When you put a whole bunch of tarot roots in a bucket of water and they rub against each other. All the hair rubs off. That's the nature of monastic practice. Take all these people and put them in this rigid situation. After a while they get rather mild and sweet, and get along together. In a way, you can do that in your own life, with your Buddhist practice. In our sitting meditation, if we don't just sit there and go to sleep, or try to force ourselves into some artificial state of mind,...
Topics: Rev. Dave Hazelwood, ego, psychology
Reverend McCormick was ordained to the Nichiren-shu (Lotus Sutra School) ministry in 2001 by Reverend Ryusho Matsuda, of the San Jose Nichiren Temple. Reverend McCormick is also a long-time practitioner of zazen (seated meditation) and a student of the writings of Dogen-zenji.
Dai Hi Shin Dharani ------------------- NAMU KARA TAN NO TORA YA YA NAMU ORI YA BORYO KI CHI SHIFU RA YA FUJI SATO BO YA MOKO SATO BO YA MO KO KYA RUNI KYA YA EN SA HARA HA EI SHU TAN NO TON SHA NAMU SHIKI RI TOI MO ORI YA BORYO KI CHI SHIFU RA RIN TO BO NA MU NO RA KIN JI KI RI MO KO HO DO SHA MI SA BO O TO JO SHU BEN O SHU IN SA BO SA TO NO MO BO GYA MO HA TE CHO TO JI TO EN O BO RYO KI RU GYA CHI KYA RYA CHI I KIRI MO KO FUJI SA TO SA BO SA BO MO RA MO RA MO KI MO KI RI TO IN KU RYO KU RYO...
Topics: dai hi shin dharani, dharani, shin, dai, hi, chant, rohatsu, sesshin
Myo Lahey teaches Eihei Dogen's Bendowa from "The Wholehearted Way". Class #3
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dogen, Bendowa, Soto Zen
The future of Hartford Street Zen Center
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dharma Talk, Soto Zen
"The one-phrase iron person lives here."
Topics: dharma talk, zen, buddhism, lecture, hartford street
"You may have the thought, 'I hear the silence.' And the universe kind of says, 'that's right.' So that's pretty helpful, unless you get hung up on that, and go running around saying, 'You know what, the universe told me. I hear the silence.' And then that's not so helpful, and kind of obnoxious. So I wouldn't recommend that. If the universe says 'that's right', you say thank you universe, and go on with your steady, steady earth practice. And that's all, all you need to do."
Topics: Rev. John King, gotsu gotsu chi
Topics: dharma talk, zen, buddhism, lecture, hartford street zen center
Myo Lahey teaches Eihei Dogen's Bendowa from "The Wholehearted Way". Class #6. Final class.
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dogen, Bendowa, Soto Zen
Myo Lahey teaches Eihei Dogen's Bendowa from "The Wholehearted Way". Class #5
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dogen, Bendowa, Soto Zen
On Dogen's Three Pillars: Wholehearted Attention to the Details of Everyday Life
Topics: dogen, three pillars, zen, daily life
2007-06-30 Dharma Talk and Community Meeting on the state of affairs at the Hartford Street Zen Center, San Francisco, California.
Topic: reverend myo lahey, hartford street zen center, san francisco, issan ji
Fox, priest, enlightened, deluded. Be here. That's all it takes.
Topics: buddhism, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto
Master Jinshan asked Master Xiushan, "Clearly knowing the unborn nature of life, why are we stayed by life?" Xiushan said, "Bamboo shoots will eventually become bamboo, but if you use them now for bamboo rope, can you make them serve the purpose?" Jinshan said, "Later on you’ll be enlightened on your own." Xiushan said, "I’m just this way—what is your meaning?" Jinshan said, "This is the monastery superintendent’s quarters, that is the...
Topics: dharma talk, hszc, hartford street zen center
"If you make the choice to have space in your life to do some cultivation of the study of Dharma, again, things can change. Things can change in your life and it would be a mistake to think that you can direct that change. Or control that change. Or be in charge of that change. It's generally not possible."
Topic: hartford street zen center, san francisco, issan ji
Topics: dharma talk, zen, buddhism, lecture, hartford street zen center
Sometimes in zen, we ask these strange questions like, "What is Buddha?" This is a strange question. There's a multitude of answers, of course. But, mainly, that question is about the main thing. What's the main thing? The main thing, of course, is not one particular thing. It's also not everything . . . all things. It's what's at the tip of your nose right now, whatever that happens has to be. What's right under your feet, or right in your heart. Or rising up in the midst of your...
Topic: Dongshan
Expressing mind expressing nature. Sesshin Sessho.
Topics: dogen zenji, sesshin sessho, shobogenzo
In a 2008 TED lecture, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor described her experience of a stroke (http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229). Rev. Myo Lahey discusses her talk in the context of Soto Zen practice.
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Jane Bolte Taylor, Soto Zen, Dharma Talk, Stroke
Happy Bodhi Day!
Topics: rohatsu, sesshin
Topics: metta, meditation, vipassana
Myo Lahey teaches Eihei Dogen's Bendowa from "The Wholehearted Way". Class #4
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dogen, Bendowa, Soto Zen
"...actualize the bodymind, how do you do that? . . . Well, basically, you don't. You. Don't. Just like you do your laundry and sweep floors, not like that. Doing laundry and sweeping floors, the bodymind is actualized. This is Dogen's whole point."
Topics: HSZC history, Issan Dorsey, Rev. John Grimes
Bodhidharma was about telling us that, "No matter whether you have some fabulous insight, you will not go beyond this body-mind right now. No matter how greatly enlightened you get."
