Rochester Zen Center Teisho (zen Talks)

Dharma talk by John Pulleyn: Looking at ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) as presented by Russ Harris in his book, The Happiness Trap, and how it fits with Zen practice. The post The Happiness Trap appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Roshi’s weekly podcast: “Depression Compared and Contrasted with Boredom.” The post CoronaCast: August 27 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

In the midst of massive suffering from the pandemic, many people, due to their circumstances, are experiencing unexpected personal contentment (and sometimes guilt as a result). How do we come to terms with this paradox–and move through in service to our bodhisattva vows? The post Thrivers’ Guilt appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Roshi’s weekly podcast: “Pandemic Ruin and Renaissance.” The post CoronaCast: August 19 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Teisho by Roshi Philip Kaleau, played on Founder’s Day – August 16, 2020. The post Teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau, October 1976 Sesshin, Day 4: Mumonkan #3 “Gutei’s Finger” appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Roshi’s weekly podcast: “Grit, competence, and zazen.” The post CoronaCast: August 12 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Whatever adversities we white people have suffered in our lives, structural racism isn’t one, and in that sense, at least, we’ve been privileged. We might deny having that advantage, or distance from it, but we can use our opportunities to join with others to begin dismantling systemic racism. The post Considering White Privilege appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

In Amala-sensei’s online sesshin last week, most participants had to negotiate some accommodation to the schedule of others they live with, and now have been negotiating the transition back to full-on household life. Roshi addresses both of these challenges in this week’s coronacast. The post CoronaCast: August 5 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

“With total trust, roam and play in samadhi”. Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 4, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

“You must be broadminded, whole, without relying on others.” Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 3, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The bright, boundless field — what is it? “Degrading situations” and how to avoid pursuing them. Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 2, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The life of Master Hongzhi Main Text: Cultivating the Empty Field, The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi by Taigen Daniel Leighton with Yi Wu, North Point Press San Francisco 1991 The post July 2020 Online Sesshin, Day 1, Amala-sensei: Master Hongzhi’s Cultivating the Empty Field appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

A treatise on enlightenment and practice by the Tang dynasty Chan master, a disciple of the great Ma Tsu. The post The Zen Teaching of Hui Hai appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Roshi’s weekly podcast to the Sangha. The post CoronaCast: July 23 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The U.S. is faring much worse with the coronavirus than the East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, where people also are much more agreeable to wearing face masks. These differences may be seen in the context of the broad historical contrasts drawn in Richard Nisbett’s The Geography of Thought, which presents cultural-psychological studies showing the... The post East-West Cultural Contrasts and the Pandemic appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Roshi’s podcast to the Sangha. The post CoronaCast: July 15 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn: Learning patience in the face of our unwillingness to be with things as they are. The post Working with Impatience appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

After dedicating herself to social service for five years, the woman who would later identify herself only as Peace Pilgrim had a spontaneous awakening while walking in the woods. Then she spent the next twenty-eight years walking across the country alone, sharing her commitment to inner and world peace. The post The Life and Teaching of Peace Pilgrim appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

This week’s podcast from Roshi to the Sangha. The post CoronaCast: June 25 appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

The pandemic and its massive economic consequences, when laid atop accelerating climate change, presents a perfect storm of suffering. But with the understanding that there is an Intelligence behind it all, we must be seeing corrective forces underway, a re-balancing at work. How might future generations look back and see these tumultuous times? The post Is There More to All This Than Meets the Eye? appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.