The Zen Studies Podcast

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

319 – Q&A: Universal Life, the Bodhisattva Vow and Monasticism, and Other Traditions

by | Nov 21, 2025
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?

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318 – Loving Your Enemies: Extending Metta Does Not Mean Capitulation

by | Nov 15, 2025
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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317 – Keizan’s Denkoroku Chapter 1: Mahakashyapa’s Smile

by | Oct 31, 2025
317 – Keizan’s Denkoroku Chapter 1: Mahakashyapa’s Smile

In this episode I read and reflect on Chapter One of Keizan’s Denkoroku: Record of the Transmission of Illumination. In it, Shakyamuni Buddha holds up a flower and blinks. Keizan says, "No one knew his intention, and they were silent." Then Mahakashyapa gives a slight smile, and the Buddha acknowledges him as his Dharma heir. What is going on in this koan? Keizan challenges our ideas about awakening, time, causation, and the nature of self.

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316 – Buddhist Communities and Public Political Stands: A Moral Quandary

by | Oct 20, 2025
316 – Buddhist Communities and Public Political Stands: A Moral Quandary

When should Buddhist communities take public stands on issues that could be seen as political? If politics is about how we make decisions in groups (local communities, towns, cities, states, nations), are Sanghas really be free from politics when they are embedded in these larger groups? Silence can function as tacit approval, so is maintaining neutrality in keeping with our Buddhist values? On the other hand, there are many good reasons for Sanghas to avoid bringing discussions of politics in their places of practice, and I discuss them.

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315 – Bad Zazen: Not Just an Oxymoron

by | Sep 30, 2025
315 – Bad Zazen: Not Just an Oxymoron

The form of meditation we do in Zen, unless we’re working on a koan, is called shikantaza – nothing but sitting – or silent illumination. It’s been called a “method of no method,” in which we let go of any striving whatsoever – even to control our meditative experience. So can we do “bad zazen?” Theoretically, there’s no such thing, and yet it sure feels like there is! What is this about?

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313 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Karma Work: Learning and Caring for the Self (3 of 3)

by | Sep 14, 2025
313 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Karma Work: Learning and Caring for the Self (3 of 3)

This is the third part of three of my episodes on “Learning the Self,” one of my Ten Fields of Zen. In the first episode I discussed why we “study the self” in Zen, and what “self” we’re talking about if – according to the teachings – the self is empty of any inherent nature! In the second episode I talked about what is meant by “studying” or “learning” the self. I also explained the idea of Karma and discussed why it’s valuable to work on it. In this episode, I cover how we do Karmic Work. 

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312 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Karma Work: Learning and Caring for the Self (2 of 3)

by | Aug 31, 2025
312 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Karma Work: Learning and Caring for the Self (2 of 3)

This is part two of three of my series on “Learning the Self,” one of my Ten Fields of Zen. In the first episode I discussed why we “study the self” in Zen, and what “self” we’re talking about if – according to the teachings – the self is empty of any inherent nature! Now I’m moving on what is meant by “studying” or “learning” the self. This part of our practice has two essential aspects. Karma Work is taking care of your Phenomenal Self - becoming intimately familiar with your own body and mind and learning to live in accord with the Dharma. Realization of your True Nature involves seeking out, questioning, and seeing through your belief in an inherent self-nature, thereby awakening to your True Nature.

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310 – Three Paths: The Value of Monastics, Clergy, and Lay Practitioners in Western Zen

by | Aug 16, 2025
310 – Three Paths: The Value of Monastics, Clergy, and Lay Practitioners in Western Zen

Since the Buddha’s time, certain practitioners have chosen to leave the household life to dedicate themselves completely to formal Buddhist training. Undergoing a ceremony of ordination in which they took monastic vows, these monks and nuns lived the remainder of their lives within a Sangha – community – of other ordained people. In modern Western Zen, you will find a thoroughly confusing situation where ordained people who live fully monastic lives are rare, most ordained people are called “priests” and live householder lives, and practitioners who are not ordained often teach the Dharma and lead lay Sanghas (functions historically reserved for ordained people). What is the use – if any – of continuing with a tradition of “ordination?” I discuss the value of monks, priests, and lay practitioners in the context of Zen as it is currently manifesting in the United States.

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