Episodes

4d ago

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers that as we cultivate moment-to-moment awareness, joy can become a practice of survival, solidarity and connection. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 14

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers the teaching that letting go of self-clinging leads to clear-seeing and non-reactivity, which in turn enables giving generously from our one true heart. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 5

For the last talk of sesshin Myoshin Kate McCandless asks: how do we want our lives to flow outwards and onwards, beyond this body and this lifetime? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 4

Shinmon Michael Newton asks: what conceptual things are you holding on to so tightly? Can you call forth the old tea-woman within you? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 4

Shuso Myosen River Shannon suggests that affording those around us dignity is bodhisattva action. “Beings are me. I will take them in hand. […] Mind goes elsewhere, I steadily walk it home […] I willingly enter each threshold. […] The way of wholeness is true, May I belong to it completely.” - Caroline Meister _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 3

Myoshin Kate McCandless explores anger as response to threat, asking how we might bring subtlety to the discussion. Can anger, fully experienced, lead to envisioning possibility? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 2

Shinmon Michael Newton encourages the sangha to not turn away from the opportunity afforded by being on retreat. “Our practice, whatever it is, is our true teacher. our life is our practice. Our life is our koan. Each one of us learns from our own life. If we listen deeply, if we are involved to the bottom of it, this is our true teacher, this is our most venerable teacher.” Maurine Myoon Stuart _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 1

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers stories, writings and poetry describing our women ancestors' moments of kenshō (awakening experiences). _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 30

Shinmon Michael Newton offers the first dharma talk from Rohatsu at Brew Creek. “When we can be totally honest with what is happening right now, then we can completely see it. Buddhas come whole.” _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 27

Both Myoshin Kate McCandless and Shinmon Michael Newton share stories about, and teachings from, the women ancestors of Mountain Rain Zen. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 23

Zenshin Florence Caplow offers a dharma talk on the dance between chronic illness and Buddhist practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 16

Shuso Myosen River Shannon asks: what is it to believe in karma or not? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 13

Shinmon Michael Newton offers insight into the calm readiness of cleaning and of being present to doing exactly what we are doing. What does it mean to do something with total concentration? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 9

Dharma talk by Myoshin Kate McCandless on Jizo Bodhisattva, protector of women, children and travellers. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 6

Shuso Myosen River suggests that using zazen to avoid our bodies or demons is kind-of funny because it’s like hiding from the monster in our closet by going in with it. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 2

Shinmon Michael Newton offers a talk on Dogen and Keizan, and on their support for women disciples. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 30

Talk by Myoshin Kate McCandless on Yurei and Hannya: Japanese women ghosts and demons. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 26

Shuso Myosen River asks: as followers of 'The Way', are we supposed to transcend desire? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 23

Myoshin Kate McCandless examines how different women have coped with intense grief, and how buddhist perspectives and practices have supported their process. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 19

Shinmon Michael Newton takes a backstep into the context of India at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, and surfaces through the story of bhikkhuni Bhadda Kapilani, foremost in recollecting past lives. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 16

Myosen River Shannon asks: When people we love and trust harm us, how can we hold that contradiction in our bodies and transform what is possible in our relationships and communities? The Buddha was imperfect - does this understanding makes it easier to confront the paradoxes in our own lives? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 12

A body from which another body is born - what a marvel! Myoshin Kate McCandless shares teachings about Buddha’s mother Maya and her younger sister Prajāpatī (Buddha’s step-mother) as well as Yaśodharā, Buddha's wife and mother of his son. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 9

Shinmon focuses on home altars as a part of embodied practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 5

Shinmon Michael Newton parses apart the title for this year’s practice period In this Lifetime, In this Body: Cultivating Embodied Wisdom and Compassion with our Women Ancestors , and asks himself how he understands his malenesss as it shapes and colours his practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 5

In part of her role as shuso, Myosen River gives a Way-Seeking Mind Talk. “Emptiness is not erasure, it’s a promise and a warning.” _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 4

Myoshin Kate McCandless introduces the Practice Period theme and describes how the lens will be turned onto what it is for us to live and awaken in the fullness of our embodied life in these difficult times on earth. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 4

Shinmon Michael Newton offers a talk on one of his dearly treasured woman ancestors, the nun Ōtagaki Rengetsu. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 3

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers a talk on one of her dearly treasured woman ancestors, 17th century nun - Ziyong Chengru. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 28

A first koan: how does one get in "the zone" and then stay in "the zone"? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 18

Daikan offers insight into the suffering and instability we create for ourselves. In what way is the position of Tenzo (head cook) a metaphor for the settled life that is grounded in zazen? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 13

