Upaya Zen Center’s Dharma Podcast

In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk during Spring Practice Period, Sensei Monshin explores the archetypal energies of two bodhisattvas – Samantabhadra and Jizo. She begins by asking what sustains our practice and effort, answering simply: “because of our love for the world, why else? Because of our love for beings.” This same boundless love is precisely what drives these bodhisattvas…

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In this week’s Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, during the Spring Practice Period, Sensei Ryotan Cynthia Kear draws our attention to the foundational importance of vows, urging us to “Trust yourself and your dedication to your practice.” Cultivating a deep confidence in our commitment to practice, knowing we are not perfect, creates the necessary ground for wisdom to emerge.

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In this Wednesday Night concluding talk of the Prajnaparamita series, Kodo explores how these ancient teachings can be brought into everyday life through the practice of deep attention and appreciation. He frames the slow, careful reading of sutras as “a radical act of defiance” against the attention economy, describing how this practice creates a different relationship with time and presence than…

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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 […]

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, […]

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: […]

In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Chris Senko Perez explores the wisdom of the Diamond Sutra with humility and insight. Drawing from various commentaries, he investigates how this ancient text points to the fundamental […]

In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau explores the Diamond Sutra’s challenging and often paradoxical  teachings and the importance of the Bodhisattva vows in cultivating an upright presence during uncertain […]

In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Monshin thoughtfully guides us into an embodied practice of wisdom and compassion, inviting us to examine the misunderstandings that shape our perception of self and reality. […]

In this heartfelt Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Hoshi Chris Senko Perez weaves together his personal journey to Zen practice with reflections on the Prajnaparamita Sutra. Sharing the path that led him from a […]

In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Kodo brings his characteristic warmth and curiosity to an exploration of classic Mahayana literature. With equal parts scholarly enthusiasm and playful inquiry, he delves into this […]

In this final talk of the Winter Practice Period Sesshin, Senseis Wendy Johnson, Kozan, Kodo, and Roshi Joan Halifax weave together teachings on practicing with sincerity and innocence. Beginning with reflections on practicing “without aiming,” they […]

In this talk from the Winter Practice Period Sesshin, Sensei Kozan explores Case 24 of Dogen’s collection, “The Great Kalpa Fire,” where Zen Master Dasui teaches about the nature of impermanence and attachment. […]