The Zen Studies Podcast

Dharma Talks (a bit more personal take on Dharma topics)

223 – Integrando Introspecciones

by | Dec 1, 2022
223 – Integrando Introspecciones

Category: Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 223 En el asiento de meditación y fuera de él, podemos experimentar percepciones...

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223 – Integrating Insights

by | Nov 30, 2022
223 – Integrating Insights

On the meditation seat and off, we may experience significant insights - realizations that shift our perceptions of ourselves and world, and help relieve suffering. Insights may be sudden or gradual, major or minor, but we naturally want to be able to hold on them instead of forgetting them and going back to our previous way of thinking or being. Yet sometimes these insights seem to slip away or fade with time. Our effort to hold on to them sometimes causes them to recede even further. How can we integrate insights into our lives and practice?

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222 – Confronting the Buddha’s Sexist Discourse – Part 2

by | Nov 23, 2022
222 – Confronting the Buddha’s Sexist Discourse – Part 2

I explore how - for some of us - explaining, dismissing, or justifying the story of the Buddha’s resistance to ordaining women does not completely neutralize the discouraging effect of this story’s presence in the Buddhist canon. I then discuss how we can relate to this story without losing our faith in Buddhism as a path of practice.

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221 – Confronting the Buddha’s Sexist Discourse – Part 1

by | Nov 16, 2022
221 – Confronting the Buddha’s Sexist Discourse – Part 1

I introduce the text that describes the Buddha’s negative words and actions in response to the question of ordaining women into what was called the “homeless life” of his monastic community. Then I’ll talk about various ways we can explain, dismiss, or justify the story contained in this text. In the next episode I’ll explore how, for some of us, explaining, dismissing, or justifying the story of the Buddha’s sexist discourse does not completely neutralize the discouraging effect of this story’s presence in the Buddhist canon, and how we can relate to the story without losing our faith in this path of practice.

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220 – Being the Only Buddhist in Your Family – Part 2

by | Oct 29, 2022
220 – Being the Only Buddhist in Your Family – Part 2

This is Part 2 of my discussion about being the only Buddhist in your family. I continue discussing ways to create more harmony between your spiritual practice and your family relationships, and then talk about the special case of being in and intimate relationship with someone who doesn’t share your passion for Buddhist practice.

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219 – Being the Only Buddhist in Your Family – Part 1

by | Oct 21, 2022
219 – 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.

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216 – The Fourfold Bodhisattva Vow Part 1: Freeing All Beings

by | Sep 22, 2022
216 – 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.

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215 – We Will Die Soon: Contemplating Impermanence to Motivate Practice

by | Sep 12, 2022
215 – 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.

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214 – How Do You DO Zazen, Anyway?

by | Aug 31, 2022
214 – 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.

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