Shinmon Michael Newton suggests retreats (such as the day-long zazenkai hosted at Bright Stream Temple) are an opportunity to sit with others, to notice our busy minds, and to work on letting thoughts go. Returning to innocent mind, the question is asked: "What is this life?" _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 11

Continuing the dharma seminar on Uchiyama’s commentary on Dogen’s Instructions to the Cook Shinmon Michael Newton asks: as this is the only life you get, how do you look deeply to know who you are? “In attachement blossoms fall, in aversion weeds spread” -Dogen _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 7

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers reflections on the moon, bodhisattva precepts, and failure. How would it be to commit to these precepts in daily life, particularly when we are faced with so many choices? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 4

Myoshin Kate McCandless continues the exploration of Uchiyama’s commentary on Dogen’s Instructions To the Cook , delving in to Chapter 10 making life calculations and Chapter 11 working with clear vision . “All comparing-mind is vanity and self clinging.” _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 31

Shinmon Michael Newton reminds us that we cannot take for granted the work our ancestors have done, and that each of us can labour for the good of all beings. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 28

Nin-en Susan Elbe reads correspondence between herself, Uchiyama Roshi, and Dogen Zenji as part of the dharma seminar on Instructions to the Cook. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 24

Myoshin Kate McCandless takes us along her and Shinmon Michael Newton’s recent camping trip - a time for letting go into moment by moment experience…to include, notice, and release. How can we be with nature in order to summon the life force and renewal we need to live bravely in these perilous times? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 21

Myosen River Shannon continues the Dharma seminar on Uchiyama Roshi's commentary on Dogen's Instructions to the Cook , offering insights into Great Mind and Parental Mind. What would it be like to fully the taste the experiences of each day? What kind of medicine bowl can be made with what’s available? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 17

Lay Entrusted Dharma Teacher and Palliative Care Physician Joko Claire Talbot asks: in our distressing moments, before our limbic system kicks in to full gear, can we practice generosity towards ourselves, crossing over to the shore of peace and understanding? “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” (Leo Buscaglia) _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 14

Jikai Vicki Turay gives a talk on chapters 3 and 4 of Uchiyama Roshi's commentary on Dogen's Instructions to the Cook . Cooking is not a distraction from the more serious pursuit of meditation but rather an entry way to a deeper understanding of how our minds are intimately connected to all phenomena and to one’s buddha nature. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 10

Jikai Vicki Turay shares reflections on the recent MRZC Summer sesshin and Dogen’s Mountains and Waters sutra. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 7

Dai- Flo Rublee offers the first talk in a new Dharma seminar on Uchiyama Roshi's commentary on Dogen's Instructions to the Cook . What are the activities of true adults in the world today? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 3

Myosen River Shannon suggests that the possibilities of gender embodiment and existence are infinite. Healing and awakening are mutually enriching experiences, not separate. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 25

In the final talk of the sesshin, Shinmon Michael Newton explores the notion of the unknown in the wild and along the path of practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 24

Drawing on the essay “Survival and Sacrament” by Gary Snyder, Myoshin Kate McCandless reflects on how our lives are intertwined with all other beings. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 23

Shinmon Michael Newton draws on Gary Snyder’s essay “Good, Wild, Sacred” to consider the notion of the wild both within us and around us. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 22

Myoshin Kate McCandless explores living and practicing in place through Gary Snyder’s essay “The Place, the Region, and the Commons.” _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 21

In this talk, Shinmon Michael Newton discusses Gary Snyder’s essay “Blue Mountains Constantly Walking” and explores how the idea of the mountain can be expressed in our practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 20

Myoshin Kate McCandless introduces the theme of this years MRZC Mountains and Waters sesshin - The Practice of the Wild. Through the writing of Gary Snyder, the talk explores our practice in relation to nature, wilderness and the wild. Note: we apologize for the audio issues in the first few minutes of the talk _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 17

Myoshin Kate McCandless gives the last talk in the dharma seminar on Musō Soseki’s writing. “I am seeking nothing special. Even for my guests I have nothing to offer except these white stones and this clear spring water.” _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 13

Shinmon Michael Newton offers an exploration of Fusatsu (the full moon ceremony) - when sangha members have the opportunity to refresh and renew their relationship to the 16 boddhisatva precepts. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 10

“Through desire we invite birth, through aversion we receive death.” Shinmon Michael Newton continues the Wednesday evening seminar on Muso Soseki’s Dialogues in a Dream . _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 6

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers teachings and perspectives on the dharma and babies, in advance of a welcoming ceremony for baby Callum. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 3

