Sangha: The Joys, Challenges, and Value of Practicing in a Buddhist Community
Is it really necessary to participate in a Sangha, or Buddhist community? What are the benefits, joys, and challenges of doing so? You may be surprised by some of the aspects of Sangha practice I talk...
25 Touko 201735min
To Study Buddhism Is to Study the Self (and Why That's Not Selfish)
Liberation from self-concern is central to all forms of Buddhism, although the methods used to achieve that liberation differ widely. In this episode, I present a classic Zen teaching on not-self: Zen...
18 Touko 201733min
Buddha's Teachings Part 1: The Three Marks and the Teaching of Not-Self (Anatta)
From the beginning, the Buddha's teachings featured the Three Characteristics of Existence: anicca (impermanence), dukkha (dissatisfactoriness), and anatta (not-self). This episode introduces the Thre...
11 Touko 201731min
What Zen "Acceptance" and "Non-Attachment" Really Are
The practices of acceptance and non-attachment are critical to Zen and Buddhist practice, but they are easily misunderstood. It can sound like we're being asked not to care about things, or not to try...
4 Touko 201732min
Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Part 2: Spiritual Struggle, Enlightenment, Teaching, and Death
Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama experienced a spiritual awakening over 2,500 years ago in India, and became an "awakened one," or Buddha. Over the course of two episodes, I tell the story of th...
27 Huhti 201734min
Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Part 1: Source Texts, and Birth Through Homeleaving
Buddhism began when Siddhartha Gautama experienced a spiritual awakening over 2,500 years ago in India, and became an "awakened one," or Buddha. Over the course of two episodes, I tell the story of th...
20 Huhti 201736min
What Is "Zen Practice," Anyway?
If you've spent any time in a Zen community, or reading Zen books, you will have encountered the term "practice" countless times. Buddhist teachers throughout the centuries have told us to "practice" ...
13 Huhti 201729min
Shakyamuni Buddha's Enlightenment: What Did He Realize?
Buddhism began over 2,500 years ago with the spiritual enlightenment of a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who became the "Buddha," or "awakened one." What exactly did the Buddha realize upon his enlight...
6 Huhti 201732min
