Rochester Zen Center Teisho (Zen Talks)

September-October 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on Guo Gu’s The Essence of Chan: A Guide to Life and Practice According to the Teachings of Bodhidharma. Shambhala Press, 2012. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Recognizing our propensity for mental shortcuts that cut us off from what’s actually happening and learning to take more in. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

What is happening in the brain when we feel bored? How can boredom aid us in our practice? Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

September 2024 Sesshin, Day 2
Subtitle: Working With This Conceptualizing Mind in Sesshin. Reading from the book Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

September 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Subtitle: Working With Problems and Distractions in Sesshin. Reading from the book Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana. Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

October 1973 Sesshin, Day 6
From October 1973 Sesshin, Day 6. A commentary on the koan. Played on Founder’s Day – August 18, 2024. Teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau.  Automated Transcript

Joy is not outside ourselves. It’s what we uncover through practice. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The radical approach of Zen meditation: Turning inward rather than looking outside ourselves. Reading and commenting on I Gave Myself Three Months to Change My Personality: The Results Were Mixed by Olga Khazan and Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity by Roshi Soko Morinaga Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

A look at Right Speech as a form of practice “off the mat”, using ways of responding to micro-aggressions as an example. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Transcript

July 2024 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2024 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on Dream Conversations: On Buddhism and Zen by Muso Kokushi, translated by Thomas Cleary (Part 3) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2024 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on Dream Conversations: On Buddhism and Zen by Muso Kokushi, translated by Thomas Cleary (Part 2) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2024 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on Dream Conversations: On Buddhism and Zen by Muso Kokushi, translated by Thomas Cleary (Part 1) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2024 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on Zen Letters: Teachings of Yuanwu, translated by J. C. Cleary (Part 2) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on Zen Letters: Teachings of Yuanwu, translated by J. C. Cleary (Part 1) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The simplicity of Zen practice, with some inspiration from Henry David Thoreau. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Our discriminating mind divides the social world into groups based on perceived differences — racial, gender, class, age, ability, etc. How can we actualize our intrinsic not-twoness through Zen practice? Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2024 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on the teachings of Roshi Maurine Stuart (Part 3). From Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Roko Sherry Chayat. Shambhala Press, 1996. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2024 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on the teachings of Roshi Maurine Stuart (Part 2). From Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Roko Sherry Chayat. Shambhala Press, 1996. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2024 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on the teachings of Roshi Maurine Stuart (Part 1). From Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Roko Sherry Chayat. Shambhala Press, 1996. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2024 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on the teachings of Tangen Harada Roshi (Part 3). From Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha: The Life and Teachings of Tangen Harada Roshi. Translated by Belenda Attaway Yamakawa. Edited by Kogen Czarina. Afterword by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede. Shambhala Press, 2012. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2024 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on the teachings of Tangen Harada Roshi (Part 2). From Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha: The Life and Teachings of Tangen Harada Roshi. Translated by Belenda Attaway Yamakawa. Edited by Kogen Czarina. Afterword by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede. Shambhala Press, 2012. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on the teachings of Tangen Harada Roshi (Part 1). From Throw Yourself into the House of Buddha: The Life and Teachings of Tangen Harada Roshi. Translated by Belenda Attaway Yamakawa. Edited by Kogen Czarina. Afterword by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede. Shambhala Press, 2012. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

At the heart of clergy sexual misconduct is the breaking of sacred trust. This is one woman's story of finding her way back to spiritual practice and community in the aftermath of filing a complaint of clergy sexual misconduct.  Coming to the Path Talk by Anna Belle Leiserson.  Automated Transcript

Bringing awareness to the habitual reactivity that diminishes our lives. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

April 2024 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on the teachings of Charlotte Joko Beck from Everyday Zen: Love and Work. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

April 2024 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on the teachings of Ajahn Chah (Part 2) from Living Dharma: Teachings and Meditation Instructions from Twelve Theravada Masters by Jack Kornfield. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

April 2024 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on the teachings of Ajahn Chah from Living Dharma: Teachings and Meditation Instructions from Twelve Theravada Masters by Jack Kornfield Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