“Knowing is arrogance, not knowing is stupidity.” For the third talk in our dharma seminar on Musō Soseki's writing, Myoshin Kate McCandless asks: What is your relationship to reading Zen texts and commentaries? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 29

Shinmon Michael Newton delves into Muso Soseki’s teachings on demons. How do we understand and address inner challenges? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 26

Shinmon Michael Newton offers an exploration of Muso Soseki’s thoughts on compassion. Is it sentimental? Is it dharma based? Is it universal or is it dualistic? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 22

Myoshin Kate McCandless examines that most frustrating, troublesome, and beautiful of human faculties: language. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 19

Mysohin Kate McCandless introduces Zen master Musō Soseki and “Dialogues in a Dream" - a collection of ninety-three dialogues between the master and the shogun Ashikaga Tadayoshi. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 15

Anusha Enryu Fernando , a dharma holder with Zen Community of Oregon, offers reflections on ancestors. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 12

Daikan picks up the exploration of Norman Fischer’s book Training in Compassion . He notes that over time, we might notice that meditating changes our sense of life and that we may be developing gentleness and patience towards self and others. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 8

Shinmon Michael Newton talks about resiliency and Zen practice, offering this koan from the Book of Serenity: do people these days need enlightenment or not? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 5

Kakuko Kaye Simard discusses the intersection of Zen practice and artistic expression. What does it mean to be creative? How do we cultivate the willingness, patience, and trust to complete a relationship with something outside of ourselves? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 1

If we already have Buddha nature why do we have to practice? Myoshin Kate McCandless asks what do you see when you look in the mirror? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 29

Shinmon Michael Newton brings the Wednesday evening Dharma seminar on Norman Fischer's Training in Compassion to a close. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 25

Jikai Vicki Turay explores the origins of life from both a scientific and a dharmic perspective. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 22

Hotei Denis asks: given state of world and the seriousness of the human condition, how do we deepen our practice? When the only point is the point, how do we walk the walk? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 18

Ninen Susan Elbe offers an exploration of koans and how they help us grapple with the mysteries of birth and death. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 15

Jikai Vicki Turay continues our Dharma seminar asking: what strengths do you have when it comes to making practice your whole life? What challenges? How consciously and caringly can you breathe? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 11

Shinmon Michael Newton offers stories celebrating the strong influence of mothers within the Buddhist tradition. How do you cultivate a mothering spirit? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 8

Joko Claire Talbot continues the Wednesday evening Dharma seminar on Norman Fischer's Training in Compassion . In what ways do you appreciate your lunacy and pray for help? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 4

Zoketsu Norman Fischer 's second dharma talk from the MRZC weekend retreat is again full of wonderful teachings and stories from Dongshan. What is this life now, beyond theologies and categories? [with apologies for rough audio] _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 3

Rich with stories and teachings from Dongshan's life, Zoketsu Norman Fischer gives the first of two talks at the annual MRZC weekend retreat. [with apologies for rough audio] _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 1

Our dharma seminar on Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Training in Compassion continues. Dai-i Flo Rublee offers that relative compassion helps ground the broad view of life’s empty nature in heart-connection and engagement. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 27

Myoshin Kate McCandless gives a dharma talk on one of humanity's great koans: gender. Can we release our fixed views on identity? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 24

Myosen River Shannon continues the Dharma Seminar on Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Training in Compassion . How does caring for ourselves help us care for others? How do we not hide behind the dream-like quality of the absolute? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 20

Zen Engaged Dharma (ZED) talk by Kokai Michael Drebert on Gardening and the Wild. ZED talks are informal talks by sangha members on how they take their practice into the world, and how their practice supports doing so. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 17

Shinmon Michael Newton gives the first talk in our new Dharma Seminar on Zoketsu Norman Fischer’s Training in Compassion , where we will explore the practice of Lojong. The first slogan, "Train in the Preliminaries," strengthens our resolve to practice and invites us to reflect deeply, whether we are an experienced practitioner or just beginning. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 13

Shinmon Michael Newton outlines how taking the bodhisattva vows reduces suffering and can help cultivate dignified presence. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 10

Shinmon Michael Newton gives the last talk in our Dharma Seminar on Charlotte Joko Beck's Everyday Zen - Love and Work , offering further insight into a formidable zen teacher. What would it be like to live a life of no exchange? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 6

Myoshin Kate McCandless emphasizes that religions can not only provide solace and inspiration, but also need to reckon with harms done in the name of "god". _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 2

Using Joko Beck's Everyday Zen as a springboard, Myoshin Kate McCandless asks us to consider what kind of boundaries we are attached to, and which of the worldly winds blows us off our path. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 27

