January 2025 Sesshin, Day 6
A commentary on Nothing Special: Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck  Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post “Nothing Special: Living Zen” appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The foundation of the Buddha’s Path is recognizing and accepting how “things” are. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Right View and the Three Marks of Existence appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Reading from Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana. Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

The post Working With Obstructions in Our Zazen appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Meditation: Why Bother? Developing the Right Attitude. Reading from Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana. Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

The post Meditation: Why Bother? appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

From October 1975 Sesshin, Day 1. A commentary on the koan and the teacher- student dynamic. Played on Founder’s Day – August 20, 2023. Teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau.  Automated Transcript

The post Teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau: Mumonkan #38 “A Buffalo Goes Through a Window” appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post Mumonkan #11, “Joshu and Two Hermits” appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
A commentary on Zen Essence, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post “Zen Essence” #2 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
A commentary on Zen Essence, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post “Zen Essence” #1 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
A commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui. (translated by J.C. Cleary). Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post Ta Hui and “Swampland Flowers” #3 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
A commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui. (translated by J.C. Cleary). Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post Ta Hui and “Swampland Flowers” #2 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Roshi Kjolhede begins this teisho with biographical highlights of Zen Master Ta Hui, based on Andy Ferguson’s Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Master’s and Their Teachings.   He then continues with a commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui. (translated by J.C. Cleary). Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post Ta Hui and “Swampland Flowers” #1 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

When we let go of all the ways we discriminate between self and other, we open up to the suffering of all beings, and to the transformative power of love. Sources: Anthony De Mello, The Way to Love, Image Books, 1995. bell hooks, “Contemplation and Transformation,” Buddhist Women on the Edge: Contemporary Perspectives from the... Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Beyond Duality appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The true potential of Taking the Precepts comes from our efforts to live them, to integrate them into our practice and our everyday interactions. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Practice and the Precepts appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Coming to the Path Talk by Bill Lindenfelser.  Automated Transcript

The post Coming to the Path Talk by Bill Lindenfelser appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Our eagerness to cut short whatever feels tedious by chasing after distractions and excitement comes to diminish our lives. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Boredom appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Comments about the Center’s Board of Trustees recent decision not to display the Black Lives Matter flag (or other non-Dharma-symbol flags) on the Arnold Park building. Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post The Black Lives Matter Flag–To Hang Or Not to Hang? appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on dialogues between Bankei and students (Part 2). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei #6 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on dialogues between Bankei and students (Part 1). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei #5 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on Bankei’s public talk delivered during a training period at Ryumon-ji (Part 2). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei #4 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on Bankei’s public talk delivered during a training period at Ryumon-ji (Part 1). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei #3 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on the life of 17th-century Japanese Zen Master Bankei Yotaku (Part 2). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei #2 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on the life of 17th-century Japanese Zen Master Bankei Yotaku (Part 1). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Transcript

The post Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei #1 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Two of the four Brahma-viharas. Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

The post Equanimity and Compassion appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post Reflections on an Election Disaster appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

How do we embody the Precepts in our everyday lives? An overview of morality in Zen and the RZC’s Taking the Precepts Ceremony. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Taking the Precepts: An Introduction appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Exploring the intersection between Zen practice and neuroscience on our capacity for experiencing awe in ordinary activities. Commentary on Dacher Keltner’s “The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe”, The Atlantic: January 13, 2023. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Discovering Awe in Just This appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

May 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Question:  Should I try or should I not try? Do I apply effort in practice or do I surrender? Ought there be discipline or should it come naturally? Answer: Yes! Sources: Awakening to Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau; Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart by Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield. Dharma Talk by Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry.  Automated Transcript

The post Not Too Hard, Not Too Soft: Finding the Sweet Spot in Practice appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

May 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
How to make the most of chanting, talks, and personalized instruction during sesshin. Sharing the teachings of Roshi Philip Kapleau, founder of Rochester Zen Center, on the 19th anniversary of his death. Source: Zen: Merging of East and West by Roshi Philip Kapleau. Dharma Talk by Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry.  Automated Transcript

The post Making the Most of Each Moment of Sesshin appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Bodhin-roshi’s comments on the controversy surrounding the February video of “the Dalai Lama and the boy.” (Correction: the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959, not 1951 as was stated in the talk.) Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post The Dalai Lama and the Boy appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

A look at Master Dogen’s treatise ‘Instructions to the Cook,’ with reflections on my own experiences as a cook, particularly at the Zen Center, as well as on work practice in general. Dharma Talk by Ven. Kanji Argetsinger.  Automated Transcript

The post Instructions to the Cook appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The layering of suffering. Coming to the Path Talk by Rebecca Gilbert.  Automated Transcript

The post Coming to the Path Talk by Rebecca Gilbert appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Further exploration of practice off the mat. (Continuing the theme of the teisho of February 19, 2023.) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Stop Fixing Yourself appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Mumonkan #13, Tokusan Carries His Bowls. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Mumonkan #13, Tokusan Carries His Bowls appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Illuminating Silence #5 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Noticing when we’re lost in the dream and returning to direct, embodied experience. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Get Out of Your Head appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Illuminating Silence #4 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Illuminating Silence #3 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Illuminating Silence #2 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post Illuminating Silence #1 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The post A Buddhist View of Non-violence and the War in Ukraine appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Zen practice is a method, not a technique. As a result, practice can sometimes feel frustrating since there’s no step-by-step instruction manual telling us “Exactly What to Do.” (Nor will there ever be.) So how do we practice? Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

The post Skillful Effort, Skillful Concentration appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

We’re socially conditioned to lead with the head, however Zen is not a mental activity. How do we get our practice into the body-mind? Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Practicing with Our Whole Being appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Blue Cliff Record #21 “Chimon and the Lotus.” Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Blue Cliff Record #21 “Chimon and the Lotus.” appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on “Attaining the Way: A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism” by Master Sheng Yen. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post “Attaining the Way” by Master Sheng Yen appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on “Subtle Wisdom: Understanding Suffering, Cultivating Compassion Through Chan Buddhism” by Master Sheng Yen Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post “Subtle Wisdom” by Master Sheng Yen #2 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

It is what it is. The recent presidential election affected many people on a deep emotional level, and in differing ways. From the vantage point of Zen practice, how do we work with whatever we’re feeling? How do we step back and see more clearly things as they are? Dharma Talk by Tom Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post Es lo que Hay appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on “Subtle Wisdom: Understanding Suffering, Cultivating Compassion Through Chan Buddhism” by Master Sheng Yen. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The post “Subtle Wisdom” by Master Sheng Yen #1 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Zen practice has the potential to change our lives for the better. So what are we doing when we’re not facing a wall?  (See also the teisho Stop Fixing Yourself.) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Transcript

The post Practice Off the Mat appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The usual human response to trouble and uncertainty is anxiety and resistance. How can we learn to live wholeheartedly with things as they are? Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The post It’s OK to Suffer appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

A senior student speaks candidly about his time at the Center, including his intense efforts to stay with Zen practice through severe depression and cancer. Coming to the Path Talk by Jonathan Hager.  Automated Transcript

The post Coming to the Path Talk by Jonathan Hager appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.