April 2024 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on the teachings of Chan Master Sheng Yen, Part 3. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

April 2024 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on the teachings of Chan Master Sheng Yen, Part 2. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

April 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on the teachings of Chan Master Sheng Yen Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Dropping our habitual, compulsive busyness and finding our refuge in the direct experience of this moment. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Birth and death are not discrete events, but rather part of a continuing process of coming and going. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

Daring to live fully in the shadow of possible disaster. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Coming to the Path Talk by Christopher Maley.  Automated Transcript

Conditions come and go. At times, one may feel motivated and energized by practice, and, at other times, discouraged and stuck in a rut. How do we stay engaged in the midst of changing conditions? Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

February 2024 Sesshin, Day 2
Chan Master Sheng Yen’s Helps and Hindrances to Sesshin Practice, Part 2. Sources: Faith in Mind: A Commentary on Seng Ts’an’s Classic by Chan Master Sheng Yen; Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart by Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield; One Hand Clapping: Zen Stories for All Ages by Rafe Martin; Taking Flight: A... Dharma Talk by Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry.  Automated Transcript

February 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Chan Master Sheng Yen’s Helps and Hindrances to Sesshin Practice, Part 1. Sources: Faith in Mind: A Commentary on Seng Ts’an’s Classic by Chan Master Sheng Yen; Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart by Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield; One Hand Clapping: Zen Stories for All Ages by Rafe Martin; Taking Flight: A... Dharma Talk by Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry.  Automated Transcript

Full title: No-Self and Habits as Far as the Eye Can See Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Coming to the Path Talk by Maimoona Ramaswamy.  Automated Transcript

Finding a way beyond grasping and rejecting, beyond success and failure. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The experience of physical pain is part of the human condition. In taking up a sitting practice, we have the opportunity to learn how to work with pain and transform our relationship to it. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

January 2024 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on Ordinary Wonder: Zen Life and Practice by Charlotte Joko Beck Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2024 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on Nothing Special: Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck (Part 2) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2024 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on Nothing Special: Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck (Part 1) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2024 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on Teachings of a Buddhist Monk by Ven. Ajahn Sumedho (Part 3) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2024 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on Teachings of a Buddhist Monk by Ven. Ajahn Sumedho (Part 2) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2024 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on Teachings of a Buddhist Monk by Ven. Ajahn Sumedho (Part 1) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The human experience of time is shaped by social conditioning. Through Zen practice we learn to let go of our attachment to time as linear and cumulative, releasing ourselves into the eternal, present now. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

December 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle (Part 2). Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

December 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle (Part 1). Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

Full Title: Outrage, Resentment, Acceptance, and Forgiveness. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on the teachings of Charlotte Joko Beck (Part 2). Source: Everyday Zen: Love and Work by Charlotte Joko Beck. Edited by Steve Smith. Harper Collins, 1989. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on the teachings of Charlotte Joko Beck (Part 1). Source: Everyday Zen: Love and Work by Charlotte Joko Beck. Edited by Steve Smith. Harper Collins, 1989. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on the teachings of Maurine Stuart (Part 4). Source: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Sherry Chayat. Shambhala, 1996 Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on the teachings of Maurine Stuart (Part 3). Source: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Sherry Chayat. Shambhala, 1996 Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on the teachings of Maurine Stuart (Part 2). Source: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Sherry Chayat. Shambhala, 1996 Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on the teachings of Maurine Stuart (Part 1). Source: Subtle Sound: The Zen Teachings of Maurine Stuart. Edited by Sherry Chayat. Shambhala, 1996 Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Coming to the Path Talk by Ven. Kanji Argetsinger.  Automated Transcript