Nin-en Susan Elbe picks up the thread of Charlotte Joko Beck’s Everyday Zen by offering a talk on Chapter 8. How do the paramitas help us make difficult choices? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 23

ZED Talks (Zen Engaged Dharma) invite sangha members to tell their stories about how Zen practice manifests in their life. Zen priest Onsen Kerr from Middle Way Sangha in Victoria discusses how her lifelong art practice is one of realization and disruption, and explores the question of how Art and Zen co-exist – and for whose benefit? See Onsen's work (as described in the talk) at: https://www.colleenkerrartworks.ca/newwork _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 16

To end our month long Genzo-e, Shinmon Michael Newton underlines that the moon is a symbol for awakening to non-dual reality and to impermanence. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 16

In this talk, Shinmon Michael Newton encourages us to not reject the incomplete and to not hang on to what is complete, but rather just to practice; to actualize the complete moon that is not yet full. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 15

Shinmon Michael Newton offers insights into the moon as symbol for the formless dharma body. What preconceived notions do you have about zen practice and your life? Can you let go of that mode of thinking? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 13

In the last dharma talk on Dogen's Dream within a Dream , Myoshin Kate McCandless shares a dialogue between Ziyong, a 17th century Chinese nun at the end of her life, and her disciple Jingxuan. How do we express the dream within the dream in times of great loss? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 9

In this dharma talk, Shinmon Michael Newton encourages us to “hold up the sun and moon on the top of a staff” and asks what we offer to this troubled and confused world? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 5

Myoshin Kate McCandless asks: how can Dogen, and seven wise princesses, help us be fully alive and express the "dream within a dream"? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 2

Shinmon Michael Newton asks that we get past "zero sum thinking" the better to cultivate and encourage buddha nature, wherever and whenever we can. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 27

"How can I express the dream of this life?" Myoshin Kate McCandless offers an exploration of what Dogen calls "twining vines" - the entanglement of our karmic lives and the intertwined nature of awakening. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 23

Shinmon Michael Newton explores how, by taking a step backwards and shining the light inwards, we might realize the nature of Buddha. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 20

For the 1st Wednesday evening of MRZC's Genzo-e, Myoshin Kate McCandless explores how perhaps we are "within a dream expressing a dream". _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 16

Themes from the Dogen Genzo-e opening retreat continue to be explored in the Sunday morning dharma talk. Can we practice humility and be open to wonder? In what ways do we express how we feel about miracles? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 16

A call to the co-arising of "be alert!". Enlightenment is not a fixed state - it is the expression of our practice. And that is a great miracle. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 15

Mysoshin Kate McCandless offers a deep dive into what Dogen meant by saying miracles are " the tea and rice of buddha's house ". _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 12

Dai-i Flo Rublee offers the last instalment in our dharma seminar - Chapter 5 from Charlotte Joko Beck’s Everyday Zen - with the suggestion that we don't have to be engaged in endless struggle with forces external to ourselves. "No old age and death. No end to old age and death. No suffering. No end to suffering." (the Heart Sutra) _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 9

Kakuko Kaye Simard offers a talk on anger as a path of transformation. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 6

Jikai Vicki Turay continues our dharma seminar on Charlotte Joko Beck’s Everyday Zen asking the question: Do our ideals serve us or confuse us? Are they guiding principles or subtle forms of attachement? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 2

In honour of the Buddha's parinirvana, Shinmon Michael Newton asks: how does realizing our self-nature free us from birth and death? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 30

"Every moment of our life is relationship. There is nothing except relationship." (Charlotte Joko Beck) Shinmon Michael Newton continues our dharma seminar, exploring how we can perceive and navigate relationships with mindfulness and presence. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 26

Myoshin Kate McCandless asks, with so much seeming to be so awry in the world right now, how can we meet beauty and truth in unexpected moments and guises. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 25

Daikan John Green continues our dharma seminar on Charlotte Joko Beck's Everyday Zen , in which Joko describes how sitting can be like opening a Pandora’s box — which looks still and pretty on the outside, but can release a swarm of intense feelings. How do we experience these feelings as they arise, without being caught by ‘emotion-thought’? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 19

In this second talk on working with anger, MRZC Priest Dai-i Flo Rublee uses Shantideva's writings in The Way of the Bodhisattva— along with Pema Chödrön's masterful analysis—to explore specific situations for practising patience in the midst of overwhelming emotion. She also reminds us of the value of our troublemakers: those people or situations that challenge us and give us opportunities for practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 18

In this first of two talks based on Shantideva's writings in the classic text The Way of the Bodhisattva , MRZC Priest Dai-i Flo Rublee unpacks how anger functions as a hindrance to happiness and affects all around us. She goes on to explain how, by cultivating patience, we can learn to sit through the 'pain of detox' and avoid biting anger's hook. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 16

