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Title Speaker Date

The Inner Fire and the Outer Fire

Serial: SF-09645 7/5/2008, Michael Wenger dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the metaphor of fire from the Lotus Sutra to explore themes of distraction, awareness, and interdependence. It highlights the distinction between internal and external fires and suggests that confronting these...
Dharma Transmission, Tassajara
Jul 05 2008
City Center

Buddhism and Prayer?

Serial: SF-09653 The talk focuses on the spiritual practice of chanting for wellbeing and protection, particularly in response to the ongoing fire threat to Tassajara. Through this practice, there is an invocation of Avalokiteshvara, representing...
Tassajara, Zazen
Jul 02 2008
City Center

Love and Commitment

Serial: SF-09663 6/29/2008, Shosan Victoria Austin dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk focuses on the interconnectedness of all beings and explores the Buddhist teachings regarding unity and diversity, using this framework to discuss societal issues such as love and commitment in the context of LGBTQ...
Jun 29 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Difference: Suffering and Liberation

Serial: SF-09607 6/28/2008, Kosho McCall dharma talk at City Center. The talk examines the concepts of unity and diversity within Zen philosophy, emphasizing the significance of realizing the interconnectedness of all things. The speaker reflects on Zen teachings and anecdotes to underscore the...
Jun 28 2008
City Center

The Five Fears

Serial: SF-09588 6/25/2008, Lou Hartman dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores personal reflections on life's purpose and Buddhist practice, specifically discussing the concept of "Buddhist fears" and how various life experiences contributed to personal apprehensions, which later...
Jun 25 2008
City Center

Genjo Koan

Serial: SF-09601 6/22/2008, Eijun Linda Cutts dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk centers on Dogen Zenji's "Genjo Koan," considered a vital component of his teachings. The discussion delves into the essence of Genjo Koan, exploring themes of universality and individuality, appearance and essence,...
Koan
Jun 22 2008
Green Gulch Farm

The Business Beneath the Robe

Serial: SF-09573 6/21/2008, Meiya Wender dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the themes of life, death, and intimacy within Zen practice, particularly through the lens of a case from the Denko Roku, which emphasizes realizing intimacy through devotion and practice. The discussion...
Suffering, Intimacy
Jun 21 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Prajna Paramita and Impermanence

Serial: SF-09664 6/21/2008, Shokan Jordan Thorn dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the Buddhist concept of impermanence, particularly emphasizing the sixth paramita, Prajnaparamita, or the perfection of wisdom. The discussion progresses through various teachings and symbolic representations...
Wisdom, Tozan, Suzuki Roshi
Jun 21 2008
City Center

Prajna Paramita - The Wisdom that Goes Beyond

Serial: SF-09683 The talk explores the theme of "beginner's mind," emphasizing the open, curious approach necessary for the practice of the six paramitas, or transcendental perfections, of a bodhisattva, which include generosity, discipline,...
Wisdom, Suffering, Emptiness
Jun 13 2008
City Center

The Perfection of Zazen -- Dhyana Paramita

Serial: SF-09577 6/11/2008, Shokan Jordan Thorn dharma talk at City Center. The talk discusses the practice of meditation, known as Zazen, as a crucial aspect of the Bodhisattva path and the realization of the Bodhisattva vow. There is an emphasis on communal practice, simple and continuous Zazen...
Zazen
Jun 11 2008
City Center

Everyday Mind

Serial: SF-09570 6/8/2008, Marc Lesser dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk reflects on the Zen koan "Everyday Mind is the Way," expanding on its meaning by using the story of the Zen master Nanchuan's dialogue as a metaphor to explore openness and present awareness beyond intellectual...
Zazen
Jun 08 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Virya: The Energy of Practice

Serial: SF-09685 6/7/2008, Ryushin Paul Haller dharma talk at City Center. The talk centers on exploring the concept of "energy" or "virya" in Zen Buddhism, as outlined in Buddhist teachings, emphasizing its appearance in the six paramitas and six faculties. The discussion highlights the nature of...
Zazen
Jun 07 2008
City Center

