About this Talk

In this talk, boredom is discussed as a central part of Zen practice and as a possible “Dharma gate” rather than only a problem to be avoided. Shuko Sissel Johannessen considers boredom as an emotion, state of mind, and physical discomfort, and reviews how psychology, sociology, history, and religion have approached it, including earlier ideas of acedia and modern views that see boredom as something to cure or as potentially creative.

The talk then turns to zazen and walking meditation, describing how boredom can produce a strong urge to escape into distraction, but practice trains people to remain with discomfort. A personal example from sesshin shows how attention can shift from restlessness into direct awareness of bodily sensations, and the talk concludes by drawing on teachings from Pema Chodron and Trungpa Rinpoche about working with discomfort by noticing sensation, interrupting mental stories, and staying open.

About this Talk

This talk explores fear, contraction, and the sense of being exposed or judged, and contrasts that with the possibility of making more space for experience rather than being overwhelmed by it. It discusses teachings of non-self and examines how direct moment-to-moment experience differs from the habitual organization of experience into a fixed self.

Eko Jeff Kelley uses examples such as a Bodhidharma koan, walking meditation, and reflection on the boundary between “me” and “not me” to question the idea of a stable identity. The talk also describes identity as something constructed through roles and comparisons, and closes by encouraging experimentation, loosened attachment to rigid self-images, and greater ease and connection.

About this Talk

In this talk, Sozui Schubert Roshi discusses fear and anxiety as obstacles in meditation and daily life, linking them to isolation, loss of community, and constant stimulation from media and distractions. She contrasts common reactions such as avoidance, overwork, and control with the practice of staying present with discomfort.

She emphasizes opening to tension and using moments of resistance, including changes in the breath, as reminders to return to awareness. The talk also includes a practitioner’s testimony about fear in zazen and social situations, along with the use of breathing, acceptance, and mu as ways of working with it. TEST EDIT

About this Talk

This talk reflects on freedom from both a civic and a Zen perspective, beginning with gratitude for constitutional liberties such as speech, assembly, and religion. It then contrasts ordinary “horizontal” freedom with a “vertical” spiritual freedom in Zen, which is described as arising through stillness, discipline, and constraint in practice.

Koshin discusses retreat life, ritual forms, and examples such as Angulimala to illustrate “deep stopping” and the value of limiting ordinary activity. The talk also uses the book Flatland as a way to describe broadening one’s understanding of experience, and ends by emphasizing that the freedom gained through practice should be carried back into daily life in service to others.

About this Talk

In this talk, Hōgen Josh Lawler explores “The Wisdom of Nature” through personal experiences, scientific research, and Buddhist teachings. He describes moments in nature that brought calm and a sense of connection, and he reviews studies suggesting that time in natural settings can reduce stress and improve mood and recovery.

He also discusses how trees, forests, flowers, and other natural images appear in Buddhist texts and stories, including references to the Buddha, koans, and Dogen’s “Mountains and Waters Sutra.” The talk closes with a poem by Mary Oliver about slowing down and resting in nature.

About this Talk

In this talk, Eko discusses the constructs of the compassionate mind and describes compassion as both feeling suffering and responding skillfully to it. The talk encourages listeners to view others without fixed assumptions, including the practice of seeing each person as a bodhisattva whose purpose is to awaken us.

Eko also covers devotional practice with bodhisattvas such as Manjushri and Kuan Yin, relating bowing to awakening and to one’s own unrealized qualities. A major focus is Tonglen, or exchanging self for other, presented as a breathing practice of taking in suffering and sending out peace and equanimity.

Examples from a fawn and from a father-daughter story are used to illustrate how Tonglen can change one’s relationship to suffering. Eko says the practice can help focus the mind, loosen self-centeredness, and reduce the sense of separation.

About this Talk

In this lecture, Koshin uses a UFC cage match and America’s 250th anniversary as a starting point to discuss outrage, attention, and hyper-masculinity, then contrasts this with an American ideal rooted in human dignity, cooperation, and well-being. He also turns to Buddhism and Zen, focusing on the Buddha’s transformation of the wheel symbol into the wheel of Dharma and the shift from domination toward wisdom, compassion, and non-violence.

A major theme is the mind’s tendency to divide the world into good and bad, us and them, which he connects to psychology, family systems theory, social media, and political thinking. He presents zazen and samadhi as practices that help unify the mind, and argues that meaningful power and change come from self-cultivation and connected action rather than control over others.