Myosen River Shannon continues our dharma seminar on Charlotte Joko Beck's book Everyday Zen and explores two questions Beck poses: "What is practice?" and "What is not practice?" _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 12

Michael Hare describes how his different communities of practice weave together like the threads of a martial arts belt. ZED (Zen Engaged Dharma) talks are short talks by sangha members about how they take their practice into the world, through work, art, activism, service, family life, etc. and how their practice supports them in doing so. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 9

Kakuko Kaye Simard begins a new dharma seminar on Joko Beck's book Everyday Zen: Love and Work . If you are curious about the references made during the talk, please click below! Tales from the San Deigo Zen Center Joko Beck videos/documentary Dale S Wright - Humanizing the Image of a Zen Master: Maezumi Roshi _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jan 5

"All sentient beings have their existence and live within my life" -Uchiyama Roshi Shinmon Michael Newton asks us what our deep vows are, particularly in light of the many complex and difficult issues facing contemporary society. How can we open our hearts and see we are not separate from the ones we want to shun? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 29, 2024

Hozan Alan Senauke was an American Sōtō priest, folk musician and poet residing at the Berkeley Zen Center. Myoshin Kate McCandless reads from Hozan’s tribute and shares some of his writing. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 19, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers insight into how, even with all the challenges the holiday season might bring, we can experience joy as one of the noble abodes. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 15, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton asks how we might best respond to the uncertainty that is always present in our lives. In what way does living in sangha provide an opportunity to meet the unexpected and experience what enables the heart to be at peace? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 6, 2024

Mysohin Kate McCandless gives the last talk of sesshin and concludes the story of Sudhana’s pilgrimage. Because we only exist within the vast matrix of Indra’s Net, the work of a Bodhisattva is never solitary. The greatest gift we can bring to the world is to give up our self-clinging. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 5, 2024

Continuing the exploration of Samantabhadra's Ten Vows, Shinmon Michael Newton reminds us to never give up on ourselves, and to dedicate the merit we accrue towards the good of all beings. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 5, 2024

Daikan John Green , the MRZC practice period 2024 shuso, shares thoughts on tea-service, interdependence, and on Indra's Net as a manifestation of ceaseless arising and passing away. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 4, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless describes how even with our little internal monsters - with our backsliding, distraction, and confusion - if we look at ourselves with clear eyes, it is possible to recognize that we are all bodhisattvas on the path. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 3, 2024

With an invitation to enter the moment and be open to things of beauty, Shinmon Michael Newton explores the nature of vow as something that is practiced, never completed. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 2, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless describes doors of liberation, talks about the weather, and invites trust in the buddha-body of sangha during sesshin. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Dec 1, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton opens Rohatsu sesshin with an introduction of Samantabhadra's Ten Vows and an exploration of bowing practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 28, 2024

We all, at some point in life, become aware of a longing that is not satisfied by any material thing or distraction or accomplishment. Shinmon Michael Newton explores the Avatamsaka Sutra’s list of 10 demons or personal obstacles met when walking this path of zazen. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 24, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless shares more of Sudhana’s pilgrimage, the companions he meets along the way, including people, animals, and plants. Each has teaching to offer, not always easy to receive. All these stories help humanize Sudhana and make him relatable, more than just allegorical. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 21, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton explores chapter 11 of the Avatamsaka Sutra, in which there are 140 verses encouraging mindfulness in daily life. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 17, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton explores how the skillful use of imagination can help us open to our Buddha nature. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 14, 2024

Daikan John Green offers images and metaphors for the infinite interconnections and feedback loops of Indra’s Net such as quantum entanglement or the root structure of a redwood tree. How can we practice with these infinities when we are only finite humans? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 10, 2024

How do we take in and then process the traumas of war, have our hearts broken over and over again, while abiding in the two truths, of relative and absolute? Myoshin Kate McCandless explores practices of patience and equanimity in the face of conflict offered in the Avatamsaka Sutra. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Nov 3, 2024

Daikan John Green helps peel back layers from Book 16 and 20 of the Avatamsaka Sutra, revealing that Mind is like an artist able to paint the world… "If people want to really know/ All Buddhas of all time,/ They should contemplate the nature of the cosmos:/ All is but mental construction". (Thomas Cleary, translation of chapter 20) _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 31, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless continues the exploration of Sudhana's story as he encounters a series of nine night goddesses. How can we open to, and be with, the fruitful and generative darkness? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 27, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton explores Chapter 17 of the Avatamsaka Sutra, which focuses on boddhicitta - the way-seeking mind that is awakening for the benefit of all. How do we relax the tight self-centered grip of our usual way of being, to step into the teachings of ease? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 24, 2024

