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Zen Studies Podcast!
Study Buddhism Online for Free
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I offer all of the content on the Zen Studies Podcast for free, because I want the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) to be available to everyone. Plus, I enjoy creating episodes – audio and text – about this ancient, incredibly rich spiritual tradition.
However, we all need to make a living, and I spend 10-12 hours a week on the podcast. Members support the podcast with a small monthly pledge. If you want to help me keep generating great content, consider becoming a member!
Recent Episodes
320 – Two Ends of the Practice Tunnel: Self-Power Versus Other-Power
Zen Buddhism exemplifies practice based in self-power, or jiriki. Pure Land Buddhism exemplifies practice based in other-power, or tariki. These are very different entry gates, but when we examine self-power and other-power more closely, we see that the ultimate goal of practice requires both.
319 – Q&A: Universal Life, the Bodhisattva Vow and Monasticism, and Other Traditions
This is one of my unscripted Q&A episodes, where I answer questions submitted by listeners. What does Kosho Uchiyama mean in his book Opening the Hand of Thought, when he talks about “settling as universal life?” Isn’t the Zen emphasis on monastic practice and self-liberation at odds with the Bodhisattva Vow to free all beings? What can we learn from practicing with other Buddhist traditions than our own, and is this recommended if we don’t live near a Zen center?
318 – Loving Your Enemies: Extending Metta Does Not Mean Capitulation
Unlike Jesus, the Buddha didn’t explicitly instruct us to “love our enemies.” However, he did instruct us to extend goodwill, or Metta, to all beings unconditionally – including, of course, our enemies. In this time of growing divisiveness, what does it really mean to follow this teaching? Most people will admit that nurturing resentment and hatred is probably a bad idea, but on the other hand it feels completely unacceptable to capitulate to – surrender to or stop resisting – those who we perceive as causing harm. Fortunately, there are many benefits to loving our enemies, and doing so does not mean capitulating to them.
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