San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks

Kokyo Henkel explores three classic Zen sayings by Ninth Century Chinese Zen Ancestor Changsha: the entire world is the radiant light of our true self; that we need to take a step forward from the top of a hundred-foot pole; and that when an earthworm is cut in two the buddha-nature can't be divided.

Jiryu Rutschman-Byler reflects on Suzuki Roshi’s encouragement to “not lose these points: how to be kind to others and how to be one with others,” and offers practices and stories to support these inter-related practices.

Odo Ellen Simpson explores the nature of spiritual friendship in the context of Buddhist life is a support to our practice and a joyous component of our lives together.

Dan Zigmond explores attention itself as a form of generosity: dana, the first of the Buddhist perfections and, as he puts it, the ground floor of the whole path.

Kika Hellein discusses the relationship between interior and external realities.