Shasta Abbey – Details, episodes & analysis

Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck begins a new lecture series about Prajnaparamita who is the personification of the Scripture of Great Wisdom. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 12, 2025. 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/xXxDGtvqRTE

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Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks about the importance of impermanence and how it helps us to 'see' clearly. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday October 5th, 2025.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/5UiV7sli11g

Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Enya Sapp leads a retreat on the Lankavatara Sutra in August 2025. This sutra is one of the most important Zen texts and also one of the most obscure. Legend has it that Bodhidharma handed this text to his disciples saying, "this is all you need". However its profound teaching is often abandoned for other texts which feel more accessible to practitioners. Rev. Enya seeks to help us persevere and find success with the Lankavatara. She encourages us to accept the 'cup of tea' that is the Lankavatara Sutra, and most importantly, to DRINK the tea.

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RM Daishin talks about daily practice and the goal of 'Nirvana'. He encourages us to see that Nirvana is not an end goal but an ever ongoing flow of practice: now. 

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Rev. Kodo Kay talks about the practice of transferring Merit and how our practice has a deep impact upon the world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in 2018.

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The late Rev. Chosei Swann talks about general themes of practice and religious conviction in our lives. He encourages us to not give up and to make practice the foundation of our lives. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey in 2015.

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Rev. Shiko Rom gives a talk about faith and how we must start by having faith in ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 24, 2024. 

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Rev. Amanda Robertson talks about her life over the past six months and the difficulty she has had after sustaining injuries from a bad fall. She encourages us to see through the difficulties that life presents us with in order to realize that, fundamentally, we have everything we need. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 17, 2024.

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Rev. Daishin Yalon shares some reflections and advice from his fifty years as a Buddhist monastic. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 10, 2024.

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZxlzO299m1Y

Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, quotes a line from Great Master Dogen's 'Shushogi' that states, "our daily life should be spent constantly in selfless activity with no waste of time whatsoever". She discusses how we should understand this statement and make it a reality in our life and practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 3, 2024.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/LllwIzMYUaE 
Twitter/X: @shastaabbey