Daikan John Green gives a talk about the ten dedications of merit or ten transfers of merit and offers the practice of rapid sutra recitation. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 20, 2024

Daikan John Green , our Practice Period shuso, presents two questions posed by the bodhisattva Manjushri, regarding how to bring the teachings of Indra's Net into everyday life. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 17, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless discusses meetings with teachers on the Path of awakening. Sometimes those meetings are pivotal, sometimes disappointing, and sometimes we don't even recognize or appreciate them at the time. She shares excepts from the Gandharva Sutra (last chapter of the Avatamsaka) and the Korean poet Ko Un's retelling of the young boy Sudhana's pilgrimage. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 13, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless explores "worlds within worlds", the ways our mutual well-being depends on the complex interconnection of relationships within Indra's net, drawing on the Avatamsaka Sutra and the microcosmos. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 10, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton introduces Samantabhadra, one of the archetypical boddhisatvas and a teacher of many practices for realizing inter-being, including the ten qualities of mind. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 5, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless weaves us deeper into the theme of Living in Indra’s Net: the Avatamsaka Sutra and Beyond. This is a profound evocation of the boundless interbeing of all existence, and has deep relevance to the challenges we face in our world today: social injustice, climate and ecological crises, and the many conflicts that cause so much suffering. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 5, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton begins the 2024 Practice Period with a talk exploring the vast vision of reality offered by the Avatamsaka Sutra, and an invitation to be inspired by its lush imagery. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 3, 2024

Dai-i Flo Rublee gives the final talk in our dharma seminar on Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Sue Moon’s book : What is Zen? How do the teachings of Buddhism help us understand that connection, compassion, and love are all there is? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 29, 2024

How does zen practice lead to the whole body smiling with all it is? Hofu Louise Day shares some of her life experiences - from sitting with Suzuki Roshi when still in highschool, to finding inner peace again after intense loss and grief. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 26, 2024

Jikai Vicki Turay explores how, though much of practice appears to be solitary, zen is primarily based in relationships. "Formal Zen practice: that of meditation, teachings, rituals serve as a training ground. Those activities support and encourage the actual practice - which happens all the time, in your own life, in your every encounter with others, in your heart and mind." (Zoketsu Norman Fischer) _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 22, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton suggests that continuous practice is not a burden - it is simply the ever deepening expression of ones life. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 19, 2024

Jakushin Todd Slobogean continues our dharma seminar on What is Zen? by sharing personal reflections on the question of how a person changes after many years of practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 15, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers a meditation on fire and explores how the elements give and destroy life even though they have no separate self nature. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 12, 2024

Unmon Jacob Butula 's talk offers a clear perspective on chapter 9 of Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Sue Moon's book What is Zen? If our tradition is primarily about integrating the dharma into everyday life, with no steps and stages, why is zen so full of complicated rituals and hierarchies? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 8, 2024

In this talk, Mysohin Kate McCandless suggests that the more we attend to our relationships with the elements, the better we can care for the beings and ecosystems with which our lives interdepend. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 5, 2024

Nin-En Susan Elbe continues our dharma seminar on Sue Moon and Zoketsu Norman Fischer's book, What is Zen?, offering the insight that zen art can open us to an ineffable truth that goes beyond words. Can art be an expression of spirit? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Sep 1, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton explores how we might wholeheartedly engage the Way when cooking, cleaning, tending the sick and elderly, caring for a pet - asking if we can bring a joyful sense of service to our labour. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 29, 2024

Kakuko Kaye Simard explores Sue Moon and Zoketsu Norman Fischer's understanding of the promises and fruits of awakening. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 25, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers various practices which can help us maintain and care for our sangha relationships. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 22, 2024

What do ritual and tradition evoke? How do the precepts help us commit to compassionate action? Can we understand religion as daily life? Myosen River offers the third talk in our dharma seminar on the book What Is Zen: Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind by Norman Fischer and Susan Moon. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 18, 2024

In this ZED Talk (Zen Engaged Dharma), Roshin Carmen Mills illuminates how volunteer work – "selfless service" – serves the self, while also serving the greater whole and cultivating a deeply held sense of inherent value and connection. All the while, taking a sly poke at consumer capitalism. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 15, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless offers insight into how forms and rituals such as bowing and chanting bring us into our bodies and nurture community. Week two of our dharma seminar on the book What Is Zen: Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind by Norman Fischer and Susan Moon. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 11, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton offers insights into why Dogen venerated Avalokiteshvara, and how an act of true compassion, karuna, is an act of wisdom. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 8, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton presents the first in a series of seminars based on the lively Q&A book What Is Zen: Plain Talk for a Beginner's Mind by Norman Fischer and Susan Moon. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 4, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless describes how the eight-fold path and the eight awakenings support us in knowing how much is enough, even as we are steeped in a culture of hyper-materialism. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Aug 1, 2024

