Buddhist Monastery Podcasts

https://youtu.be/6noqk256RZIΑπό τον Sokuzan

https://youtu.be/RXvZWRfsa3EΑπό τον Sokuzan

https://youtu.be/rTjvhkv5NRQΑπό τον Sokuzan

The poem from the Shobogenzo chapter ‘Flowers in the Sky’ was written by Zhang Zhuo upon his enlightenment. It begins, “Radiant light serenely illuminates the sands of the Ganges.” Talking about the mind of awakening is very difficult. The poem ends: “Nirvana and birth-and-death are both flowers in the sky.”https://youtu.be/34xQxJYoR1k…

The five dharmas are a good way to introduce looking at this. Things appear, we are compelled to name them, then we interpret, analyze, and stir things up. These three dharmas are in everyone’s lives. The spiritual path of buddha knowledge and suchness is understanding and seeing the illusion.https://youtu.be/5Y71iRIwjeQ…

https://youtu.be/FxYJ6aov1kcΑπό τον Sokuzan

This has been called the five dharmas in the Lankavatara Sutra. The five dharmas are just one thing. It’s going to look like a path until it doesn’t. Even without the 4th dharma of buddha knowledge, you can awaken to muchness.https://youtu.be/IYHFKj6x6tIΑπό τον Sokuzan

Think deeply comes from Dogen’s Shobogenzo in the fascicle, “Flowers in the Sky.” Receive thoughts without manipulating and interpreting them. If you think deeply there’s no thinker. Allow the self to fall away from the greediness of an imaginary self.https://youtu.be/9EsX40wIQBUΑπό τον Sokuzan

Your emotions are always there. When something happens to trigger our emotions we may think something or someone caused it. This is untrue. Cause and effect are much more complicated than that. Don’t torture others by blaming them.https://youtu.be/QByjiVDODb0Από τον Sokuzan

Buddha’s first teaching was suffering. If you’re alive, you’re going to suffer. Even when nothing seems to be wrong, we’re worried about what might be coming just around corner. Most people do not know they are suffering because they’re successful in the relative area of covering it up.https://youtu.be/ykwbYVOhzYI…

https://youtu.be/OUep2HD6IesΑπό τον Sokuzan

https://youtu.be/Gi7k4iePRkkΑπό τον Sokuzan

Anytime anything occurs, if you have any thoughts about it at all, it’s more than likely a cover-up. Rather than see what is there we fight with it, or we blame. It’s about being aware or this, not stopping or fixing it. It seems to take a lot of sitting meditation in order to see this clearly.https://youtu.be/_aea6TrHwzA…

Anytime anything occurs, if you have any thoughts about it at all, it’s more than likely a cover-up. Rather than see what is there we fight with it, or we blame. It’s about being aware or this, not stopping or fixing it. It seems to take a lot of sitting meditation in order to see this clearly.https://youtu.be/453_2g1Iyi8…

This is an image to help us see what we have been doing. We’re constantly participating in everything, commenting on whatever shows up, reifying, justifying, and validating ego, reinforcing the reality of whatever is happening in our mind stream.You don’t need to conclude anything.https://youtu.be/GV_AoCSo5Ro…

“The mirage of duality” is a line from the Sadhana of Mahamudra by Trungpa Rinpoche. The apparent multiplicity of everything is the mirage. When you believe the illusion is true, it’s called delusion. It’s not about correcting that.https://youtu.be/RbfuYEEc2PsΑπό τον Sokuzan

We automatically receive all kinds of things: smells, touch, memories, thoughts, emotions. When something shows up we grasp at it. This creates a grasper and the illusion of a person, an identity. If you’re constantly producing out of the illusion you are fueling that part of consciousness that thinks there’s a self. You don’t need to get rid of it…

When your perception of what is right in front of you is completely free of the debris of your conceptions, preconceptions, opinions, ideas and junkyard dog conclusions, this is immaculate perception; no one is perceiving, nothing is perceived.https://youtu.be/wn0y2Ww-IaoΑπό τον Sokuzan

