By San Francisco Zen Center
Dharma Talks given at San Francisco Zen Center
04/28/2024, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk Zoketsu discusses case 19 of Mumonkan, Nanchuan’s Everyday Mind. Our practice is very plain and ordinary, and yet, the plain and ordinary world is also vast and wide,...
04/27/2024, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis discusses the Zen text "Harmony of Difference and Equality". Written in the 8th century in China, the "Harmony of Difference and...
04/24/2024, Kodo Conlin, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Kodo Conlin discusses this rich topic. Here, we resolve the distance between speaker and listener to turn the questions, "What is the shape of our...
04/17/2024, Anshi Zachary Smith, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Anshi Zachary Smith digs into the well-known Case 17 of the Blue Cliff Record. Here, we discover that there are unexpected and experientially...
04/14/2024, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Jiryu suggests that by reflecting on the potential of Artificial Intelligence in Buddhism, in the form, for example, of the Suzuki Roshi chatbot, we can be led to renew...
04/13/2024, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. Zen forms work both in clear and hidden ways. In this interactive lecture, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Shosan Victoria Austin discusses the ancient chants, called dharanis, which sound like magic spells. At a...
04/10/2024, Jisan Tova Green, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Jisan Tova Green speaks of her recent visit to Montana de Silencio, a Suzuki Roshi lineage Zen Center in Medellin, Colombia, where the late...
04/06/2024, Ryuko Laura Burges, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Ryuko Laura Burges opens the City Center temple’s celebration of Buddha’s Birthday by recounting the story of the Buddha’s birth for the children in attendance, before...
03/24/2024, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk by Eijun Linda Cutts was offered and dedicated to Caroline Meister, a Tassajara resident whose accidental death touched so many with sorrow. The talk looks at the Koan “Daowu’s...
03/23/2024, Marc Lesser, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk Marc Lesser examines some instructions from Zen Mind Beginner's Mind, for living a full life; a life of practice, joy, grief, ordinary, and sacred.
03/20/2024, Gendo Lucy Xiao, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Gendo Lucy Xiao explores case number 3 from the koan collection "The Blue Cliff Record” — the case known as “Master Ma is Unwell.” In...
03/16/2024, Sojun Mel Weitsman - Norman Fischer - Andrea Thach - Susan Moon, book release at City Center. In this discussion, three long-time Zen practitioners discuss their experiences with Sojun Mel Weitsman, and highlight key portions of his autobiography and teachings....
03/13/2024, Koshin Steven Tierney, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Koshin Steven Tierney discusses the experience of loss and grief, and how these very natural and individual human experiences unfold within spiritual community. We...
03/10/2024, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The great Way is not difficult for those who hold no preferences, it is like vast space with nothing lacking and nothing extra. At the moment awareness turns around and illuminates itself,...
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Teah Strozer reminds us everyone is enough — you, yourself, are perfect just as you are, even if, as Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said, we can also ‘use a little improvement.' In the...
"In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Gengyoko Time Wicks, the current tanto (head of practice) at SFZC City Center, uses the koan “Shishuang's 100 Foot Pole” to discuss deepening our practice. He also uses Eihei Dogen's “Eihei Koso...
03/03/2024, Thiemo Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk Thiemo Blank uses a scene from "Harry Potter" to playfully teach about penetrating the "Walls" in our lives as a journey of liberation.
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, visiting monk Yogetsu Akasaka discusses the contrasts he’s seen between Soto Zen in Japan and in the United States. Yogetsu explains the path he’s taken from touring as a beatbox musician, to...
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Roger Hillyard discusses what we mean when we “take refuge” — particularly when we take refuge in dharma, as we do as part of the liturgy of the Full Moon Precepts Ceremony....
02/25/2024, Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The first of the four Great Bodhisattva Vows is to “save all beings”, but what exactly does this mean and how might I engage in such an impossible endeavor? Abbot...
The first of the four Great Bodhisattva Vows is to “save all beings,” but what exactly does this mean and how might I engage in such an impossible endeavor? In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, central abbot Tenzen...
02/21/2024, Shundo David Haye, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Shundo reflects on how a community based on zazen can help human flourishing and offer much-needed connection. Featuring an examination of selected sections...
02/18/2024, Sonja Gardenswarz, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Zazen, a yogic practice, a word, an invitation, a posture, a pause in time, a space, a clearing between the edges of here and then. A space to breathe, to feel,...
In this talk, given during the second one-day sitting of the winter 2024 practice period, Abiding Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel discusses the power and peace of not-knowing. In the Zen tradition, ‘not-knowing’ is not the same as the ignorance or...
02/14/2024, Kim Kōgen Daihō Hart, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Kim does a deep dive into the five remembrances to support us to live the life that we are already living with all...