Nin-en Susan Elbe offers the final talk in our ten week dharma seminar on Kosho Uchiyama Roshi 's book: Opening the Hand of Thought . We each live in the world as an individual self operating within the realm of desires, aversions, categorization and separation. In this chapter, Uchiyama Roshi explores how practicing goal-less zazen can bring us to meet our "true" self, which fully realizes interconnection with all beings. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 25, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton shares teachings about mantra and suggests the Heart Sutra is chanted the better to drink it in, helping gather body and mind in times of distress, loss, and confusion. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 24, 2024

Mysohin Kate McCandless discusses how to practice with hindrances. When we free ourselves from fear, that gift extends out through the world in ways that we may never know. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 24, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless asks if we can enter mountain time and invites us to explore the notion that we might all be wind-bells in the dharma wind, manifesting the particular song of our lives. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 23, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless describes the senses as dharma gates, through which we interact with our environment. The Heart Sutra suggests that this body - this life - is the medium, the gift we are given to help us fully awaken to the true nature of our being. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 23, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton gives an insightful overview of dependent origination - how everything affects everything. You and I are all part of a great dance, and are woven in to the process of causal relationships. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 23, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton affirms the culture of mutual support and interdependence which makes sesshin a safe place for practicing being open to our non-separateness. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 23, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton begins to examine in what way the Heart Sutra provokes, evokes, and points a finger at the boundless nature of our lives. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 21, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless opens the ninth annual MRZC Summer sesshin by introducing the theme for the week: T he Heart Sutra - Great Wisdom Beyond Wisdom. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 18, 2024

Shinmon Michael Newton helps unpack the final chapter of Kosho Uchiyama Roshi's book, Opening the Hand of Thought , in which there are seven clear instructions on how to orient our lives to practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 11, 2024

Joko Claire Talbot explores how, given human beings live in the flow of impermanence and suffer the burden of thought, in what way does zen help us learn to enjoy every sandwich and every bike ride?! _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 7, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless shares experiences from her recent pilgrimage to Ireland, and asks how we might reconcile human contradictions at the personal, national and global levels. How do we resolve the human koan in which we are all implicated? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jul 4, 2024

Is zazen selfish? What is the self? Are we belligerent squashes or are we all in this together? Myosen River Shannon explores these and other questions in her talk on Opening the Hand of Thought chapter 5. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 30, 2024

Daikan John Green shares a few thoughts about what could be considered a true teaching, and what might be conveyed or created by something else in the past. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 27, 2024

Guest monk, Rev. Gyokei Yokohama , ponders what stays the same, what gets lost in translation, and what influences are shared back and forth between the way people practice in North America and the way people practice in Japan. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 23, 2024

Jakushin Todd Slobogean tames the relentless meandering of his neuro-diverse mind to bring us thoughts on the Kalama Sutra and the Island Sutra (the Attadiipaa Sutta - The Buddha’s Last Teaching). _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 16, 2024

Hotei Denis Fafard explores how being a boddhisatva is fundamentally an audacious act of imagination. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 13, 2024

Continuing the dharma seminar on Kosho Uchiyama 's writing, Kakuko Kaye Simard describes intensive practice, shikantaza, and how sesshin is an opportunity to sink firmly and nobly into our bones. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 9, 2024

Jikai Vicki Turay shares insights and anecdotes from her path and practice to lay entrustment. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 6, 2024

Dai-i Flo Rublee continues our dharma seminar on Uchiyama Roshi 's wonderful book. Chapter three is an exploration of how to wake-up to zazen and see our thoughts, desires, and delusions as the scenery of life. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 2, 2024

On the second day of our weekend retreat, Zoketsu Norman Fischer tells stories from the Denkoroku, which presents transmission stories of the lineage of Soto Zen ancestors. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Jun 1, 2024

In the first of two dharma talks from our weekend retreat, Zoketsu Norman Fischer muses on how sitting zazen can help cultivate the great perfect mirror of awareness. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 30, 2024

In part three of this dharma seminar on Kosho Uchiyama's writing, Daikan offers thoughts on zazen and what it means to open a space between the conscious mind and the universal self. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 26, 2024

Myoshin Kate McCandless explores what it is about a pilgrimage that makes it particularly layered and vivid, and offers practices for pilgrimage. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 23, 2024