Practice and our lives are not two. Insight comes when the thinking mind falls silent. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on the teachings of American Zen teacher Joko Beck (Part 3). Source: Everyday Zen: Love and Work by Charlotte Joko Beck. Edited by Steve Smith. Harper Collins, 1989. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on the teachings of American Zen teacher Joko Beck (Part 2). Source: Everyday Zen: Love and Work by Charlotte Joko Beck. Edited by Steve Smith. Harper Collins, 1989. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on the teachings of American Zen teacher Joko Beck (Part 1). Source: Everyday Zen: Love and Work by Charlotte Joko Beck. Edited by Steve Smith. Harper Collins, 1989. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on the teachings of Zen Master Foyan. Sources: Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and their Teachings (Expanded Edition) by Andy Ferguson. Wisdom Publications, 2011. Zen Essence: The Science of Freedom, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Shambhala Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on the teachings of Zen Master Yuanwu. Sources: Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and their Teachings (Expanded Edition) by Andy Ferguson. Wisdom Publications, 2011. Zen Essence: The Science of Freedom, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Shambhala Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Automated Transcript

How to engage your practice in the midst of activity, whether it involves manual work or intellectually-demanding tasks. Resources: Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks by Gary Thorp (Walker Books, 2000).  “The Value of ‘Deep Work’ in an Age of Distraction,” Hidden Brain podcast featuring Cal Newport (July 25, 2017). Teisho by Sensei Dhara Kowal.  Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Reading from Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana. Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

September 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Meditation: Why Bother? Developing the Right Attitude. Reading from Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana. Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

From October 1975 Sesshin, Day 1. A commentary on the koan and the teacher- student dynamic. Played on Founder’s Day – August 20, 2023. Teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau.  Automated Transcript

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
A commentary on Zen Essence, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
A commentary on Zen Essence, translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
A commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui. (translated by J.C. Cleary). Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
A commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui. (translated by J.C. Cleary). Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Roshi Kjolhede begins this teisho with biographical highlights of Zen Master Ta Hui, based on Andy Ferguson’s Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Master’s and Their Teachings.   He then continues with a commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui. (translated by J.C. Cleary). Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

When we let go of all the ways we discriminate between self and other, we open up to the suffering of all beings, and to the transformative power of love. Sources: Anthony De Mello, The Way to Love, Image Books, 1995. bell hooks, “Contemplation and Transformation,” Buddhist Women on the Edge: Contemporary Perspectives from the... Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Coming to the Path Talk by Bill Lindenfelser.  Automated Transcript

Our eagerness to cut short whatever feels tedious by chasing after distractions and excitement comes to diminish our lives. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Comments about the Center’s Board of Trustees recent decision not to display the Black Lives Matter flag (or other non-Dharma-symbol flags) on the Arnold Park building. Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on dialogues between Bankei and students (Part 2). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on dialogues between Bankei and students (Part 1). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on Bankei’s public talk delivered during a training period at Ryumon-ji (Part 2). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on Bankei’s public talk delivered during a training period at Ryumon-ji (Part 1). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on the life of 17th-century Japanese Zen Master Bankei Yotaku (Part 2). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

June 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on the life of 17th-century Japanese Zen Master Bankei Yotaku (Part 1). Source: The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693. Revised edition translated with an introduction by Norman Waddell. North Point Press, 2000. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Transcript

Two of the four Brahma-viharas. Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

How do we embody the Precepts in our everyday lives? An overview of morality in Zen and the RZC’s Taking the Precepts Ceremony. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Exploring the intersection between Zen practice and neuroscience on our capacity for experiencing awe in ordinary activities. Commentary on Dacher Keltner’s “The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe”, The Atlantic: January 13, 2023. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

May 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Question:  Should I try or should I not try? Do I apply effort in practice or do I surrender? Ought there be discipline or should it come naturally? Answer: Yes! Sources: Awakening to Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau; Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart by Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield. Dharma Talk by Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry.  Automated Transcript

May 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
How to make the most of chanting, talks, and personalized instruction during sesshin. Sharing the teachings of Roshi Philip Kapleau, founder of Rochester Zen Center, on the 19th anniversary of his death. Source: Zen: Merging of East and West by Roshi Philip Kapleau. Dharma Talk by Ven. Jissai Prince-Cherry.  Automated Transcript

Bodhin-roshi’s comments on the controversy surrounding the February video of “the Dalai Lama and the boy.” (Correction: the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959, not 1951 as was stated in the talk.) Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

