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This talk is the beginning of a series on the paramitas which are the fruits of living the precepts of Buddhism.
Michael will be discussing the paramita of patience in this talk. Paramitas are viewed as perfections to be addressed directly as a way of working with one's practice. Please come and turn over not only this paramita but how it relates to our everyday life, no matter where we spend our day (in the monastery, out in the world, in the home...).
Tim Wicks closes out the year (2025) with a talk about Renunciation, letting go.
He speaks about the grasping at the root of our suffering, our conditioning as "graspers," and how we help each other in learning to let go.
As the year comes to a close, Young Urban Zen invites you into The Gift of Nothing: a talk and experiential practice on generosity without striving. Eli Brown-Stevenson leads us together through an exploration on what it means to give, receive, and belong when we release the need to add, fix, or improve anything.
When practice starts to feel frustrating, like why am I not feeling a certain way by now, or when we wonder if we’re “doing it right”—it can quietly turn into a kind of transaction. We’ll explore this train of thought with some lightness and curiosity, and look at how practice can become less about getting somewhere and more about meeting ourselves where we are with compassion.
Many of you may be traveling this year or at least experiencing a different schedule (some may take time off; some may work more due to the rest of the team taking time off... etc.) than how things usually unfold for you.
How will you stay grounded in the midst of large meals, or extra time or family interactions, or increased solitude?
In this talk, Michael discusses what Zen principles apply to staying grounded in the midst of change.
Tim Wicks leads a talk looking at the many obstacles that we face on our path to awakening. By focusing on the hindrances and how we work with them, we see that there is a way forward to address the feelings of separation and isolation by cultivating wisdom through intimate practice that leads us to the truth of interconnection.
Hiro Ikushima explores “Working with Subtle Frustrations”, the quiet sense that something is missing, and the low-level dissatisfaction that follows us through the day. In Zen, these small irritations become important teachers when we meet them directly rather than trying to fix or avoid them.
In this talk, Kōgetsu Mok ponders the idea of “not believing all your thoughts”. How can our zazen practice help us to quiet unrest, dis-ease, stress, and pain? How can we cultivate discernment in practice?
Michael McCord prompts us with a few questions before diving into the concept of harboring ill will. What is forgiveness in the Buddhist practice? How do we work with long standing grievances and short term frustrations?
Rev. Kristin Diggs discusses how in the Soto Zen tradition we emphasize careful attention to the details immediately at hand, and doing one thing at a time, doing one thing completely. What does it mean, and how is it relevant in our fast-paced digital age? It couldn't be more relevant.
Ryushin Paul Haller, long-time resident senior teacher and former Abbot, discusses the deepening of awareness and noticing how it affects how we respond to self and others; as we learn to see how we respond to our experiences, we see how we cause suffering for ourselves and others.
This talk was streamed live for this fall’s second EPP (Establishing the Path of Practice) course. Learn more about EPP here.
There’s an obvious and vital reason why we humans are so attached to our convictions, and the evidence for this attachment is written all over our history, from the earliest written records to this morning's edition of whatever news media we happen to be consuming now.
It is also is the subject of the very first chapter of the very first published koan collection. Referring to the exchange between Emperor Wu of Liang and the great master Bodhidharma in the aforementioned chapter, Anshi Zachary Smith develops a perspective, informed by zen teachings, on knowing and not-knowing.
We wouldn't enter into a romantic or business relationship without shared agreements, some established boundaries, and emphasis on acceptable communication; however, it is quite common for us to have entrenched relationships with technology that have never been examined as to their overall net effect on us. In this talk, Michael examines technology using some of the principles we use in Zen practice to navigate relationships.
Rev. Kristin Diggs speaks about meeting zen's "True Person"—an engagement that requires looking directly at what it is you are actually seeking.
Impermanence is one of the Three Marks of Existence, yet often the most difficult to accept in our daily lives. Whether it’s the changing of the seasons, a shift in career, or the realities of aging, sickness, and death, change is constant. In this talk we’ll practice how to meet impermanence not as an abstract concept, but as a lived experience, through the simple, fleeting beauty of bubbles.
Tonight’s talk was about a chapter from the recently published book of Suzuki Roshi’s teachings, "Becoming Yourself". The chapter is titled “Do Not Be Angry.”
Kōgetsu takes a look at how this fits with our practice of the Bodhisattva precepts and how we can live with more groundedness, connection, and clarity, even when we're angry.
In this episode, Michael discusses the precept, “I Vow to Refrain from Intoxicants”. This vow is one that is often misunderstood in its scope and purpose. How is this core vow in Buddhism practiced in our everyday lives?
Hiro offers a short talk on Letting Go of Resistance. Often what weighs on us most is not the situation itself, but our resistance to it. Resistance is not something we need to fight, but something we can meet with awareness and compassion. The aim is not to manipulate experience, but to access a dimension of being where resistance is already absent.
The theme for this talk is Liberative Constraints.
This is a topic Eli brought up at this year’s Young Urban Zen retreat at Tassajara. In a world shaped by constant choice and digital customization, Zen practice offers a radically different kind of freedom, the kind that arises from structure, rhythm, and restraint. We discuss the liberating power of intentional constraints, and how forms like zazen, silence, and schedule can support presence, belonging, and internal spaciousness. Eli reflects on what it means to live unedited.
The theme for this talk is Taking the Monastery Home.
First, what brings us to the temple and to practice? What kind of experiences can we have at the temple that can help us in our lives? If we get the opportunity to visit and stay at a monastery, what do we take with us? If not, can we build a sacred space within ourselves and in our homes?
Kōgetsu Mok discusses the various ancient forms practiced in the temples that have real practical meaning and can be a frame for our home practice.