodhisattva
Jul 09 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Stories

Serial: SF-10478 7/8/2017, Jeffrey Schneider dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the role of stories in Zen Buddhism, highlighting how the tradition utilizes koans—story-based teachings—to convey spiritual lessons. It contrasts Zen's reliance on direct, experiential wisdom transmission with...
Vow, Buddha, Buddhism
Jul 08 2017
City Center

Face to Face Transmission

Serial: SF-10499 7/5/2017, Tenshin Reb Anderson dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk focuses on the fundamental Zen story of Buddha's silent transmission to Mahakashapa, symbolizing the intimate, direct experience of Dharma without words—a theme central to Zen practice. The discussion emphasizes the...
Buddha, Practice, Bodhisattva Vow
Jul 05 2017
Tassajara

How Am I Now? I Don't Know

Serial: SF-10503 2017-07-05, Zesho Susan O'Connell, dharma talk at City Center The talk explores the personal and communal dimensions of Dharma Transmission within the San Francisco Zen Center framework. The speaker reflects on the meaning, process, and responsibilities of ordination and Dharma Transmission...
Ceremony, Bowing, Dharma Transmission
Jul 05 2017
City Center

Poetry

Serial: SF-10434 7/2/2017, Zoketsu Norman Fischer dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk discusses the function of poetry in relation to Zen and Mahayana Buddhism's perspectives on language and meaning, suggesting that poetry can loosen our rigid grip on meaning and offer liberation from the suffering caused...
Time, Poetry, Love
Jul 02 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Embracing Zen: Beyond Walls of Mind

Serial: SF-10422 Talk by Greg Fain at Tassajara on 2017-07-01 The talk discusses personal experiences and reflections related to Zen practice, particularly focusing on the Heart Sutra and its teachings on overcoming hindrances of knowledge through embrace of love and connection. It...
Love, Time, Practice
Jul 01 2017
Tassajara

How To Study Dogen

Serial: SF-10428 7/1/2017, Brad Warner dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk primarily addresses the study of Dogen, focusing on personal experiences and approaches to engaging with Dogen's work, particularly the Shobogenzo. Emphasis is placed on the complexity of Dogen's writing, the historical...
Dogen, japanese, Practice
Jul 01 2017
Tassajara

Keeping Suzuki Roshi's Teaching Fresh

Serial: SF-10494 7/1/2017, Sojun Mel Weitsman dharma talk at City Center. The talk reflects on the teachings and legacy of Suzuki Roshi, emphasizing the simple yet profound nature of his guidance, which continues to inspire practice. It also discusses the establishment of various Zen Centers such as...
Practice, Suzuki Roshi, Time
Jul 01 2017
City Center

Poetry, Practice, and Plenitude

Serial: SF-10449 6/28/2017, Jane Hirshfield dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk focuses on the intersection of poetry and Zen practice, exploring themes of generosity, the abundance of the world, and the stability of practice amid challenging times. The works discussed often reflect environmental...
Time, Practice, Silence
Jun 28 2017
Tassajara

Only Love Can Save The World

Serial: SF-10385 6/28/2017, Tenzen David Zimmerman dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the intersection of Buddhist themes and modern culture using the character of Wonder Woman as a lens. It draws parallels between Wonder Woman and Buddhist teachings, particularly the Bodhisattva vow, emphasizing...
War, Suffering, Love
Jun 28 2017
City Center

Cookies and the Middle Way

Serial: SF-10438 6/25/2017, Stephen Hale dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the concept of the middle way, emphasizing the balance between dualities such as indulgence and abstinence, existence and non-existence, and self and non-self. It highlights Suzuki Roshi's teachings on the 'yes...
Suzuki Roshi, Practice, Buddha
Jun 25 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Path To Wholeness

Serial: SF-10507 6/24/2017, Ryushin Paul Haller dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores the concept of "The Path of Wholeness" in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing a dual aspect of following tradition (Marga) and creating one's unique path in the moment. The discussion highlights wholeheartedness and...
Name, Consciousness, Wisdom
Jun 24 2017
Tassajara

