308 – Q&A: Sharing the Dharma with Children, Mindfulness, and a Posture Mistake

308 – Q&A: Sharing the Dharma with Children, Mindfulness, and a Posture Mistake

by | Jul 25, 2025 | Listener's Questions

In this episode I answer listener questions: How do you address the dharma and practice with young kids? If I’m trying to be mindful on work breaks, should I just go cold turkey and not look at my phone at all or maybe try a more moderate approach like eating my meal and then looking at my phone? Is it even possible to be mindful while looking at social media, checking email, etc.? And: When sitting in meditation posture, what should I do with my stomach?

307 – Dana, la Paramita de la Generosidad: Enseñanzas Budistas Sobre el Dar (1 de 4)

307 – Dana, the Paramita of Generosity: Buddhist Teachings on Giving (1 of 4)

by | Jul 8, 2025 | Buddhist Teachings

Dana, generosity or giving, is the first Mahayana Buddhist paramita. Generosity is where the journey to self-transcendence begins. In this first episode on Dana, I give an overview of the Buddha’s teachings on the virtue of giving. These teachings are from before Dana was defined as one of the paramis or paramitas – that is, perfections cultivated by someone on the bodhisattva path. In the next episode I discuss Dana as a perfection.

306 – Teisho: La Mente Ordinaria Es el Camino, Nunca Alejada de este Preciso Lugar

306 – Teisho: Ordinary Mind Is the Way, Never Apart from This Very Place

by | Jun 30, 2025 | Zen Teachings

This is a teisho – kind of like a cross between a Dharma Talk and guided meditation. I hope my words will point you toward how the Great Matter – that which we seek to awaken to and manifest – is never apart from this very place. Ordinary mind is the Way, and is buddha itself. But what does this really mean? Not that we can’t hope for relief from the turmoil of our minds as we usually experience them! Mind-with-a-capital-M is not equivalent to our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and concepts. Mind is the undisturbed space within which everything arises, so it is always available to us – never apart from this very place.

305 – Fundamentos del Dharma: Verdades en las que Confiar Pase lo Que Pase

305 – Dharma Foundations: Truths to Rely on No Matter What

by | Jun 18, 2025 | Buddhist Teachings

Religions and spiritual paths are meant to give you strength and help you find meaning. Many people derive strength and meaning through faith in an all-powerful God who works in mysterious ways but ultimately has your best interests in mind. Buddhism doesn’t teach this kind of faith, but it does call attention to many truths upon which we can rely for strength and meaning, no matter what happens to us personally or in the world. For the purpose of this discussion, I’m going call the truths we can rely on “Dharma Foundations.”

304 – Apoyar la Práctica Zen de las Personas con Capacidades Diferentes (2 de 2)

303 – Supporting the Zen Practice of People with Physical Challenges (1 of 2)

by | May 24, 2025 | Buddhism Today, Buddhist Practice

People with extra physical challenges – disabilities, chronic illnesses, or advanced age – often find it impossible to participate fully in Zen practice without special accommodations. Seated meditation (zazen) can be painful, and the demands of silent meditation retreats (sesshin) can be prohibitive. However, an important part of Zen practice – especially sesshin – is how everyone follows the forms together, doing the same things at the same times. The whole idea is to minimize the need to exercise personal choice, and to use a certain amount of physical discomfort to bring us up against the existential matter of our lives. How can Sanghas support the Zen practice of people with physical challenges while preserving what is supportive to those without them?

302 – Preguntas y Respuestas: Defender lo Correcto y Zazen vs Disociación y Trance

302 – Q&A: Standing Up for What’s Right, and Zazen Versus Dissociation and Trance

by | May 16, 2025 | Listener's Questions

In this extemporaneous Q&A episode, I address these questions: What is the responsibility of Buddhists to stand for what is right? What is the difference between the Buddhist goal of “detaching from clinging and aversion” and the pathological states of detachment from reality called “dissociation?” How would you describe the desirable level of overlap between shikantaza (the zazen of just sitting) and trance?

301 – Teisho: Tienes Que Ver Tu Naturaleza

301 – Teisho: You Have to See Your Nature

by | Apr 30, 2025 | Buddhist Teachings, Zen Teachings

This episode is a Teisho, an encouragement talk that’s meant to be listened to while you are sitting quietly. Zen teachers give Teisho during sesshin, and this amounts to a more formal kind of Dharma talk, almost like a meditation. It’s not meant to be educational. I’m curious as to how it will come off if you listen to it while walking or driving or doing something else. Maybe it’ll be cool. But I recommend sitting still if you’re able. Teisho are generally only given during sesshin and not recorded, but I recreated one from the sesshin I led last week for you.

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