Upaya Zen Center's Dharma Podcast

The first morning of Beginner’s Mind opens with a talk by Wendy Johnson, Matthew Kozan Palevsky and Kigaku Noah Rossetter about zazen, continuous practice and deep gratitude for whatever we sit on. There is also a short, guided meditation led by Kozan and a Q&A session. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Beginner’s Mind Weekend

Cutting to the heart of the matter, Wendy Johnson begins this week’s talk with a question on many of our minds as 2020 begins, “How do we abide in peace when the world is beating the drums of war?” So begins a lively exchange which is eventually brought into the audience for a wide-ranging discussion. This is the Metta Sutta that we are chanting each day of the Winter Practice Period.

The beloved Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki’s teachings have touched thousands of people and inspired their practice. Using Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind as a basis for this series, Roshi Joan Halifax, Wendy Johnson, Matthew Kozan Palevsky and Kigaku Noah Rossetter offer a rich context for Shunryu Suzuki’s life and teachings. To open our weekend exploring the seminal Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi Joan Halifax invites us to approach Zen like a “five year old kid standing in front of a Jackson Pollock painting.” What follows is a lively discussion about getting back to the basics and cultivating a beginner’s mind. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Beginner’s Mind Weekend

The Drepung Loseling Monks visit Upaya as part of The Mystical Arts of Tibet tour. Offering a peace chant dedicated to ending violence in our world and a traditional Green Tara healing chant, the monks fill the zendo with the rich sounds of cymbals, horns, and singing.

“You and I must act now if there is to be a viable, morally grounded, and healthy future,” said Roshi Joan Halifax at a speech before being arrested December 20, 2019. Roshi Joan, Dolores Huerta, Gloria Steinem, and Heather Toney were part of the climate action, Fire Drill Fridays, in Washington, D.C., organized by Jane Fonda. Photo by Fire Drill Fridays.

Kigaku Noah Rossetter leads tonight’s Dharma Talk with an eye-opening exploration of the mind-expanding number of stars in the sky and how we perceive the vast spaces in between. This leads to a study of the Heart Sutra and its own profound elucidation of boundlessness.

In the final talk of Rohatsu sesshin, Roshi Joan Halifax, Roshi Enkyo O’Hara, and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi are all on deck to offer their final teachings of the week. Kaz reveals “joy density” as his secret to a longer and more enjoyable life. Roshi Enkyo encourages us to not be deluded, as “this is the beginning of your practice.” For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: ROHATSU SESSHIN: Authentic Practice

We’re in the home stretch of Rohatsu sesshin, but the challenges continue according to Roshi Enkyo O’Hara and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi. Kaz begins the talk by revisiting the circle of the way, pointing out that each circle is never complete, but it is perfect. Roshi Enkyo explains that “ultimately we want to serve the world, but we’re starting with paying attention.” For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: ROHATSU SESSHIN: Authentic Practice

In today’s dharma talk, Sensei Kaz Tanahashi discusses the stages of meditation and how right now, this is the right time and the right place for enlightenment. Roshi Joan Halifax explains how she calms her nervous system during meditation and shares a beautiful poem by Eileen Myles. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: ROHATSU SESSHIN: Authentic Practice

In Rohatsu sesshin especially, Roshi Enkyo O’Hara and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi point out that all over the world, people practice together. Even in the face of climate change and other catastrophes, one person’s practice matters. Quoting David Bowie, Roshi Enkyo encourages us to “Turn and face the strange.” For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: ROHATSU SESSHIN: Authentic Practice

Today, Roshi Joan Halifax and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi continue the Rohatsu dharma talks on authentic and continuous practice. According to Roshi Joan “authentic practice is completely reliant on you.” For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: ROHATSU SESSHIN: Authentic Practice

Rohatsu Sesshin marks the enlightenment of the Buddha. It is a powerful gathering of practitioners and friends who are dedicated to realizing the way. Roshis Joan Halifax and Enkyo O’Hara, and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi explore the enlightenment of the Buddha, authentic practice and awakening to serve others. In the opening talk of Rohatsu sesshin, Roshi Enkyo O’Hara and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi outline this year’s theme of authentic practice. As the extensive meditation practice begins, Roshi Enkyo explains that “if we’re present, every moment is an awakening teaching.” To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: ROHATSU SESSHIN: Authentic Practice

In the final part of the program Roshi Joan Halifax and John Dunne describe the concept of emptiness and how it relates to Shantideva’s works and our own lives. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: EMPTINESS AND COMPASSION

Using Shantideva’s arguments to disrupt the distinctions between our in-groups and our out-groups, Roshi Joan Halifax and John Dunne challenge us to expand our circles of care. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: EMPTINESS AND COMPASSION

Roshi Joan Halifax and John Dunne go deep on the subtleties of meditation practice and developing stability for the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. For Series description, please visit Part 1. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: EMPTINESS AND COMPASSION