Cultivating Compassionate Presence in Zen

Serial: SF-12254 Talk by Fresh White at City Center on 2017-06-24 The talk focuses on the importance of self-love and self-compassion as foundational practices within Zen Buddhism, advocating that deeply accepting and loving oneself is crucial for authentic spiritual awakening and presence....
Breath, Money, Commitment
Jun 24 2017
City Center

There Is One That Doesn't Move

Serial: SF-10454 6/21/2017, Gendo Lucy Xiao dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on mindfulness practice within Zen Buddhism, highlighting the significance of awareness in daily activities and its foundational role in the Buddhist teaching. The discussion particularly emphasizes the...
Breath, Mindfulness, Practice
Jun 21 2017
City Center

Ordinary Mind is the Way

Serial: SF-10497 6/21/2017, Rinso Ed Sattizahn dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk provides a historical overview of the founding and purpose of the Zen Mountain Center at Tassajara, emphasizing the significance of practice periods in Zen teaching as established by Suzuki Roshi. It discusses the...
Practice, Practice Period, Time
Jun 21 2017
Tassajara

What is Buddha?

Serial: SF-10485 6/18/2017, Furyu Schroeder dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the Zen concept of identity and enlightenment through koans, specifically examining the question "What is Buddha?" with references to intersubjectivity and cultural conditioning influencing identity formation...
Buddha, Time, Study
Jun 18 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Spiritual Communion and the Four Noble Truths

Serial: SF-10396 6/17/2017, Yo on Jeremy Levie dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores the Zen concept of communion, emphasizing the importance of sincerely receiving and responding to teachings. It addresses the personal journey of engagement with Zen practice through pivotal life events, loss,...
Tassajara, Suffering, Time
Jun 17 2017
Tassajara

Nothing but Tasting Tea

Serial: SF-10450 6/17/2017, Ryushin Paul Haller dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the Japanese concept of "yitori," understood as a sense of psychological ease and contentment, characterized by factors such as free time and empowerment. It contrasts this with the complexities and challenges...
Koan, Zazen, japanese
Jun 17 2017
City Center

How Do I Live This One Precious Life?

Serial: SF-10462 6/14/2017, Mako Voelkel dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores themes of self-inquiry and non-self in Zen practice, focusing on the pivotal question "Who am I?" and how it leads to both self-study and the abandonment of a fixed self-concept. Emphasizing the practice of...
Practice, Suzuki Roshi, Buddhism
Jun 14 2017
Tassajara

Diamond Sutra Class

Serial: SF-10336 6/11/2017, Red Pine dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk focuses on a detailed analysis of the Diamond Sutra, emphasizing its teachings on the Prajnaparamita, contrasting emptiness with the realization of the Buddha's three bodies: Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Dharmakaya. It...
Buddha, Heart Sutra, Practice
Jun 11 2017
Tassajara

I Am a Conversation

Serial: SF-10445 6/11/2017, Tenshin Reb Anderson dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk centers on the concept of "stillness" as a form of awakening and discusses how it interplays with the practice of conversation as both a personal and communal exchange. The dialogue highlights stillness as the foundation...
Stillness, Practice, Buddha
Jun 11 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Heart Sutra Class

Serial: SF-10345 6/10/2017, Red Pine dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk focuses on the exploration of the Heart Sutra and how it encapsulates core Buddhist teachings in a concise form. The discussion emphasizes its role as a critical text for understanding Mahayana Buddhism, contrasting it...
Heart Sutra, Emptiness, Abhidharma
Jun 10 2017
Tassajara

Sesshin Day 3: Expressing Ourselves in Speech, Action and Silence

Serial: SF-10398 6/10/2017, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts dharma talk at City Center. The talk addresses the theme of expressing one's true self through speech, action, and silence, with a focus on the Buddhist practice of right speech. The discussion encompasses teachings from Dogen Zenji, Suzuki Roshi, and...
Buddha, Practice, Koan
Jun 10 2017
City Center

