Dharma Talks

After our Sunday service a Dharma Talk is offered, followed by discussion. Occasionally we listen to pre-recorded talks or transcripts of talks that can be found as files on the Web. When available, a link below will lead you to the talk - click on the title of the talk. Often a donation is suggested.


July 3, 2011

Ryokan - Rev. Nonin Chowaney, Abbot of the Nebraska Zen Center

Other sources (books) on Ryokan:

Three Zen Masters: Ikkyu, Hakuin, Ryokan by John Stevens

One Robe, One Bowl by John Stevens
Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf by John Stevens
Great Fool, Zen Master Ryokan by Ryuichi Abé and Peter Haskel

July 10, 2011

A Zen Poem - Gil Fronsdal, primary teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California

Staying Upright - Gil Fronsdal, primary teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California

Another source (book) on being upright:

Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts by Reb Anderson


July 17, 2011

Sisyphus and the Burden of Life - Charlotte Joko Beck, from Nothing Special

Books by Charlotte Joko Beck:

Everyday Zen
Nothing Special


July 24, 2011

Right - Valorie Beer, Priest at Green Gulch (San Francisco Zen Center)


September 4, 2011

Why Practice? (go to "Talks Online") - Steve Hagen, Head Teacher at Dharma Field Zen Center (Minneapolis, MN)

Additional resource (book): Buddhism is Not What You Think by Steve Hagen


October 9, 2011

5 Questions That Help Us Wake Up - Ezra Bayda writes and teaches at Zen Center of San Diego. He is the author of Being Zen: Bringing Meditation To Life (2002), At Home in the Muddy Water (2003), Saying Yes to Life (Even the Hard Parts) (2005), Zen Heart (2008), and Beyond Happiness: The Zen Way to True Contentment (2010).


November 27, 2011

So It Is - Ryushi Paul Haller is co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center.


December 11, 2011

Reality Isn't What You Think - Andy Karr is a longtime Buddhist meditator and amateur photographer. He is the author of Contemplating Reality: A Practitioner’s Guide to the View in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism.


January 8, 2012

Intention and Karma - Gil Fronsdal has practiced Zen and Vipassana since 1975 and has a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He has trained in both the Japanese Soto Zen tradition and the Insight Meditation lineage of Theravada Buddhism of Southeast Asia. He has been the primary teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California since 1990.