The Jizo-an Zen Community Podcast

The Ceaseless Flow of Mind

This talk explores Buddha nature as the wholeness obscured by afflictions, self-centered stories, and habitual reactivity. Drawing on teachings about contingency, the Nob

The Eight Realizations of Awakened Beings

What does it mean to live an awakened life, to live in an awakened way? How do we bring our practice and the Dharma teachings into our everyday lives? How do we realize o

Cultivating Right View

This teaching explores right view as the foundation of the Noble Eightfold Path: seeing suffering, impermanence, causation, and personal responsibility clearly rather tha

Maturing through Practice

As we move through this life, we tend to exchange old stories for new ones, but always there is a backdrop of old fears like a shadow that haunts us. In order to fully ma

2,600 Years of Buddhist History in 26 Minutes

In its 2,600-year history, from the time of the Buddha to the present day, Buddhism has grown from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now s

Sutra in the Floorboards

Studying sutras is one way to awaken this heart/ mind. this big mind as Shunryu Suzuki calls it. And the same goes for our ability to embrace moment to moment awareness..

Zen Questions - Spiritual Inquiry and Radical Honesty

We have largely been conditioned to believe that we need to constantly push ourselves very hard and make strenuous efforts to attain, achieve, or become this or that. We

The Meaning of Gateless Gate in Zen

In Zen we are taught that we have everything within us to be awakened and enlightened. However, we, in our conditioned mind, create barriers that hold us back from tappin

Pattern and Novelty, Transcending our Stories

Our lives are constructed of stories. Some are handed down to us, others take form from the outcome of events in our lives. Stories are the stuff of our sense of self, an

A Tribute to Seijaku Roshi

Five years ago, our founder Seijaku Roshi died.  As time passes the number of people who actually knew Roshi steadily decreases. But his presence is still here with us an

Living in a Paradox - Holding Space for All We Experience

Paradox is both a powerful word and an important aspect of Zen practice. We often don't feel very comfortable with paradox. We prefer to have our life neatly arranged and

Taking Refuge in the Sangha

Traditionally sangha referred to the community of ordained monks and nuns, but today the term sangha, includes all Buddhist practitioners, lay and ordained. The Buddha ta

The Mysterious Principle of Linji Yixuan

The "mysterious principle" Master Linji Yixuan (the founder of Rinzai Zen) is centered on direct, spontaneous awareness. He taught us to stop seeking enlightenment outsid

Becoming Intimate with Impermanence

Everything we encounter — our bodies, relationships, thoughts, and circumstances, is in constant flux. Yet much of our suffering arises from resisting this truth or attem

The Heart Sutra - The Swiss Army Knife of Zen

The Heart Sutra, possibly the best known text of Mahayana Buddhism, is said to be the pure distillation of wisdom (prajna). Perhaps because of both its profundity and bre

Making it Real - Actualizing is the Point

The Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path begins with Right View or Understanding and Right Intention. Understanding our nature and this Way of Being in the world is essential. B

Building a Sanctuary to Weather the Storm

Throughout our lives we experience a wide range of emotions, moods, mind states, and many different physical sensations. Some experiences are pleasant and enjoyable, some

Why The Practice Works For Me

When we embrace a practice like Zen, we realize how difficult it can be to stay on a path that is so radically different from how we have been conditioned to show up. Dee

Samsara and Nibbana - Understanding Our Suffering and Our Happiness

As human beings, we all wish for happiness and peace in our lives, and we wish not to suffer. Yet, we experience so much sorrow, discontent, and suffering, and we are oft

Hui-Neng - Know Your Mind, See Your True Nature

The Platform Sutra of Hui-Neng, the sixth patriarch of Chinese Zen is one of the most influential texts of Chan Buddhism. According to Hui-Neng, Buddha nature is the true