Topics: buddhism, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto, Bodhidharma
"The One Expounding Mind, Expounding Nature is Who?"
Topics: rohatsu, sesshin
"There is no enlightenment apart from now . . . Apart from this, there is no other place or time apart from the unfolding Buddha way. That's really all there is to it . . . The life of practice, the lifetime, or lifetimes, we spend in practice is simply teaching this bodymind, which is a manifestation of karma, how to align with that. Or letting it learn how to align with that truth. And at some point, it speaks for itself."
Rev. Anna Thorn speaks of Dogen's recommendations for Zazen, and ends with a quote from Kafka: "There is no need for you to leave the house. Stay at your table and listen. Don't even listen, just wait. Don't even wait, be completely quiet and alone. The world will offer itself to you to be unmasked, it can't do otherwise. In raptures it will writhe before you."
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Anna Thorn, Dharma talk, Soto Zen, Dogen, zazen, Kafka
Topics: Avatamsaka Sutra, Rev Jana Drakka
"Zen is said to be very difficult. And for many of us though, it doesn't matter if it's difficult or not. Whether it's easy or not. It's in our bones, our marrow. We'll do it no matter what."
Topics: jukai, Rev. Darlene Cohen
"Sometimes when people see the so called Dharma teacher's slip is showing, they get discouraged. And they go looking for someone with no slip showing. Well that's okay, but, again it's usually pretty dangerous to think that so-and-so, not only has no slip showing, but doesn't even have one. That's how cool they are. This is usually dangerous, because then you are, so to speak (although you can't) giving up your own awakened mind and putting it on someone else. That may be a necessary...
Topics: leak, Manjushri Bodhisattva
Topics: dharma talk, zen, buddhism, lecture, hartford street, faith, bodhicitta, bodhichitta
Buddha Shakyamuni said "There is no being in any universe or in any time that is unworthy of Lovingkindness."
Topics: rohatsu, sesshin, metta, meditation
Rev. Linda Galleon, recent head monk at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery, speaks on Dogen's "hitting the target" (or not).
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Linda Galleon, Soto Zen, Dharma Talk, Dogen, Tassajara
"Even if I could unroll for you, all of Buddha's teachings, in a single instance, that wouldn't save you. That wouldn't save me, either. This practice of Dharma study is dependent on others, and also completely individual. Do you understand? We can't do without others, and we also must manage our own effort, our own vow."
Topics: leaving home, sesshin
Hartford Street Zen Center. Dharma Talk.
Topics: dharma talk, hartford street zen center, myo lahey, rev myo, hszc, san francisco
Question and answer session continues after closing chant.
Topic: ed brown, hartford street zen center, san francisco, issan ji
"Is there anybody? Is there anybody? Is there any body? This is not an idle question for Buddhists, if that's what we are."
Topic: blue cliff record
Topics: buddhism, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto
Topics: dana paramita, Rev. Jeffrey Schneider
Myo Lahey teaches Eihei Dogen's Bendowa from "The Wholehearted Way". Class #2.
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dogen, Bendowa, Soto Zen
Myo Lahey Fundamentalism
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Myo Lahey, Dharma Talk, Soto Zen, Fundamentalism
The practice of zazan can teach us that the entire universe is bits and pieces. And whole. I would suggest that there isn't anything more precious than that.
Topics: dharma talk, hartford street zen center, myo lahey, rev myo, hszc, san francisco
May all beings be happy. May they be joyous and live in safety.
Topics: teaching children, metta sutta
Rev. Victoria Austin speaks on this week's California Supreme Court decision affirming the legitimacy of same-sex marriage. "Buddhism is about liberation from conventional designations...."
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Soto Zen, Dharma Talk, Victoria Austin, Same-sex marriage, gay...
Topics: buddhism, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto, Jana Drakka
Topics: vipassana, Arinna Weisman
Topics: buddhism, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto, dana, paramita
Topics: dharma talk, reverend myo lahey
Note: audio recording started late. This is a transcription of the opening lines of the Dharma talk, which were not recorded:"Everyone must realize Buddha's truth for themselves. I can't stress how important this is." Then the Dharma talk followed as presented in this recording.
Topics: dogen, rinzai, soto, practice-enlightenment
On Rev. Zenshin Ryufu (zen-heart dragon-wind) Philip Whalen, former Abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center.
Topics: Rev. Philip Whalen, ash interment ceremony
Rev. Greg Fain makes some recommendations for zazen posture, and discusses Buddhism's two truths in light of Zhaozhou's "cypress tree" koan (Case 47 from the Book of Serenity). "We're not living in harmony with all of creation because we think we're separate from all of creation."
Topics: Hartford Street Zen Center, Soto Zen, Dharma Talk, Greg Fain, Zhaozhou, cypress tree, zazen
"The future seems to approach, and the past to recede. But as Dogen pointed out, those are all just, what he called, "Being Time. Or Time Being." . . . To consider one without the other is an empty exercise. And if we don't have this established practice of actualizing whole body and mind, right now, then the way Dogen talks is going to remain somewhat puzzling at best."
Topics: Eihei Dogen, Being Time
Is Joy. Or . . .
Topics: buddhism, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto
Topics: dharma talk, reverend myo lahey
"If I say 'do you feel it?' I'm afraid you might be mislead, and think I'm referring to some particular thing."
Topics: buddhism, dharma talk, lecture, zen, Hartford Street Zen Center, soto, Myo Lahey