Summary: Episode Description: Sensei Alan begins this Dharma talk with a song, whose chorus is taken from a story from Chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is a key early Mahayana teaching that is a foundational text in Zen and other East Asian Buddhist traditions. The essence of the chorus/story is the title of this talk, "I Will Not Abandon You." For Sensei Alan, this simple phrase is at the heart of Zen practice and is more complex than meets the eye. It doesn't mean "I will give you everything you need," but rather it is a vow to respond again and again. It is an intention to help and a willingness to "open the door, let you in, have a cup of tea, and listen." "I will not abandon you" is the practice of "saying yes," which is an attitude toward life based in acceptance and openness rather than selfishness. We say "yes" to life as it is presenting itself to us, just as in sitting meditation practice, we say "yes" to whatever arises in the mind. It is a practice of "turning toward others and turning toward ourselves," of "not disparaging others and not disparaging ourselves." Sensei Alan ends the talk by taking a few questions from the sangha, and closes by singing the chorus of his song once more. BIO : Alan Senauke is vice-abbot of Berkeley Zen Center in California. He lives at BZC with his wife, Laurie, and their two children. Since 1991 Alan has worked with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, where he presently serves as Senior Advisor. He continues to work as a socially engaged Buddhist activist, most recently founding the Clear View Project, developing Buddhist-based resources for relief and social change. In another realm, Alan has been a student and performer of American traditional music for more than forty years.
