Upaya Zen Center’s Dharma Podcast

In this dharma talk, Fushin discusses the Empty Bowl Sutra and its relationship to the Diamond Sutra, presenting them as complementary teachings about emptiness or boundlessness, and the bodhisattva path. Fushin explains that the Empty Bowl Sutra features Manjushri teaching about emptiness/boundlessness while the Diamond Sutra shows how this understanding leads to the bodhisattva vow to liberate…

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In this talk from the Awareness in Action series, Ruth King examines racism as “a heart disease that is curable,” exploring through a Buddhist lens how racial conditioning shapes our identities and relationships. She illuminates the characteristics of dominance and subordination in racial dynamics, explaining how white privilege and supremacy are maintained through patterns of “blindness, sameness…

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In this concluding session of the Haiku and Poetry program, Roshi Joan Halifax facilitates a rich dialogue among faculty and participants about language, beauty, and creative courage in difficult times. Roshi creates space for deep exploration of how poetry can address both personal and collective suffering. Jane Hirshfield shares her profound poem “Let Them Not Say,” written as a response to…

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In this Fourth full session of the Haiku and Poetry series, translator and artist Ian Boyden invites participants on a meditative journey through the landscape of Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei. Beginning with a recognition of our present moment of global crisis, Boyden introduces Wang Wei (699-761 CE) as the “poet Buddha” who seamlessly integrated poetry, painting, and calligraphy into what became…

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This is the 2nd part of … The third full session of the Haiku and Poetry program, where Jimmy Santiago Baca brings his characteristic energy and authenticity to the practice of writing haiku. Drawing on his background as a formerly incarcerated writer who discovered the redemptive power of language, Baca guides participants through a process of finding meaningful personal images and transforming…

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In this third full session of the Haiku and Poetry program, Jimmy Santiago Baca brings his characteristic energy and authenticity to the practice of writing haiku. Drawing on his background as a formerly incarcerated writer who discovered the redemptive power of language, Baca guides participants through a process of finding meaningful personal images and transforming them into poetry.

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This is the 2nd part of … The second full session of the Haiku and Poetry program, where acclaimed poet Jane Hirshfield explores the deep connections between poetry and contemplative practice. Beginning with insights into the rich tradition of Japanese women poets—from ancient court poets like Izumi Shikibu to Mitsu Suzuki—Hirshfield reveals how poetry has always served as an instrument of…

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In this second full session of the Haiku and Poetry program, acclaimed poet Jane Hirshfield explores the deep connections between poetry and contemplative practice. Beginning with insights into the rich tradition of Japanese women poets—from ancient court poets like Izumi Shikibu to Mitsu Suzuki—Hirshfield reveals how poetry has always served as an instrument of transition and transformation.

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In this first full session of the Haiku and Poetry series, Sensei Kazuaki Tanahashi explores the nuances of contemporary Japanese haiku through interactive discussion. He focuses on poems by Akiko Takazawa and Mitsu Suzuki, sharing both original Japanese text and his English translations. Tanahashi demonstrates how traditional haiku must follow specific formal elements: the 5-7-5 syllable…

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In this opening session of the Haiku and Poetry series, Roshi Joan Halifax introduces a distinguished panel including Kazuaki Tanahashi, Jane Hirshfield, Ian Boyden, and Jimmy Santiago Baca. Each teacher shares their unique approaches to poetry as practice: Tanahashi explores traditional haiku forms, Hirshfield reflects on brevity’s power, Boyden connects to ancient Chinese poetic traditions…

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