San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks show

San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks

Summary: Public lectures given at San Francisco Zen Center

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  • Artist: San Francisco Zen Center
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Podcasts:

 Trusting the Moment | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:41:07

This talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, was given by senior dharma teacher Ryushin Paul Haller. As we witness the war in the Middle East and the suffering it creates, it's challenging not to get caught in choosing which side has virtue and which is the aggressor. Practicing with the Paramitas of Mutual Benefit, Ethical Conduct and Patience can help us acknowledge the humanitarian tragedy of war that ravages everyone involved. Recorded on Nov. 4, 2023.

 Buddha Samadhi | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:37:44

10/29/2023, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. During this talk it was suggested that all Buddha ancestors who uphold the true Dharma have made it the true path of awakening to sit upright, practicing our individual samadhis in the midst of, in the presence of, the universal samadhi of all Buddha ancestors.

 The Challenge of Anger, the Power of the Paramitas | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:42:36

In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Shosan Victoria Austin discusses working skillfully with anger. Many ancient texts mention anger as an unwholesome emotion that undercuts or destroys our relationships and our true intention. However, we can practice using anger in wholesome ways, as an internal warning system for unmet needs, violated boundaries, and withheld respect. Developing skill with the energy of anger, we drop harmful habits of perception and action to cultivate appropriate response in ways that give life, embodying generosity, morality, tolerance and wise effort. Recorded on Oct. 28, 2023.

 Fully Engaging Body and Mind: Wholehearted Practice | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:41:12

In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Ryushin Paul Haller discusses how the practice of fully engaging body and mind is expressed through attention to posture and awareness in sitting zazen and wholeheartedness in the activities of daily life. Dogen zenji points out in Genjo Koan that there is a potential for a one-sided approach. When we bring that sensibility to the paramita of Sila, we can see how expressing Sila as virtue and ethics calls for the inquiry of appropriate response. That is, to keep in mind Suzuki roshi’s phrase “maybe so". Recorded on Oct. 25, 2023.

 Not Thinking Good and Evil | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:45:14

10/22/2023, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. For those who have vowed to "do all good" and "avoid all evil," Zen offers a compassionate but counter-intuitive teaching, equally relevant to meditation and to the ethics of daily living: "do not think good or evil," but include absolutely everything.

 Finding Clarity | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:26:12

In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Marc Lesser discusses the conundrum of clarity. If you seek for clarity, you cannot find it. Clarity itself is necessary before you can acquire or find clarity. Recorded on Oct. 21, 2023.

 Finding the Genjo Koan in Everyday Circumstances | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:45:20

In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, given by Ryushin Paul Haller, two different circumstances are described to illustrate how the teachings of the Genjo Koan can guide how to practice with challenging events. The first event is working with persistent thoughts in zazen, and the second is working with interactions that arouse distress and frustration. Recorded on Oct. 18, 2023.

 Why Put on the Robe at the Sound of the Bell? | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:45:48

10/15/2023, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Kokyo discusses Case 16 in the Gateless Barrier koan collection: The world is so vast and wide - why do you always put on the robe at the sound of the bell?...When in the heard there is just the heard, there is no "you" in relation to that.

 The Treasure of Sangha | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:48:36

10/14/2023, Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, on the occasion of SFZC’s Members and Volunteers Appreciation Day, central abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman speaks to the value and place of Sangha in our practice, highlighting some of the benefits as well as the challenges. If we want to create a harmonious and vibrant community that supports our personal and collective liberation, then we need to make the time and effort to invest in Sangha. Sangha deepens practice and practice deepens sangha.

 The Seat that Exists in Our Own Home | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:51:46

10/18/2023, Steve Weintraub, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Senior Dharma Teacher Steve Weintraub explains that our practice is a big help to us; but it may not be a help in the way we usually think. How our practice helps us and 'where' our practice helps us is the topic of this talk.

 Taking Refuge In and Taking Refuge From | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:37:22

07/10/2023, Ryushin Paul Haller, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Ryushin Paul Haller discusses how taking refuge from the afflictions of desire, aversion and confusion, supports our commitment to take refuge in the wholesome qualities of the six Paramitas. Each of the Three Refuges — refuge in Buddha, refuge in Dharma and refuge in Sangha — has many expressions in practice, all of which can contribute to awakening.

 Taking Refuge and the Bodhisattva Precepts | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:41:13

04/10/2023, Ryushin Paul Haller, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Ryushin Paul Haller discusses the three Refuges, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, which are the first three Bodhisattva precepts. They express the shift from a life based on getting what is wanted, avoiding what is not wanted and the turmoil they create; to instead replacing those motives with a commitment to nurturing healing and awakening through the wholesome influence of the practice of awareness, commitment to skillfulness and connection to sangha.

 Remembering Zazen, Impermanence and Awe | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:44:48

10/01/2023, Sonja Gardenswartz, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Sonja Gardenswartz, a 30-year resident of SFZC illuminates the three pillars of her practice: zazen, impermanence, and awe.

 The Power of Joy | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:34:08

09/30/2023, Zesho Susan O'Connell, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Susan O’Connell discusses how the joy of practice can support us when, as always seems to be the case, “there’s a lot going on.” Susan teaches that not resisting the present moment can open space for joy to arise spontaneously — the same joy that Suzuki Roshi described when he said: “Just being alive is enough.”

 Zenbatical: What's Next? | File Type: audio/aac | Duration: 00:36:41

09/27/2023, Eli Brown-Stevenson, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Eli Brown-Stevenson discusses what happens when you apply the components of a practice period to a sabbatical. Whether sabbatical or practice period, when we take the backwards step to intentionally attune to our life, it can have a transformative shift in how we connect, experience and navigate "what's next” in life.

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