Aligning Lives Through Deep Listening

Serial: SF-09687 Talk by Epp Qa on 2008-06-07 The talk emphasizes the importance of deep listening and authentic living by encouraging a practice of attentive presence during exchanges and a focus on prioritizing values that align with one's life mission. It urges...
Chanting
Jun 07 2008

Intention's Dance with Existence

Serial: SF-09695 Talk by Epp on 2008-06-07 This talk examines the concept of intention and its role in shaping life priorities, using an existential perspective. A writing exercise encourages participants to explore their life intentions and priorities by engaging with...
Jun 07 2008

Why the Dalai Lama Matters

Serial: SF-09662 6/5/2008, Robert Thurman dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores themes of transcendence, interconnectedness, and the potential for transformation within societal structures, focusing significantly on Tibet's relations with China. The discussion revolves around how...
Nirvana
Jun 05 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Virya Paramita

Serial: SF-09600 6/4/2008, Shokan Jordan Thorn dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the fourth paramita, Virya Paramita, which emphasizes the importance of cultivating enthusiastic effort in the context of Zen practice. The discussion highlights how enthusiasm is integral to maintaining...
Zazen
Jun 04 2008
City Center

Stillness and Activity

Serial: SF-09652 6/1/2008, Myogen Steve Stucky dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk focuses on the intersection of Zen philosophy and practical application, emphasizing the practice of seeing things as they are and contributing to their improvement. Drawing on Zen Master Dogen's teachings, particularly...
Jun 01 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Living Awake in the Midst of Impermanence -- Taking Care of Everything Near

Serial: SF-09576 5/31/2008, Kiku Christina Lehnherr dharma talk at City Center. The talk discusses the three characteristics of existence fundamental to Buddhist teachings: impermanence, suffering (unsatisfactoriness), and no-self. These are examined through personal experiences of life and death,...
Impermanence, Hate
May 31 2008
City Center

Ksanti Paramita: Practice of Patience

Serial: SF-09676 5/28/2008, Shosan Victoria Austin dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the exploration of Shanti Paramita, the perfection of patience, within the context of Zen practice and its broader Buddhist interpretations. It discusses the challenges of embodying true compassion,...
Patience, Suzuki Roshi
May 28 2008
City Center

Cultivating Trust

Serial: SF-09610 5/24/2008, Ryushin Paul Haller dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the concept of "trust" or "Shraddha" in Buddhist practice, emphasizing its role in alleviating distress through acceptance and confidence in oneself and the world. The discourse examines the intersection between...
May 24 2008
City Center

Pentimento

Serial: SF-09614 5/21/2008, Michael Wenger dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the concept of "pentimento," an art term describing visible traces of earlier paint layers, and connects it to Zen Buddhist teachings, particularly focusing on compassion and the paramitas. The discussion...
Compassion, Practice Period
May 21 2008
City Center

Yoyo Zen

Serial: SF-09631 5/18/2008, Furyu Schroeder dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk focuses on the interplay between Zen meditation practices of shamatha (tranquility) and vipassana (insight) in achieving liberation from suffering, highlighting how one's thoughts create the world. Reference is made to...
Suffering
May 18 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Our Meal Chant

Serial: SF-09630 5/17/2008, Sojun Mel Weitsman dharma talk at City Center. This talk explores the complexity and depth of the Zen Center's meal chant, which serves as a reflection on Shakyamuni Buddha's life, the practice of generosity, and Buddhist metaphysical teachings such as the three bodies of...
Sangha
May 17 2008
City Center

The 100-foot Pole

Serial: SF-09615 5/14/2008, Susan O'Connell dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the concept of emptiness in Zen practice, focusing on the challenges and transformations of understanding this fundamental teaching. It emphasizes the importance of self-transcendence, particularly through the...
Koan, Emptiness
May 14 2008
City Center

Spirit of Zen Practice

Serial: SF-09599 5/11/2008, Steve Weintraub dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the essence of Zen practice, focusing on developing a "boundless mind" akin to a mother's love, characterized by benevolence and acceptance. It emphasizes the practice of "sitting close, doing nothing,"...
Suzuki Roshi, Composure
May 11 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Generosity and Intimacy