Silent Expressions of Noble Truth

Serial: SF-12244 Talk by Linda Cutts at City Center on 2017-06-10 This talk centers on the theme of practicing noble speech, as part of a broader exploration of the Buddha's teachings on right speech, incorporating silence as a form of expression. It examines historical and contemporary...
Koan, Lineage, Practice Period
Jun 10 2017
City Center

Bodhidharma's Outline of Practice

Serial: SF-10318 6/9/2017, Red Pine dharma talk at Tassajara. This talk focuses on the journey and development of a translator with an affinity for Zen and Chinese texts, particularly the challenges of translating Chinese classical texts into English. It examines Bodhidharma's influence on...
Practice, Bodhidharma, Karma
Jun 09 2017
Tassajara

Sesshin Day 2: Full Expression

Serial: SF-10420 6/9/2017, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts dharma talk at City Center. The talk examines the karma of speech from a Zen perspective, highlighting how speech and silence interrelate in expressing wisdom and compassion. Key to the discussion are reflections on Dogen's teachings and the symbolic role...
Bell, Practice, Dogen
Jun 09 2017
City Center

Voices of Silence in Zen

Serial: SF-12235 Talk by Eijun Linda Cutts at City Center on 2017-06-09 The talk focuses on the profound interconnectedness between silence, speech, and practice within Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the importance of speech and its karmic implications as articulated by Dogen's teachings. The discussion...
Bell, Breath, Layman Pang
Jun 09 2017
City Center

Sesshin Day 1: Silence and Stillness

Serial: SF-10354 6/8/2017, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts dharma talk at City Center. The talk emphasizes the importance of silence and stillness in Zazen practice, advocating for a personalized, responsive approach shaped by one’s current physical and mental states rather than idealized forms. A significant...
Practice, Posture, Zazen
Jun 08 2017
City Center

Embrace Imperfection in Zen Practice

Serial: SF-12318 Talk by Linda Ruth Cutts at City Center on 2017-06-08 The talk focuses on the importance of embracing imperfection within Zen practice, particularly through the metaphor of the "upright cauldron," a concept derived from 10th-century teacher Hongju, symbolizing the transformative...
Skandas, Posture, Zazen
Jun 08 2017
City Center

Entering into Sesshin

Serial: SF-10366 6/7/2017, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts dharma talk at City Center. The talk centers on the practice of sashin, emphasizing how adherence to its guidelines can deepen one's meditation experience. It discusses the significance of silence in sashin, using the fifth koan in the Book of Serenity,...
Manjushri, Practice, Silence
Jun 07 2017
City Center

Zen and Poetry

Serial: SF-10424 6/7/2017, Naomi Shihab Nye and Ryushin Paul Haller dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores the intersection of Zen philosophy and poetry, emphasizing how language can serve as a grounding resource for emotional and spiritual sustenance. Through a blend of recited poetry and personal anecdotes, the...
Poetry, Time, Love
Jun 07 2017
Tassajara

The Zen of The Missing Piece

Serial: SF-10484 6/4/2017, Keiryu Lien Shutt dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the Zen perspective on the pursuit of happiness through the allegory of Shel Silverstein's "The Missing Piece." It emphasizes that life's inherent dissatisfaction (dukkha) should be accepted rather than viewed...
Suffering, Time, Happiness
Jun 04 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Fluidity of Mountains

Serial: SF-10382 6/3/2017, Carolyn Cavanagh dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk focuses on the dynamic nature of mountains and their symbolism in Zen Buddhism, discussed in the context of recent weather challenges at the monastery. Through this metaphor, insights from Dōgen Zenji's "Mountains and...
Karmic Consciousness, Time, Consciousness
Jun 03 2017
Tassajara