A look at Master Dogen’s treatise ‘Instructions to the Cook,’ with reflections on my own experiences as a cook, particularly at the Zen Center, as well as on work practice in general. Dharma Talk by Ven. Kanji Argetsinger.  Automated Transcript

The layering of suffering. Coming to the Path Talk by Rebecca Gilbert.  Automated Transcript

Further exploration of practice off the mat. (Continuing the theme of the teisho of February 19, 2023.) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Mumonkan #13, Tokusan Carries His Bowls. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Illuminating Silence: Insights on the Path of Chinese Zen by Master Sheng-Yen and John Crook. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Zen practice is a method, not a technique. As a result, practice can sometimes feel frustrating since there’s no step-by-step instruction manual telling us “Exactly What to Do.” (Nor will there ever be.) So how do we practice? Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

We’re socially conditioned to lead with the head, however Zen is not a mental activity. How do we get our practice into the body-mind? Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Blue Cliff Record #21 “Chimon and the Lotus.” Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on “Attaining the Way: A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism” by Master Sheng Yen. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on “Subtle Wisdom: Understanding Suffering, Cultivating Compassion Through Chan Buddhism” by Master Sheng Yen Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

February 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on “Subtle Wisdom: Understanding Suffering, Cultivating Compassion Through Chan Buddhism” by Master Sheng Yen. Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Zen practice has the potential to change our lives for the better. So what are we doing when we’re not facing a wall?  (See also the teisho Stop Fixing Yourself.) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Transcript

The usual human response to trouble and uncertainty is anxiety and resistance. How can we learn to live wholeheartedly with things as they are? Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

A senior student speaks candidly about his time at the Center, including his intense efforts to stay with Zen practice through severe depression and cancer. Coming to the Path Talk by Jonathan Hager.  Automated Transcript

Marsha Linehan is the creator of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) which was the first form of psychotherapy proven effective for suicidal people with personality disorders. Her work was driven by her own struggles and by her experience in Zen training. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 5
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Separating Dharma from Dogma. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Teisho by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
Description: What is my light? Why can’t I see it? How do I stop objectifying myself and those around me? Source(s): The Golden Age of Zen by John C.H. Wu, Doubleday 1996. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

November 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
Description: Zen practice is experiential — we each have to find our way to the truth, giving up our egoistic striving. Source(s): Subtle Sound by Roko Sherry Chayat, Shambhala 1996. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

November 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
Description: Pride in our good deeds reinforces our sense of self-importance, and therefore works at cross-purposes to our efforts to free ourselves from the delusion of separation. Source(s): Subtle Sound by Roko Sherry Chayat, Shambhala 1996. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

November 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Description: A master once said, “The taste of Zen is pain in the knees.” How do we work creatively with pain and weariness in these early days of sesshin? Source(s): Subtle Sound by Roko Sherry Chayat, Shambhala 1996. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

November 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Description: Practising right where we are. Source(s): Meetings with Remarkable Women by Lenore Friedman, Shambhala 1987; Subtle Sound by Roko Sherry Chayat, Shambhala 1996. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

November 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Description: Biographical material Source(s): Meetings with Remarkable Women by Lenore Friedman, Shambhala 1987; Subtle Sound by Roko Sherry Chayat, Shambhala 1996. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

How Zen practice deconstructs the self while the Dharma nourishes the Self, with a commentary on the koan “Linji’s Blind Donkey”. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Transcript

September 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

A look at the sanctioning next month of Donna Kowal and at my stepping aside, featuring Case 40 in the Mumonkan, “Kicking Over the Water Bottle.” Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Transcript

September 2022 2-Day Sesshin, Day 2
Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

September 2022 2-Day Sesshin, Day 1
Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

By trying to wall off the inevitable pain we encounter, we make it hurt more and last longer. Acceptance and practice show us another way. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

From December 1979 Sesshin, Day 7. Played on Founder’s Day – August 14, 2022. Teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau.  Automated Transcript

July 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The images revealed by the Webb Telescope will vastly extend our knowledge. Wisdom, however, grows from looking inward. Who is seeing that projection of the mind we call the universe? Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The book Buddhism, by Smith and Novak, identifies six aspects of religion. How many fit with Zen? Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Faith is the anchor of Zen practice, but faith in what? Not a person, not a thing. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Transcript

Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 7
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

A look at the first of the Ten Cardinal Precepts, particularly with respect to the Buffalo mass shooting, abortion, and self-immolation. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

A Rochester Zen Center staff member gives her account of coming to the Dharma and to the Center. Coming to the Path Talk by Desiree Jaeger-Fine.  Automated Transcript

Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

On taking refuge in Sangha (Community). Dharma Talk by Sensei Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Advice from a 21st century Stoic. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

The leader of the Louisville Zen Center and a Rochester Zen Center staff member, gives her account of coming to the Dharma and to the Center. Coming to the Path Talk by Jeanette Prince-Cherry.  Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 7
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

March 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Dharma Talk by Ven. Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

Cultivating openness and awareness in the face of habit energies that pull us in the other direction. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Transcript

Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

With Russia’s invasion the world has changed. Facing up to uncertainty and suffering. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Working with the body and attitudes towards the body in Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Body awareness as a key to Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

A “CoronaCast.” Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The compulsive and unsettled tenor of modern life was diagnosed well over 300 years ago by the French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, who wrote, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 7
On Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, (trans. by J.C.Cleary). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
On Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, (trans. by J.C.Cleary). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
On Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha’s Teachings by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Peter Breiter). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
On Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha’s Teachings by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Peter Breiter). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Transcript

The three essentials of Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Transcript

Roshi’s latest podcast episode: a blur of change. Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

December 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Dharma Talk by Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

December 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Dharma Talk by Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

Replacing grasping and aversion with awareness. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Morality as the first of the three foundations of Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 7
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated transcript Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, translated by J.C. Cleary. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 5
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

On Calvin Malone’s Razor-Wire Dharma: A Buddhist Life in Prison. Dharma Talk by Eryl Kubicka.  Automated Transcript

Examining helpful (and not so helpful) ways of approaching Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Transcript

September 2021 Sesshin, Day 7
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2021 Sesshin, Day 6
Zen Letters: Teachings of Yuanwu (trans. by J.C. Cleary and Thomas Cleary) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2021 Sesshin, Day 5
Zen Letters: Teachings of Yuanwu (trans. by J.C. Cleary and Thomas Cleary) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2021 Sesshin, Day 4
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2021 Sesshin, Day 3
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

September 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui (trans. by J.C. Cleary) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

To one degree or another, we allow habitual reactions to pain and anxiety to limit our lives. Zen practice shows us another way. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Like individuals, all nations and worlds pass. By fully facing this, with daily practice we can breathe life and even joy into our lives. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Transcript

Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Roshi’s latest podcast: Deja Vu – Adapting to the COVID variants. Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 7
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim (trans. by Martine Batchelor) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim (trans. by Martine Batchelor) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim (trans. by Martine Batchelor) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim (trans. by Martine Batchelor) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim (trans. by Martine Batchelor) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

July 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim (trans. by Martine Batchelor) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

On working with habit forces and boredom. Commentary on excerpts from Ordinary Wonder: Zen Life and Practice by Charlotte Joko Beck, edited by Brenda Beck Hess (Shambhala, 2021). Dharma Talk by Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Looking for Truth in all the wrong places. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

We can celebrate the 1865 Emancipation while acknowledging the enduring shackles of systemic racism and those of our own afflictions. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

June 2021 Sesshin, Day 5
Working with spiritual poverty. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Transcript

June 2021 Sesshin, Day 4
Arrival, loss and return — the universe changes on its axis, but how to share this amazing experience with others? Searching for a context for 20 years and finally finding one. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

June 2021 Sesshin, Day 3
A turning point — no need to look further than the mind itself. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

June 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Flora Courtois’ search for Reality, or the ground of being. Text: An Experience of Enlightenment by Flora Courtois. Quest Books, 1986. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

June 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Introduction to the text by Yasutani-roshi Text: An Experience of Enlightenment by Flora Courtois. Quest Books, 1986. Teisho by Roshi Amala Wrightson.  Automated Transcript