Serial: SF-09569 5/10/2008, Shokan Jordan Thorn dharma talk at City Center. The talk discusses the concept of "dana," or giving, focusing on how it acts as a foundational practice in Buddhism by exploring its role within the six paramitas. It highlights the transformation of the understanding of dana...
Paramitas, Dana Paramita
May 10 2008
City Center

The Revival of Buddhism in India

Serial: SF-09654 5/7/2008, Mangesh Dahiwale dharma talk at City Center. The talk focuses on the influence and contributions of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to modern Buddhism, particularly his role in addressing the caste system in India and revitalizing Buddhism as a means of social and personal transformation...
May 07 2008
City Center

Buddha's Birthday

Serial: SF-09648 5/4/2008, Myogen Steve Stucky dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the paradox of celebrating Buddha's birth alongside the teaching of non-self, using the birth story of Shakyamuni Buddha to highlight themes of interconnectedness and dependent co-arising. It delves into...
Buddha Mind, Bodhisattva
May 04 2008
Green Gulch Farm

When the Ocean Looks Circular and Does Not Look Any Other Way

Serial: SF-09581 5/3/2008, Jisan Tova Green dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the theme of perception and understanding in the context of Zen Buddhist philosophy, using the metaphor of the blind men and an elephant to illustrate the limitations of seeing only a part of the whole. It...
Study
May 03 2008
City Center

Turning Toward the Unwanted

Serial: SF-09639 4/30/2008, Linda Galijan dharma talk at City Center. The talk conveys the speaker’s personal journey and insights on practicing gratitude and the challenges of maintaining zen practice. Emphasized is Dogen's fascicle "Se Shin Se Sho," highlighting the difficulty and iterative...
Practice Period
Apr 30 2008
City Center

Living with Dying

Serial: SF-09559 4/27/2008, Christina Lehnherr dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk explores the profound relationship between life and death, emphasizing the importance of living fully in the present moment with awareness of life's impermanence. The speaker reflects on personal experiences observing a...
Apr 27 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Koan Study

Serial: SF-09613 4/26/2008, Mark Lancaster dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores themes of authenticity and self-discovery within Zen practice, emphasizing the importance of deep inquiry over intellectual understanding. It contrasts the futility of strategizing life through intellect with...
Apr 26 2008
City Center

Lost and Found

Serial: SF-09616 4/23/2008, Shokan Jordan Thorn dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the theme of interconnectedness and the practice of the Bodhisattva's vow in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the journey toward selflessness and the practice of Zazen meditation as pathways to awakening and service to...
Zazen
Apr 23 2008
City Center

Pure Sanctuary

Serial: SF-09611 4/20/2008, Myogen Steve Stucky dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk explores the interplay between the narrowness of mind, exemplified by the Hebrew term "Mitzrayim" (Egypt), and the expansive state of the mind as seen through the practice of the Brahma Viharas—metta (loving-kindness),...
Apr 20 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Ceremony

Serial: SF-09667 4/13/2008, Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk examines the themes of realization and identity through a parable from the Lotus Sutra, highlighting the gradual awakening to one's true nature and the richness of life as interconnected with the universe. It emphasizes...
Ceremony, Lotus Sutra
Apr 13 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Infinite Compassion, Infinite Awareness

Serial: SF-09697 The talk explores the significance of compassion and awareness in the practice of Zen, using the metaphor of "a thousand arms, a thousand eyes" from the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. It emphasizes the emotional life of...
Practice Period
Apr 03 2008

Zen Intimacy: Embracing Radical Connection

Serial: SF-09700 The talk focuses on the theme of "intimacy" within Zen practice, particularly through the lens of the Sashin experience, whereby practitioners are encouraged to engage deeply and intimately with their own practice and with others...
Intimacy
Apr 02 2008

Embracing Life's Fleeting Moments

Serial: SF-09699 The talk explores the impermanence of life's pleasures and hardships, foregrounding the Zen principle that happiness cannot be achieved by countering one illusion with another. It emphasizes being present in the moment and...
Apr 01 2008
City Center

