Rochester Zen Center Teisho (zen Talks)

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.

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.

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.