Upaya Zen Center's Dharma Podcast

During the last talk of the 2020 Spring Practice Period, “Honoring Women of the Way,” Roshi Joan Halifax expresses her deep gratitude for all the teachers and people at Upaya for creating an extraordinary ango during the pandemic with over 900 participants touching in via Zoom for Dharma talks, zazen, and practice interviews. “Your commitment,” she says, “to be in compassionate containment is not only for our well being, it’s for the well being of every person we might encounter outside of our community, so, I am so grateful.” She then shares the story of The Old Woman’s Rice Cakes. She situates us all within the challenging yet grateful shoes of the scholar Deshan, who finds himself “thrashed” upon the threshold of his journeying. For the “Sesshin – Teachings of our Women Ancestors, Spring 2020” Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Sesshin – Teachings of our Women Ancestors, Spring 2020

Sensei Wendy Johnson speaks to the complicated, archetypal, and ever-changing form of Avalokiteshvara, the embodiment of “active and grounded… flowering and emanating” compassion.

Reigetsu Susan Moon continues her exploration of the story of Satsujo, addressing questions from participants.

Co-editor of The Hidden Lamp, Reigetsu Susan Moon, shares the story of Satsujo, whose irreverent and embodied expressions of wisdom encourage us to “connect with each other in love, directly, with no obstacles… to be completely ourselves.”

With research and great care, Wendy Garling illustrates the lives and efforts of the first Buddhist women with a new emphasis on Buddha’s birth and the bond between his “two mothers,” Maha Maya and Mahapajapati.”

Natalie Goldberg, following the theme of the Spring Practice Period, shares the story of a wise woman of the roadside. With stories from her own life and loved ones, she asks, “How do we become ordinary? Regular?” She finds that “there’s no such thing as straight-ahead.”  

To end the program, Stephen Batchelor applies his ideological framework to the issue of climate change, bringing into consideration Catherine Ingram’s essay, “Facing Extinction.” For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

Stephen Batchelor discusses excerpts from the essays of Montaigne and the origins of ancient Greek cynicism. He then entertains questions from the audience. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

Stephen Batchelor promotes the role of imagination in cultivating a practice, and draws links between creativity, community, and social ethics. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

Stephen Batchelor continues his discussion of the Noble Truth model with questions from the audience. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

Stephen Batchelor continues by reframing the orthodox Noble Truth model from one based on truth claims to one based on pragmatic, process-oriented directives, and illustrates by contrasting wisdom (prajna) with consciousness (vinyana). For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

Stephen Batchelor continues his comparative discussion of Buddhism with questions and thoughts from the audience. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

This series focuses on the cultivation of three interconnected themes that constitute the heart of contemporary dharma practice: autonomy – the inner freedom to respond rather than react to life situations; imagination – the capacity to engage creatively with all activities; and care – an open hearted concern for oneself and others to flourish. Such a perspective encourages a way of life that is less constrained by psychological habit and social pressures, thus rendering one more willing and able to assume responsibility and take risks. It offers a path to increased aesthetic sensitivity with regard to both nature and art, while also refining the empathetic capacity to engage with the suffering of others. Stephen Batchelor begins the program with “an alternative history of Buddhism,” and a comparative genealogy of Buddhism and ancient Greek philosophy. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Autonomy, Imagination, and Care

Zenshin Florence Caplow, co-editor of The Hidden Lamp, looks at the founding of the famous Tokei-ji temple—a centuries-old refuge for nuns and laywomen. She looks to the importance of place, protection, history, and song to decorate the Buddha in our own hearts.

As an introduction – or “sneak preview” – to the upcoming Spring Practice Period, Monshin Nanette Overley shares the stories of several Women of the Way. She explores the “shout” as “the complete, unfiltered expression of a moment or an understanding,” and wonders how this spiritual strength and undivided presence of mind is cultivated. She ends with the dedication: “may our life reveal their compassion.”