Mayne Island resident and longtime MRZC practice leader Jikai Vicki Turay continues our exploration of Opening the Hand of Thought by Japanese Zen teacher Kosho Uchiyama Roshi. She dives into Uchiyama's discourse on the cultivation of sweet persimmons, how Buddhist practice can manifest and flourish in the West, and how the practice of zazen helps us awaken to our universal nature. This is part two of a ten week dharma seminar with MRZC guiding teachers and practice leaders. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 19, 2024

Back from a recent trip to Europe, senior MRZC Priest and Sunshine Coast Resident Dai-i Flo Rublee reflects on homecoming, home-leaving, and how we are all just walking each other home. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 16, 2024

"Zazen is the self which is only the self of the universe." (Uchiyama) Shinmon Michael Newton introduces the book Opening the Hand of Thought by Japanese Zen teacher Kosho Uchiyama Roshi. This begins a ten week dharma seminar with MRZC guiding teachers and practice leaders. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 13, 2024

In what way does our innate ability to nurture reflect the perfection of wisdom? Dharma Talk with Shinmon Michael Newton. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 8, 2024

Last of a six-week Wednesday dharma seminar series with MRZC Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless. What is zen poetry today in North America? How can we make zen poetry of everything? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 5, 2024

Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless explores the practice of restraint using the Kabbalistic concept of tzimtzum (Hebrew: contraction), and asks: can we understand restraint not as something externally imposed and enforced by fear, but internally chosen and based on care and concern? _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

May 1, 2024

Tosho Megan Adam is a writer, weaver, and fiddle-player on Gabriola Island, BC (Snuneymuxw territory). In this ZED (Zen Engaged Dharma) talk, Megan speaks on the importance of artistic practice in our lives and how Zen practice can encourage and support us in liberating our creative selves. Find Megan's writing at www.comfortfortheapocalypse.com , and her creative work at instagram.com/megan.elizabeth.adam . _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 28, 2024

Guiding Teacher Shinmon Michael Newton introduces The Taste of Silence: How I Came to Be at Home with Myself , by Belgian author Bieke Vandekerckhove who, at the age of 19, was diagnosed with ALS (a degenerative neurological disease). Michael speaks of how we can find freedom in stillness and what Dogen refers to as 'the backward step' — the deep and healing flow of silence. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 25, 2024

The Beat Poets: Part 5 of a six-week Wednesday dharma seminar series with MRZC Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 22, 2024

In this special Earth Day talk, Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless explores the continuous flux between our bodies and the planet with a meditation on the four elements—and questions whether humus and humankind are really so different. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 17, 2024

Chinese and Japanese Women Poets: Part 4 of a six-week Wednesday dharma seminar series with MRZC Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 10, 2024

Haiku: Part 3 of a six-week Wednesday dharma seminar series with MRZC Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 7, 2024

MRZC Priest Kakuko Kaye Simard speaks on how our relationships with dogs, cats, dishes, and houseplants can cultivate our boddhisattva practices of lovingkindness, the paramitas (and their imposters/near enemies), and empathetic joy. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Apr 3, 2024

Classical Japanese Zen Poetry: Part 2 of a six-week Wednesday dharma seminar series with MRZC Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 31, 2024

Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless gives an Easter Sunday talk on the ancient origins of the "Easter" holiday, what Buddhism has to offer on the subject of rebirth and renewal, and how the bunny fits into the story. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 28, 2024

First part of a six-week Wednesday dharma seminar series with MRZC Guiding Teacher Myoshin Kate McCandless. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 24, 2024

Jikai Vicki Turay , Mayne Island, BC dweller and longtime MRZC practitioner, delivers a dharma talk on the tender balance between doubt and faith and how we can cultivate the confidence to step off the top of a 100-foot pole. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Mar 17, 2024

After a month of studying Dogen’s fascicle on Continuous Practice—and just hours before a jukai ceremony in which five members of MRZC will formally receive the bodhisattva precepts— Guiding Teacher Shinmon Michael Newton discusses the bodhisattva precepts as a form of continuous practice. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Oct 29, 2023

How does zen practice lead to the whole body smiling with all it is? Hofu Louise Day shares some of her life experiences - from sitting with Suzuki Roshi when still in highschool, to finding inner peace again after intense loss and grief. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .

Feb 19, 2023

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and featuring poems by Ukrainian poets, Myoshin Kate McCandless examines how a bodhisattva might move in the world. _____________________________________________________________ These talks are made possible thanks to donations from our worldwide community. If you find value in these teachings, please consider supporting our work at mountainrainzen.org/donate . A full archive of recorded teachings going back over ten years is free and accessible on our website . For questions and comments, contact podcast@mountainrainzen.org .