Enlightenment or realization is seeing the truth and no longer being deluded by anything. It has no substance; you can’t find it. You have to see if for yourself with your awareness.https://youtu.be/NyD8E0kIeGgΑπό τον Sokuzan

First, listen. If you’re having difficulty communicating, use the 90/10 rule; Listen 90% of the time and talk 10%. Wait for the period. Receive what is being triggered in your mind stream.https://youtu.be/IWns0Yl6w0QΑπό τον Sokuzan

This is the only way most of the world can continue on a spiritual path. Even in a non-theistic tradition, we set up an authority. It’s possible to practice without this authority.https://youtu.be/XxUBMcFoxMQΑπό τον Sokuzan

The model of the 6 realms is a traditional Buddhist teaching about states of mind. Each realm is characterized by one of the three poisons and describes the way we are working with them. Bodhisattvas are said to appear in every realm in order to save beings.https://youtu.be/Qr1iLddzLuEΑπό τον Sokuzan

We attach ourselves to a standard when we don’t want to see what something really is. We need standards, but they need to be observed with respect. You may stick to it 90% of the time, but If you always just go to the standard you are ignoring the open dimension of your mind.https://youtu.be/BMYPTaDHIRY…

People are controlled by their beliefs. These are positions the ego takes up in order to avoid looking into the darkness, the unknown. It’s hard to see if you're believing something because it shows up as an opinion. Just look at that and receive the discomfort without covering it up.https://youtu.be/7hoOaWAcpRc…

We make little short stories about everything. Be aware that you’re doing that. We’re not trying to not have stories; it’s always about awareness, not about controlling things. Observe what’s coming or going and what’s hanging around.https://youtu.be/s9vA4pPezbIΑπό τον Sokuzan

When anger arises in your mind stream, don’t stop it, don’t explain it, and don’t blame anyone for it including yourself. This just gets us deeper into the circularity of samsara.. Anger is dependently arisen and is not generated by a person. If you think it is, you’ll go in circles.https://youtu.be/KoT2ENAK0KQ…

The three poisons are passion, aggression and ignorance. The hardest one to identify and not jump to conclusions about is ignorance. The very nature of it is to not look, not to see it. Without instruction it’s very difficult not to mistake it for some kind of samadhi.https://youtu.be/LEwn_qKWGroΑπό τον Sokuzan

Buddha means awakened one. What is the nature of that? Buddha Nature does not come and go; it’s ineffable. Over time, through watching what is appearing and disappearing, you can change your allegiance over to the awareness of just what is dependently arising.https://youtu.be/nFAk5uz8GboΑπό τον Sokuzan

Receive without producing is saying the same thing. I want to encourage you to receive the thoughts. If you can, don’t express and don’t add. You may have to put a lunge line on that pony of your thoughts so that you can see the way you continue to take what arises and use it as a credential or proof of something else.https://youtu.be/kNNQb1Hc_aI…

Kleshas may appear to increase because you’ve been covering them up. Now that you’re practicing meditation and studying the buddha’s dharma, the cover-ups aren’t working quite so well. If it shows up in your mind, it is yours. Don’t fight with that.https://youtu.be/XbVK3xWYbwwΑπό τον Sokuzan

Whatever is arising in the mind stream at any given moment is dependently arisen. That means there’s no real thinker there. We may try to ignore what’s arising or shove down our emotions. In order to see that you’re even doing such a thing, just be aware.https://youtu.be/i0MJ_uRY1AoΑπό τον Sokuzan

Observing doesn't fixate. The tendency of the mind is to fixate in order to protect an imaginary person. If you’re actually observing you won’t latch onto anything. As soon as you lock down on anything, that’s fixation. You can sit down and just collapse into whatever this is.https://youtu.be/Dakz8DTUubI…

Look closely at your mind - that’s what you’re here to do. It doesn’t matter what happens, what matters is your intention. Consciousness has nerve endings. Be grateful for those feelings and be grateful for this precious human birth.https://youtu.be/1yhg0h4i3NQΑπό τον Sokuzan

