Teachings

You can find all of our weekly Dharma talks for free right here on this page, as well as on our YouTube channel and podcast. Live talks take place every Thursday from 5:30–7:00pm MT, both in-person and on Zoom (sit.mountaincloud.org — password: mountain22). Members receive access to some special archival materials.

  • Dharma Talk: “Sun-faced Buddha, Moon-faced Buddha” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatFebruary 3, 20261 min read

    This talk begins with the question of how to embody the freedom and ease of Zen’s empty hands while being fully attuned to the cries of the world – including the cries of our own hearts. As a prelude to a koan, the talk turns to the great lay disciple of the Buddha, Vimalakirti, who lies ill and says, “I am sick because the whole world is sick.” What wholeness has Vimalakirti seen that allows...

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk: “Sun-faced Buddha, Moon-faced Buddha” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatFebruary 3, 20261 min read

    https://vimeo.com/1161507381?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci This talk begins with the question of how to embody the freedom and ease of Zen’s empty hands while being fully attuned to the cries of the world – including the cries of our own hearts. As a prelude to a koan, the talk turns to the great lay disciple of the Buddha, Vimalakirti, who lies ill and says, “I am sick because the whole world is sick.” What wholeness has Vimalakirti seen that...

    Watch the video
  • Dharma Talk: “The ‘Such-as-this’ Sutra” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatJanuary 27, 20261 min read

    Opening with a reading of Mountain Cloud’s Land Acknowledgment, this talk is framed by a tribute to Joanna Macy through poetry that helped to inspire her deep and abiding support for the earth and all forms of life. Within this frame, Valerie turns to a koan about Prajnatara, teacher of Bodhidharma and an ancestor who may well have been a woman. Case 3 of the Shoyoroku or Book of Equanimity presents Prajnatara embodying the way...

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk: “The ‘Such-as-this’ Sutra” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatJanuary 27, 20261 min read

    Opening with a reading of Mountain Cloud’s Land Acknowledgment, this talk is framed by a tribute to Joanna Macy through poetry that helped to inspire her deep and abiding support for the earth and all forms of life. Within this frame, Valerie turns to a koan about Prajnatara, teacher of Bodhidharma and an ancestor who may well have been a woman. Case 3 of the Shoyoroku or Book of Equanimity presents Prajnatara embodying the way...

    Watch the video
  • Dharma Talk: “Sitting in the Midst of Tragedy” with Scott Thornton

    Xander MoffatJanuary 20, 20261 min read

    Scott takes up Case 6 of the Blue Cliff Record, Unmon’s “Every Day is a Good Day.” Recorded on January 15th, 2026 Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this. Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/ Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk: “Sitting in the Midst of Tragedy” with Scott Thornton

    Xander MoffatJanuary 20, 20261 min read

    Scott takes up Case 6 of the Blue Cliff Record, Unmon’s “Every Day is a Good Day.” Recorded on January 15th, 2026 Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as this. Donations: https://www.mountaincloud.org/donate/ Become a member: https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/membership/

    Watch the video
  • Dharma Talk: “Begin Again: The timeless gift of a new day” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatJanuary 13, 20261 min read

    In this first Dharma talk of the new year, Valerie reads from a recently published collection of poetry, Begin Where You Are, then turns to the question, ‘Where Are You?’ Issuing from our practice, this question is not a matter of geographical location but a pointer to the fundamental reality of who and what we truly are. Centuries ago, Master Tosetsu Etsu famously addressed his monks with this fundamental question: Right in the midst of...

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk: “Begin Again: The timeless gift of a new day” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatJanuary 13, 20261 min read

    In this first Dharma talk of the new year, Valerie reads from a recently published collection of poetry, Begin Where You Are, then turns to the question, ‘Where Are You?’ Issuing from our practice, this question is not a matter of geographical location but a pointer to the fundamental reality of who and what we truly are. Centuries ago, Master Tosetsu Etsu famously addressed his monks with this fundamental question: Right in the midst of...

    Watch the video
  • Dharma Talk: “One Treasure – Endlessly Functioning” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatDecember 23, 20251 min read

    In the wake of the Rohatsu sesshin at Mountain Cloud and our deep dive into Hakuin’s Song of Zazen, Valerie begins this talk with a painting by Hakuin, an image of three blind men crossing a precarious log bridge. What does Hakuin’s vision of ‘crossing over’ say about our practice, about awakening, and about the leap or fall right into the heart of this broken open world? By way of response, Valerie takes up case...

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk: “One Treasure – Endlessly Functioning” with Valerie Forstman

    Xander MoffatDecember 23, 20251 min read

    In the wake of the Rohatsu sesshin at Mountain Cloud and our deep dive into Hakuin’s Song of Zazen, Valerie begins this talk with a painting by Hakuin, an image of three blind men crossing a precarious log bridge. What does Hakuin’s vision of ‘crossing over’ say about our practice, about awakening, and about the leap or fall right into the heart of this broken open world? By way of response, Valerie takes up case...

    Watch the video
  • Dharma Talk – Illumined; Illumining: The Full Moon of Our Lives

    Xander MoffatDecember 9, 20251 min read

    On the occasion of the last full moon of this calendar year, Valerie turns to case 100 in the Blue Cliff Record or Hekiganroku. Speaking directly to our life and practice, Master Haryo (Baling), asks, “What is the sharpest sword? He himself answers, “Each branch of coral reflects the moon.” How does that sharpest sword function and what does it have to do with the light of the moon? In the course of her talk,...

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk – Illumined; Illumining: The Full Moon of Our Lives

    Xander MoffatDecember 9, 20251 min read

    On the occasion of the last full moon of this calendar year, Valerie turns to case 100 in the Blue Cliff Record or Hekiganroku. Speaking directly to our life and practice, Master Haryo (Baling), asks, “What is the sharpest sword? He himself answers, “Each branch of coral reflects the moon.” How does that sharpest sword function and what does it have to do with the light of the moon? In the course of her talk,...

    Watch the video
  • Dharma Talk: “The Boundless Way” with Maria Habito

    Xander MoffatNovember 25, 20251 min read

    Maria turns to Mumonkan Case 7, Joshu’s “Wash your Bowl”, his advice to a newcomer who earnestly asked him for instruction about the way. How does this simple instruction reflect the boundless way that Joshu himself asked his own teacher Nansen about when he first entered the monastery? Recorded on November 20th, 2025 Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as...

    Listen to the talk
  • Dharma Talk: “The Boundless Way” with Maria Habito

    Xander MoffatNovember 25, 20251 min read

    Maria turns to Mumonkan Case 7, Joshu’s “Wash your Bowl”, his advice to a newcomer who earnestly asked him for instruction about the way. How does this simple instruction reflect the boundless way that Joshu himself asked his own teacher Nansen about when he first entered the monastery? Recorded on November 20th, 2025 Please consider supporting Mountain Cloud with a donation or becoming a member so we can continue to provide online programs such as...

    Watch the video
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