Kodo hosts guest speaker Myles Cowherd for a conversation about: Generosity - why does it make us feel abundance?
A Tale of Drunken Enemies
Heather Iarusso speaks on “A Tale of Drunken Enemies”.
“I am a lover of stories and unfortunately, a binger of Netflix. Since I've spent seven of the past 13 years in a Zen monastery, I had a lot of binging to catch up on! I landed on the ‘Black Mirror’ series created by Charlie Brooker. I devoured all 23 episodes in a matter of days. Most of the stories were haunting, innovative, and prescient; however, there was one in particular titled ‘Men Against Fire,’ that has left an indelible impression because of its Dharmic lesson.”
Heather is a resident priest at City Center who arrived at Tassajara in 2008 and was ordained as a priest in 2015. She currently serves as Zen Center's Online Practice Center Director.
Mistakes in Practice
Eli shares some commentary on a chapter in Zen Mind Beginner's Mind titled Mistakes in Practice. Come one come all, mistakes and all!
The Koan of "Self Help"
Tonight Michael McCord explores the Koan of "Self Help": Is Buddhism so stuck in acceptance that nothing ever changes?
We'll explore what it is to be with our inclination to push away some things, as well as what it is to not hold on to ways of escaping that which is arising. In this "middle way" of working with our attraction and aversion, how do we actively plan for positive change without living in a dissatisfied state, not accepting what is happening now?
Rev. Myo's Three Pillars of Soto Zen
The gate of Dharma is unsurpassably wide. All beings may enter. So what does it mean to have a family style? How can we think about what teachings are essential to the Soto Zen way that we have inherited from Suzuki Roshi? This talk can serve as a summary introduction to three keys of our living tradition.
Grappling with the Fearful Mind
“I'll take this opportunity to give a talk about koan #23 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate), a tale of the Sixth Ancestor and his encounter with his Dharma brother Huiming. I'll touch on mudita/empathetic joy and therefore the four brahmaviharas/divine abodes, but I hope to talk mainly about how to skillfully face fear, and how the encounter with what we fear can lead us to a deeper exploration of the sense of self.”
Read more"Mr. Right is Dead"
Buddha describes Nirvana as a nectar-like Dharma that’s free from reference points. What are these reference points and how can investigating them help us alleviate our suffering? A talk by Heather Iarusso.
A Childhood Tale about the Path of the Bodhisattva
Eli Brown-Stevenson shares a favorite childhood tale of his about the path of the bodhisattva along with an exercise.
The great practice of Karma
In this talk Dharma talk Anshi Zachary Smith discusses the laws of Karma and their relation to cause and effect.
Foundations of Dharma - The Fourth Noble Truth: the Noble Eightfold Path
In this talk by Kodo Conlin will we will continue our Foundations of Dharma series with a talk on the topic of The Fourth Noble Truth: the Noble Eightfold Path. We will discuss four key conditions that support the development of the path.
This talk will serve as the fourth in an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen. There's no requirement to have heard the earlier talks in the series, but if you would like to listen beforehand, they are available here:
Discussion prompts:
List some (10) of your own words that capture the essence of “rightly directed”
Write about person who supported you toward orienting toward “rightly directed”
The Way and the Path - Anshi Zachary Smith
We will explore the relationship between the Noble Eightfold Path, as outlined in the Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths, and The Way (Tao), which was adopted from Taoism by Chinese Buddhists during the period of cross-fertilization that led to the Ch’an School.
Prompts:
In your experience what is it that supports this sense of connection and being present?
How does that sense of presence and connection affect your actions in the world?
Ven. Sāriputta & The Third Noble Truth
Kodo Conlin discusses three manifestations of the Third Noble Truth--the cessation of dukkha--and how they can be recognized and realized in practice.
Vulnerability & Tenderness
Eli Brown-Stevenson offers a talk on the topic of Vulnerability & Tenderness as bases for Wisdom and Compassion.
Foundations of Dharma - The Second Noble Truth
This talk will serve as the second in an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen. There's no requirement to have heard the first talk in the series, but if you would like to listen beforehand, the talk is available here:
Compassion: The Beginning of Vision
Michael McCord looks at the link between compassion and the ability to see; that when we not only buy into the fact that we are all connected but actively engage in the connectedness that is all around us, we better align our view of what is actually happening - and from there can more skillfully engage or not engage the unfolding events in our lives.
Taking Refuge in Sangha through Healing Haunted Histories: Recognizing and Repairing Moral Injury
Kodo Conlin hosts guest speaker Seigen Johnson, former Zen Center resident and current graduate student at Boston University's School of Theology to discuss “Taking Refuge in Sangha through Healing Haunted Histories: Recognizing and Repairing Moral Injury”.
The final song omitted from the recording can be listened to here: Beautiful Chorus - I Rise Up
Joy & the First Noble Truth
This talk will serve as the beginning of an intermittent series on the foundational teachings of Buddhist Dharma, framed for Young Urban Zen.
With this first talk, we will bring up such questions as, "What is this 'suffering' and why does Buddhism emphasize it so often?" "How is joy, too, part of the path?" and "What practices sustain us?"
The Two Truths part Deux
As a sequel to last year’s talk on Emptiness and and the Two Truths we’ll go into more detail about the tangled relationship between the Relative and the Absolute as well as its impact on day-to-day life. In particular, we’ll examine the proposition, held in common by Buddhists and some ancient Greeks, that, because of this relationship, suffering is an integral part of the human experience and inextricably bound to that which makes us human.
Beginner's Mind is the Most Important Thing!
In Zen spaces, particularly at SFZC, it's common to hear about 'Beginner's Mind' but what does that really mean? Just like Buddha-nature, it's something that is inherent to life and we are born with, yet we tend to cover it up. This Tuesday we will be unpacking what this Beginner's Mind is and where it came from.
Zazen - The Daily Practice Ritual for Being a Human Being.
Is zazen the same or different than apps like "Headspace" or other exercises designed to calm the mind down? Is it "OK" to have a goal to calm down by utilizing meditation techniques? We explore the practice of zazen and meditation in the context of the busy modern life and how zazen is more useful and relevant than ever.