Look at the confusion that arises in your mind relative to what’s happening with your interactions with others, whether pleasant, boring or disturbing. Rather than look for the cause of the confusion, train yourself to see what this is fundamentally by looking at the confusion directly. This is done through the sitting practice of meditation.https:…

When anything comes up in your mind, before the naming comes, before you even call it confusion, just observe. The original situation is what needs to be seen. That's the dharma gate.https://youtu.be/MFrJ_u6HLMIΑπό τον Sokuzan

https://youtu.be/SYUIah-N28UΑπό τον Sokuzan

Karma is Sanskrit for action. The simple karma of cause and effect is what most of the world is trapped by; the illusion that ‘this caused that’ and you can do something to stop it. If you wrestle with your life, you’ll miss it.https://youtu.be/d58KP0AtzCQΑπό τον Sokuzan

https://youtu.be/mbIlC-MU3_gΑπό τον Sokuzan

This is to help people see how they can work with relationships: listen 90% of the time and talk 10%. It’s an impossible form, but it lets you know just how much you run your mouth. Listen to everyone, even if they’re not saying anything yet.https://youtu.be/zMbaAzo9ATUΑπό τον Sokuzan

Don’t ignore the silence by grasping onto what creates the idea of a space or silence. Something comes up in our mind as language about everything. The quality of thought has different dimensions or depths to it. Get used to that and get to know yourself by watching your mindstream.https://youtu.be/K6jHmMsz2rk…

All dharmas are without fault and without blame. It’s about awareness of what’s happening and not about a success story. It’s very hard not to judge or blame. Have the courage to look at what shows up in your mind steam moment by moment, even though there are no actual moments.https://youtu.be/lpQg1ZpA0A0…

This is often missed because we put our ideas, our thoughts, our memories and our judgements over the top of something that is completely shimmering in front of us. It’s wordless.https://youtu.be/zhuoz7trqI4Από τον Sokuzan

This is a continuation from Saturday’s all-day sesshin talk. Relationships are always changing, always difficult. Whatever is showing up that’s coming toward you as an Apparent Other, just receive it. It’s not exactly other than you.https://youtu.be/KfAHskq7Y_kΑπό τον Sokuzan

The forgiveness I am addressing here is not about the minor things having to do with being polite and respectful of other people. I am talking about when you think you can forgive somebody for something. You cannot. This just perpetuates the confusion that we’re dealing with all over the world, all the time. First, don’t blame, then you won’t be dr…

If you see what this is it’s very mirror-like. It’s not reflecting anything other that that which is observing it, which is consciousness. Everything you see is mirroring you all the time. The encouragement with the this example is to see that its objectivity resides mainly in what’s being reflected in it.https://youtu.be/LCmIbhwgvW8…

Radical in the sense of going to the root of something means first looking at what is showing up. You’re going to have to look at the stems and leaves before you can find the root. I’m recommending to you that you don’t waste another minute of your life not looking at what this is fundamentally.https://youtu.be/drP3i0HErpI…

Starting with the sitting practice of meditation, just sitting still without being focused, there’s a that edge arises. Then there’s an overlap; that’s the protective part. That’s where we see the way we begin to disguise ourselves and come to conclusions about who we are. Don’t so anything with that. Just observe.https://youtu.be/KMNFd4wYNZ4…

https://youtu.be/eHrl7QySWAsΑπό τον Sokuzan

Learning is not about facts, although we may need some relative knowledge. We need to be respectful of the different ways people receive and handle information. Do not set up standards; that can actually flatten things out.https://youtu.be/CO4346n0QJkΑπό τον Sokuzan

What I’m endeavoring to point to is very challenging and very difficult to see. I’m endeavoring to give your true identity back to you, simply put. Seeing what this is looks like you don’t really see anything. It’s empty of what appears but it’s full of what it is.https://youtu.be/vuSpwDasaA4Από τον Sokuzan