A look at the teacher-student relationship generally, with a focus on the implications of it at the RZC now that Roshi and John Pulleyn-sensei will both be giving dokusan and formally accepting students. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

The Buddha’s Way to freedom. Dharma Talk by Sensei John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Roshi’s weekly podcast: Languishing and Ambivalence. Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

May 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Reading and commentary on excerpts from an interview with Joanna Macy that explores the Buddha’s teaching of dependent co-arising, nothing exists apart from anything else. (Source: Dharma Rain, edited by Stephanie Kaza and Kenneth Kraft, Shambhala Publications, 2000) Dharma Talk by Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

May 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Reading and commentary on excerpts from Chapter One. Dharma Talk by Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

The Heart Sutra (Prajna Paramita) reminds us that none of the five skandhas (constituents of personhood) have any substantiality to them. To cling to any imagined identity, then, is to invite suffering. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede’s weekly podcast. Come On In–the Water’s Fine! Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

A look at one of the Buddha’s three characteristics of existence. Dharma Talk by Sensei John Pulleyn.

April 2021 Sesshin, Day 5
Commentary on Zen Dawn, Early Zen Texts from Tun Huang (trans. by J.C. Cleary) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

April 2021 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on Zen Dawn, Early Zen Texts from Tun Huang (trans. by J.C. Cleary) Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

April 2021 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on The Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

April 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on The Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

April 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on The Practice of Zen, by Garma C. C. Chang. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

Letting go of thoughts on the mat and in our lives. Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Dharma Talk by Donna Kowal.  Automated Transcript

Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede’s weekly podcast. Trust the Process – Lengthening Days and Zen Practice: Taking the Long View Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

A look at original vs. actualized enlightenment, Dharma transmission, aspiration, and our True Self as the “Face” behind the mask. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

February/March 2021 Sesshin, Day 4
Source Quoted Catching a Feather on a Fan: A Zen Retreat With Master Sheng Yen. Edited by by John Crook. Element Books Ltd, 1991. Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February/March 2021 Sesshin, Day 3
Source Quoted Catching a Feather on a Fan: A Zen Retreat With Master Sheng Yen. Edited by by John Crook. Element Books Ltd, 1991. Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February/March 2021 Sesshin, Day 2
Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn on Catching a Feather on a Fan: A Zen Retreat With Master Sheng Yen. Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

February/March 2021 Sesshin, Day 1
Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn on Catching a Feather on a Fan: A Zen Retreat With Master Sheng Yen. Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn.  Automated Transcript

Digital overstimulation and now the pandemic has generated a culture of negation, withdrawal, and numbness. But there’s a better way to retreat, every day, from overwhelming circumstances, while engaging with the world. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Miscellaneous reflections on love, seen through the lens of Dharma. Source Referenced Soul Food: Stories to Nourish the Spirit and the Heart. Jack Kornfield and Christina Feldman. HarperOne, 1996. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Roshi’s weekly podcast: Integrating Two of the Buddhist Paramitas in Getting Scheduled for a Vaccination Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Sources Referenced: Malcolm Gladwell. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Norman Fischer. Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up. HarperOne, 2004. Jeffrey R. Young. “Researcher Behind ‘10,000-Hour Rule’ Says Good Teaching Matters, Not Just Practice.” EdSurge, May 5, 2020. “Unconditionally Steadfast.” Tricycle interview with Pema Chödrön. Fall 1999. Dharma Talk by Trueman Taylor.  Automated Transcript

A look at what the Buddhist Sangha, or community, meant in Asia, how it has changed since coming to Western countries, and what it might become for the Rochester Zen Center. Sources Quoted: Stephen Batchelor. “Creating Sangha.” Tricycle, Winter, 1995.  Thich Nhat Hanh. “The Fertile Soil of Sangha.” Tricycle, Summer, 2008. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

Roshi’s weeky podcast: New Government as Rebirth Automated transcript Talk by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

January 2021 Sesshin, Day 7
Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript

January 2021 Sesshin, Day 6
Readings from Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin (mostly the Introduction), The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin (both translated by Norman Waddell) and The Zen Master Hakuin, translated by Philip Yampolsky. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.  Automated Transcript