Buddhist Storehouse Consciousness

Serial: SF-10405 6/3/2017, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the Buddhist concept of Alaya Vijnana, or storehouse consciousness, and its correlation with codependency theory. It explores how Buddhist teachings on Alaya Vijnana, karma, and the 12-fold chain of dependent...
Consciousness, Suffering, Karma
Jun 03 2017
City Center

Embrace the Unseen Within

Serial: SF-10374 5/31/2017, Leslie James dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk focuses on the theme of embracing the unknown and resisting the compulsion to define reality solely based on existing knowledge. This exploration is elucidated through references to Zen teachings, particularly...
Time, Zazen, Tassajara
May 31 2017
Tassajara

The Middle Way is a Moving Target

Serial: SF-10352 5/28/2017, Dojin Sarah Emerson dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk focuses on the dynamic and inclusive nature of Zen practice, emphasizing the necessity of embracing both suffering and ease in the pursuit of the middle way. It discusses how Zen's bodhisattva vow, which is rooted in the...
Practice, Suffering, Buddhism
May 28 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Leaves of Speech

Serial: SF-10357 5/27/2017, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the challenges of expressing true understanding and teachings through words, emphasizing the inherent limitations of speech in conveying profound truths. It addresses the impact of kind speech on societal...
Suffering, Practice, Koan
May 27 2017
City Center

Right Effort

Serial: SF-10487 5/27/2017, Shosan Victoria Austin dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk explores the concept of "right effort," emphasizing it as an integral part of the Noble Eightfold Path. The discussion includes reflections on the teachings of Suzuki Roshi and BKS Iyengar, comparing Zen and yoga as...
Practice, Effort, Suzuki Roshi
May 27 2017
Tassajara

Words Beyond Words: Zen Simplicity

Serial: SF-12236 Talk by Linda Cutts at City Center on 2017-05-27 This talk addresses the challenge of expressing truth through speech and the inherent limitations of language within Zen practice. Drawing from haikus and koans, the discussion emphasizes how words can both miss and meet the mark...
Koan, Blue Cliff Record, Zazen
May 27 2017
City Center

Just Keep Coming Back

Serial: SF-10473 5/24/2017, Chris Fortin dharma talk at Tassajara. The talk emphasizes creating a space of refuge and healing through Zen practice, particularly focusing on collaborations with women veterans. The speaker discusses the importance of faith within the context of Zen, presenting it...
Practice, Faith, Zazen
May 24 2017
Tassajara

Words as Presence in Zen Practice

Serial: SF-12186 Talk by Kansan David Zimmerman at City Center on 2017-05-24 The talk explores the theme of "right speech" within Zen practice, emphasizing the balance between verbal expression and presence, grounded in a koan from the Blue Cliff Record, where a Zen master challenges Dharma brothers on...
Right Speech, Koan, Breath
May 24 2017
City Center

Nanchuan's Circle

Serial: SF-10455 5/24/2017, Tenzen David Zimmerman dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the practice of right speech within the context of Zen philosophy, using Case 69 of the Blue Cliff Record as a focal point. The discussion highlights the importance of intentional and mindful communication as...
Breath, Time, Right Speech
May 24 2017
City Center

"The Good Woman of Setzuan": Can We Be Good?

Serial: SF-10489 5/21/2017, Myo_ Doris Harder dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the themes of goodness, trust, and personal growth using Bertolt Brecht's play "The Good Woman of Sichuan" as a framework. The discussion addresses the complexities of being a 'good' person in challenging...
Time, Work, War
May 21 2017
Green Gulch Farm

Kind, Inclusive and Noble Speech

Serial: SF-10332 5/20/2017, Shosan Victoria Austin dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the practice of right speech, emphasizing it as an expression of love and self-awareness within Zen practice. The discussion delves into the principles of necessary, kind, helpful, true, and timely speech as...
Right Speech, Practice, Time
May 20 2017
City Center

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