Zen Dance: Rituals of Transformation

Serial: SF-09698 The talk explores the structure and significance of Zen practice at Zuyoji Monastery in Japan, focusing on the transformative nature of sesshin (intensive meditation) through the lens of artistic metaphors like dance and poetry....
Zazen
Mar 31 2008
City Center

Embracing Multitudes Through Zen Wisdom

Serial: SF-09670 Talk by Alan Senauke on 2008-03-30 The talk explores the interplay between Zen practice and emotional reactivity, emphasizing the integration of psychological insights with Buddhist teachings to understand the nature of suffering and the "sentient beings" within...
Suffering, Dependent Origination
Mar 30 2008

Beyond Kindness: Awakening Through Meditation

Serial: SF-09701 The discussion emphasizes the practice of kindness and its transformation during Sashin, a period of intensive meditation in Zen practice. Sashin seeks to transcend dualistic concepts like kindness and non-kindness, merging them...
Wisdom
Mar 30 2008
City Center

Embracing Kindness: Path to Awakening

Serial: SF-09702 The talk addresses the theme of welcoming and kindness within Zen practice, particularly examining how interactions at the San Francisco Zen Center illustrate the importance of these values. It highlights the impact of individual...
Mar 29 2008
City Center

The Enlightenment Machine

Serial: SF-09679 3/22/2008, Dana Velden dharma talk at City Center. This talk discusses the integration of Zen practice with insights from Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED Talk on brain function and her stroke experience. Dr. Taylor's description of the brain's dual hemispheres and her stroke-induced...
Patience, Zazen
Mar 22 2008
City Center

The Dharma of Contact

Serial: SF-09575 3/19/2008, Shosan Victoria Austin dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the concept of "sparsha" or "contact" in Zen practice, emphasizing its foundational role in the formation of perception and experience. Attention is drawn to the subtlety of contact, which often goes unnoticed,...
War
Mar 19 2008
City Center

Like Don't Like OK

Serial: SF-09681 3/16/2008, Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk reflects on the practice of Zazen, emphasizing a mindset of equanimity toward likes and dislikes. The speaker articulates the transient nature of thoughts and feelings during meditation and discusses Dogen's teachings on...
Mar 16 2008
Green Gulch Farm

The Ides of March

Serial: SF-09561 3/15/2008, Wendy Johnson dharma talk at City Center. The talk emphasizes the concept of places of refuge, both physical and metaphorical, as refuges for awareness and compassion. It discusses the symbolic significance of creating environments of peace and mindfulness in the midst...
Tassajara
Mar 15 2008
City Center

Generous Mountains

Serial: SF-09627 3/15/2008, Myogen Steve Stucky dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk focuses on the principles of generosity and boundless nature within Zen practice, using reflections on Dogen Zenji's "Mountains and Rivers Sutra" as a central theme. It discusses how these natural elements exemplify a...
Generosity, Dogen
Mar 15 2008
Green Gulch Farm

Reframe Reality Through Zen Eyes

Serial: SF-09696 Talk by Epp on 2008-03-15 The talk focuses on the concept of "reframing" within Zen practice, encouraging the examination and transformation of one's habitual responses to experiences. The emphasis is on becoming aware of the framework through which...
Mar 15 2008

Nourishment and Kindness

Serial: SF-09602 3/12/2008, Shosan Victoria Austin dharma talk at City Center. The talk explores the concept of nourishment and kindness within the Zen practice period, focusing on how nourishment in its various forms—physical, sensory, volitional, and consciousness—relates to practicing kindness. The...
Consciousness
Mar 12 2008
City Center

Compassion

Serial: SF-09675 3/9/2008, Myogen Steve Stucky dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The talk delves into the themes of compassion and environmental tipping points, using the notion of impermanence and interdependence from Buddhist philosophy. The discussion references the Mountains and Rivers Sutra by Dogen,...
Compassion, Wisdom
Mar 09 2008
Green Gulch Farm

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