THZ 257 - What Tools Do We Gain from Zen

A talk on Case 12 of Dogen's Mana Shobogenzo Koun Franz; Jan. 17, 2023

THZ 247 - Getting Trapped By Right Intention

Dogen said, "When someone asks about the dharma or the essentials of practice, Zen monks must reply on the basis of the true dharma. Do not answer on the basis of expedient means that are not true, thinking the person is not a vessel (of the dharma), or is incapable of understanding because he is only a beginner."

Dogen said, "If you first change your physical behavior, your mind will be reformed as well."

On the parable of the burning house, skillful means, and lying.

On Buddhist teacher scandals and the notion that we should "not confuse the teachings with the teacher." Can we even do that? And if not, then what?

Dogen in "Record of Things Heard": "You must practice the Way with the attitude of a person owing a vast debt and being forced to return it despite being penniless. If you have this frame of mind, it is easy to attain the Way.'"

“I desire to practice the Way, but the world is in its last period (which is degenerate) and I have only inferior capabilities. I cannot endure the formal practice which accords with the dharma. I want to find an easier way which is suitable for me, make a connection, and attain enlightenment in the next lifetime.” Dogen replies, "This is entirely wrong."

Causation: how did we get here from there? And now what?

"We should not necessarily rely on the words of the ancients, but we should grasp just true reality." From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard" 4-2.

Buddhahood, artificial intelligence, and how we see ourselves in others.

“Associating with a good person is like walking through mist and dew; though you will not become drenched, gradually your robes will become damp.” From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard" 4-4.

THZ 246 - What About Passion?

What is the Big Thing? And how do we not lose sight of it?

From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard," 2-26: "As long as we only think about the buddhadharma with our minds, we will never grasp the Way, even in a thousand lifetimes or a myriad of eons."

An explanation of what we call the "private ceremony," a service we can perform at home every day.

From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard," 2-17: "You should spend your time carrying out what is worth doing. Among the things you should do, what is the most important?"

From Dogen's "Record of Things Heard," 1-15: "A student of the Way must cool his mind as if he were giving up his life, and consider if what he is about to say or do is in accordance with reality or not. If it is, he should say or do it."

From "Record of Things Heard" (Zuimonki) 1-13. Dogen: "You should believe your teacher if he says that buddha is nothing but a toad or an earthworm, and throw your former ideas away."

On the motivations and expectations we bring to practice—and what we actually find.

What's the gap between what we see and what's really there? On the Zen imperative to look beyond simple appearances.

How do we open ourselves to being inspired by our heroes without losing sight of them, and ourselves, as three-dimensional beings? 

From a one-day retreat, a talk on Dogen's Genjo Koan and the idea that there's something we're missing.

THZ 245 - Zazen is Colourless and Transparent

Zen upholds the "ordinary," but when we aim for that, we end up somewhere else.

We imagine that clarity feels sure, and confusion feels uncertain, but there's another clarity in not knowing. 

A reminder about interdependence and how we work so hard to convince ourselves that the things in our minds are real.

How can we respond to the things that are out of our control? What can we honestly offer?

How Buddhism can either make us complacent or clarify how and where to push for change.

Zen is not the work of awakening; it's awake work.

The fourth of the bodhisattva vows: "The awakened way is unsurpassable; I vow to embody it."

The third of the bodhisattva vows: "Dharma gates are infinite; I vow to enter them."

The second of the bodhisattva vows: "Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them."

The first of the bodhisattva vows: "Beings are countless; I vow to free them all."

THZ 244 - Meeting Death in Everyday Life

Our repentance verse.

Talk #5 on Dogen's Shobogenzo Bussho ("Buddha Nature").

Talk #4 on Dogen's Shobogenzo Bussho ("Buddha Nature").

Talk #3 on Dogen's Shobogenzo Bussho ("Buddha Nature").

Talk #2 on Dogen's Shobogenzo Bussho ("Buddha Nature").

Talk #1 on Dogen's Shobogenzo Bussho ("Buddha Nature").

Why do we make breathing in meditation so hard?

On how spiritual practice sometimes convinces us that the invisible is more real or important than the visible.

What we think is "scary" versus what actually frightens us most.

On the bodhisattva path and the danger of setting prerequisites for success.

THZ 243 - Five Remembrances

Whether or not we tell ourselves it is OK, we're missing the point.

What is the mind? What is it to be weak-minded? And what is there to change?

What is our response to repeated tragedy?