The Zen Studies Podcast
Dharma Talks (a bit more personal take on Dharma topics)
219 – Ser El/La Único/a Budista en Tu Familia – Parte 1
Category: Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 219 Muchos, si no la mayoría, de los Budistas de habla inglesa (¡o de habla hispana!...
read more219 – Being the Only Buddhist in Your Family – Part 1
Many – if not most – English-speaking Buddhists are converts to Buddhism. Even if you were raised in a Buddhist family, chances are good that as an adult you are surrounded by non-Buddhists, or that as an active Buddhist practitioner you are surrounded by people for whom Buddhism is largely a cultural matter. I discuss the challenges of being the only Buddhist in your family or intimate relationship, and ways to create more harmony between your spiritual practice and your close relationships.
read more218 – El Cuádruple Voto del Bodhisattva Parte 3: Atravezando las Puertas del Dharma y Alcanzando la Budeidad
Category: Enseñanzas Budistas ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 218 Analizo los votos tercero y cuarto del Cuádruple Voto del Bodhisattva,...
read more218 – The Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow Part 3: Entering Dharma Gates & Attaining Buddhahood
I discuss the third and fourth vows of the Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow, about entering all Dharma Gates and embodying the unsurpassed Buddha Way. For some of us, these seem less accessible and relevant than the first two, about freeing all beings and ending all delusions. I talk about what the third and fourth vows mean and why making them is valuable to our practice.
read more217 – El Cuádruple Voto del Bodhisattva parte 2: Poner Fin a Todas la Ilusiones
Category: Enseñanzas Budistas ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 217 Este es el episodio dos de mi serie sobre el Cuádruple Voto del Bodhisattva...
read more217 – The Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow Part 2: Ending All Delusions
This is episode two in my series on the Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow (also called the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows). In the first episode of the series (216), I discussed the spirit of the bodhisattva vows in general, and then when into detail about the first vow about saving all beings. In this episode I will explore the second vow about ending all delusions.
read more216 – El Cuádruple Voto del Bodhisattva Parte 1: Liberando a Todos los Seres
Category: Enseñanzas Budistas ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 216 En este episodio reviso el significado del Cuádruple Voto del Bodhisattva, y...
read more216 – The Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow Part 1: Freeing All Beings
In this episode I review the meaning of the Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow, and then explore the first of the vows in detail: Beings are numberless, I vow to free them. What does it mean to free beings, and what does it mean to our practice that we vow to free every last one of an infinite number of beings? In the next couple episodes I will similarly explore the second, third, and fourth vows.
read more215 – Moriremos Pronto: Contemplando La Impermanencia Para Motivar La Práctica
Category: Enseñanzas Budistas ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 215 Desde la época de Buda, los Budistas han dedicado tiempo a contemplar la...
read more215 – We Will Die Soon: Contemplating Impermanence to Motivate Practice
From the time of the Buddha, Buddhists have spent time contemplating impermanence - often by deliberately meditating on their own mortality and eventual death. This practice isn't for everyone, but it can help motivate us stay motivated to practice, focus on our deepest aspirations, take responsibility for our karma, maintain equanimity, and remember the preciousness of this moment. It can also lead to profound insights about the nature of the self.
read more214 – ¿Cómo Haces Tú Zazen, De Todos Modos?
Category: Meditación ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 214 He ofrecido muchos episodios sobre zazen, o meditación Zen, en el Zen Studies...
read more214 – How Do You DO Zazen, Anyway?
Offering you another episode on zazen risks me repeating myself, but I don’t think it hurts to offer a fresh new talk on zazen periodically. The practice – while profoundly simple – also can be frustratingly elusive. What are you supposed to do during zazen, anyway? We’re told to just sit, and then allow thoughts to come and go, neither chasing them nor pushing them away. Is that it? In this episode I explore exactly what we’re supposed to be doing in zazen, and how to know if we’re doing it correctly.
read more213 – Deconstruyendo el Yo: ¿Qué aspectos son buenos y cuáles causan sufrimiento?
Category: Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 213 La enseñanza central del Zen es que comprender la verdadera naturaleza del yo es de...
read more213 – Deconstructing Self: Which Aspects Are Fine, and Which Cause Suffering?
The core teaching of Zen is that understanding the true nature of self is of the utmost importance to living a life that is liberated, compassionate, generous, wise, and skillful. Mindful examination of a subject like the self classically involves something akin to deconstruction; once we recognize the component parts of something, our sense of it as monolithic thing or force is undermined. I parse "the self" into six aspects, and discuss how each relates to our practice.
read more212 – La Sabiduría del Juego
Category: Práctica Budista, Textos Budistas ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 212 Cuando jugamos de todo corazón, nos enfrentamos al mundo con...
read more212 – The Wisdom of Play
When we play wholeheartedly, we engage the world with energy, joy, lightheartedness, and enthusiasm, welcoming challenge and enjoying our activity for its own sake. We rarely have the same attitude toward our work, responsibilities, difficulties, or even our Buddhist practice. What if we did? Zen Master Hongzhi suggests a playful attitude might actually be an enlightened one.
read more211 – Book Review – Kosho Uchiyama’s “Opening the Hand of Thought”
Uchiyama Roshi's Opening the Hand of Thought is a great book for the beginner as well as the advanced practitioner of Zen. Uchiyama manages to balance philosophical discussion of the most challenging Zen topics - the nature of zazen, and awakening to universal self - with a compassionate, down-to-earth, creative (and sometimes humorous) style that makes you think, "I just might get it this time!"
read more210 – Book Review: Kyogen Carlson’s “You Are Still Here”
This book is a treasure in that it collects in one place the essential subjects and themes of Kyogen Carlson’s teaching, which remains faithful to his Soto Zen lineage through Roshi Jiyu Kennett but reflects Kyogen’s ability to express the Dharma in a down-to-earth, inviting, but nonetheless challenging way.
read more209 – Book Review: Issho Fujita’s “Polishing a Tile”
In this episode I review Issho Fujita's Polishing a Tile. This is far and away my favorite book on zazen of all time, and it covers other essential aspects of Zen practice as well. This book isn't available as a hard copy, although I wish it was! However, you can access a pdf online in a number of places.
read more208 – Nueve Beneficios de la Práctica Budista en Tiempos Difíciles
Category: Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 208 ¿Cómo puede ayudarnos la práctica a lidiar con las fuertes emociones negativas que...
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