Upaya Zen Center's Dharma Podcast

This part is a continuation of  Faith Beyond Duality 2021 program and is led by Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Roshi. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Faith Beyond Duality 2021

This part is a continuation of  Faith Beyond Duality 2021 program and is led by Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Roshi. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Faith Beyond Duality 2021

Series Description: As a text, Xin Xin Ming, Verses of the Faith Mind, composed in the 7th century, might be as Zen as it gets. It’s also as now as it gets if one is interested in developing a fundamental trust. In what? In awareness. In one’s direct experience. In life. Rev. angel says, “If I had to choose a bible, this would be it.” The paradox of belonging in community and to the world is that it is most firmly rooted in a deep “own-belonging” that liberates us from the fear of attachment. This experiential practice-based exploration traverses Buddhism, Taoism, poetry & verse. Learning to see beyond duality, we can establish or strengthen a practice using instructions that point us back to ourselves. Instructor(s): Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Roshi. This is the opening session of the retreat. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: Faith Beyond Duality 2021

In this sesshin talk on Buddha ancestors, Sensei Kathie Fischer takes us way, way back, reminding us that long before any of our human ancestors there were the ancestors of earth, water, fire, air, and space. When we sit in zazen and feel our breaths grounding our bodies into the earth and then rising and dissipating into spaciousness, we touch these most ancient of ancestors. After reminding us of this earthly heritage, Kathie reviews the stories and teachings of the first six of our human Zen ancestors, beginning with Bodhidharma, and then explores two modern American Zen teachers: Katherine Thanas and Blanche Hartman. There is a golden thread running through these ancestors’ teachings: Your mind is the Buddha. Take good care of it. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here.

In this talk about Fusatsu, the full moon ceremony of repentance and vow-renewal, Sensei Kathie Fischer implores us to, as the old folk song says, “study war no more.” Rather than waging battle against our so-called negative emotions, such as anger and jealousy, Kathie suggests that, first, we show them respect (after all, she reminds us, these feelings evolved in order to protect us), and then we trust the practice of returning to our body and breath, gently allowing the emotion to float through our consciousness. To repent, as we do in the ceremony of Fusatsu, is to take responsibility for the thoughts and emotions that keep us from loving others and ourselves well, and to vow to return again and again to our life together in the present moment. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here.

This is the 2nd and the final segment of the final session of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and is led by Zenshin Florence Caplow and Reigetsu Susan Moon with Roshi Joan Halifax joining in. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

This is the 1st segment of the final session of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and is led by Zenshin Florence Caplow and Reigetsu Susan Moon with Roshi Joan Halifax joining in. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

This part is a continuation of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and is led by Reigetsu Susan Moon. She speaks about authenticity after which the participants join in. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

This part is a continuation of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and is led by Reigetsu Susan Moon and Zenshin Florence Caplow. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

This part is a continuation of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and the participants share their experiences of Part 4 that was led by Zenshin Florence Caplow. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

This part is a continuation of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and is led by Zenshin Florence Caplow. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

This part is a continuation of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and the speaker is Roshi Joan Halifax. Note: The recording of this part is somewhat uneven. We have leveled it as best as we can – and it is fully “listenable.” You may have to adjust volume at your end while listening. Our apologies for any inconvenience. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

Sensei Wendy Johnson instructs us in the art of forming a zen altar. In her characteristic poetic style, Wendy talks about the elements that make up a Zen altar, sharing stories and photos of altars that she’s created or encountered throughout her Zen practice. Wendy invites us to see the  components of a Zen altar, such as fire and water, not as mere metaphors, but as particularized celebrations of the Elements themselves. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here.

This part is a continuation of  The Wisdom of Zen Crones program and is led by Reigetsu Susan Moon and Zenshin Florence Caplow. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021

Series Description: In this weekend online retreat, we explored a few of the “Old Women Koans” from The Hidden Lamp, so full of laughter, clarity, and spiritual power. Whatever our age or our gender, we can be inspired by these no-nonsense old women, who showed monks, and even famous Zen masters, the limits of their understanding. We used contemplative practices, writing, and small group work to deepen our understanding of these wild Zen crones and their teaching. No knowledge of Zen koans needed to participate. Instructors: Zenshin Florence Caplow, Reigetsu Susan Moon, and Roshi Joan Halifax. This is the opening session of the retreat. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. To access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: The Wisdom of Zen Crones 2021