02/11/2024, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Abbot Jiryu reflects on Suzuki Roshi's core teaching that Zen practice is fundamentally about "becoming yourself," and explores the strong resonance there with the Silent Illumination teaching that awakening...
02/10/2024, Shogen Jody Greene, dharma talk at City Center. This talk was given at Beginner's Mind Temple by Shogen Jody Greene. While Dōgen Zenji once described 'shikantaza' (just sitting) as “the dharma gate of repose and bliss,” our teachers have also...
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Rev. Eli explores how Zen practice, particularly the precepts, can be supportive when going through major life change—especially when dealing with loss of identity, decision making, and working with an inner critic....
02/04/2024, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Avalokiteshvara in the Avatamsaka Sutra lets us know of the powerful practice of Great Compassion to meet the great challenges of our life.
02/03/2024, Onryu Mary Stares, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Onryu Mary Stares explores the current City Center Practice Period theme of the Bodhisattva precepts, describing her personal experiences of taking refuge and encouraging...
In this talk, given during the first one-day sitting of the winter 2024 practice period, Abiding Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel discusses the sources and outcomes of the many different places and ways we construct our individual ethical frameworks. This talk...
01/21/2024, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In the great flower adornment scripture, chapter 67, the Buddha says, “All sentient beings without exception, fully possess the wisdom and virtues of the Buddha, and yet because of misconceptions...
01/20/2024, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, dharma talk at City Center. Now our community is meeting only in the single room of the Zendo. What are some teachings on Sangha transformation in a Zendo? How can we see forms of the infinite, miraculous...
01/17/2024, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Shosan explores how we are practicing with the current physical changes to the temple space. This year, our urban temple is “residents out, contractors...
01/14/2024, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk by Tenshin Reb Anderson considers how to apply the Teaching of Thusness to the significant outbreak of infection and disruption in the midst of our January meditation intensive.
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple on the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Sozan Michael McCord unpacks many life events from this historic civil rights icon and looks at how he could have had a much more...
01/10/2024, Anshi Zachary Smith, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, Zachary discusses an often-used koan (teaching story): Yúnmén’s “Every day is a good day.” Zen, a Mahayana Buddhist school that theoretically eschews lists, dualities, categories...
01/07/2024, Tenshin Reb Anderson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk is a contemplation of the Flower Adornment Scripture saying “Clearly observe the Dharma of the king of Dharma. The Dharma of the king of Dharma is thus.” Tenshin Reb...
In this talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, Liên speaks about how Skillful View, in services of restoration, is about opening up to acknowledging harm and harming, (re)learning ways to be more skillful, and then enacting them. The talk also serves...
01/03/2024, Jisan Tova Green, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, Tova speaks of the importance of sangha as we vow to be of benefit to all beings. This first talk of 2024 is also the...
In light of several major transitions unfolding for SFZC and the sangha at large, including the upcoming yearlong renovation of Beginner’s Mind Temple, Abbot David offers dharma pointers for how we might relate to and navigate changes and transitions in...
12/03/2023, Chosetsu Lauren Bouyea, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Suzuki Roshi said that beginner's mind - meeting the world and ourselves just-as-it-is - is the secret of Zen practice, but there are many powerful cultural and evolutionary forces that...
12/02/2023, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, dharma talk at City Center. This talk from Beginner's Mind Temple addresses the aspect of philosophy in the practice and study of Buddhism, based on the fourth - contemplation of the dharmas - of the Four...
11/26/2023, Furyu Schroeder, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In times of trouble, may the gracious teachings of the gentle Buddhas aid us in healing ourselves and the world.
This talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, was given by City Center tanto (head of practice) Tim Wicks. Virya Paramita is often translated as "joyful" or "enthusiastic" energy. Working with the shadow side of energy — depression and low self-esteem —...
This talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, was given by senior dharma teacher Ryushin Paul Haller. This talk was based on a Thanksgiving message from Brother David Steindl-Rast and examines how to sustain gratitude and be uplifted in the face of...
11/19/2023, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The one practice for every moment of our life is just to welcome and care for whatever is right here - why do we forget that so easily, and how can...
In this talk from Beginner's Mind Temple, Greg Fain discusses how the new book “Home Is Here” by Rev. Keiryu Liên Shutt has influenced his practice, and the vital necessity of metta (loving kindness) practice. Recorded on Nov. 18, 2023.
This talk, from Beginner's Mind Temple, was given by senior dharma teacher Ryushin Paul Haller. Practicing with the Paramitas brings initially asks us to see the dualistic perspectives of the absence of the virtues of the Paramitas and to practice...
11/05/2023, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. After finishing 11 days on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Linda brings up the koan, Case 20 in the Book of Serenity, "Not Knowing is Most Intimate,"...