Teachings
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Wednesday Wisdom Words
October 10, 20221 min read
Wisdom Wisdom is Compassion, andCompassion is Wisdom.But it takes practice. Practice is Enlightenment, andEnlightenment is Practice.But it takes time. Time is Being, andBeing is Time.To realize this is good medicine. Medicine is Disease, andDisease is Medicine.All forms are Medicine. Form is Emptiness, andEmptiness is Form.This OneGoneness is nirvana. Nirvana is Samsara, andSamsara is Nirvana.Back to practice. Practicing Being takes us to Non-Being.There’s nothing to find, andThat’s what we’re here to find. There’s not an original thought there, butIt is your Original Nature,...
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Dharmatalk: Valerie Forstman on The Two-Fold Truth: Genjokoan
October 4, 20221 min read
"Showing their backs then their fronts - falling maple leafs." ~ Ryokan "Resolving the matter of Life and death is of prime importance." To explore this phrase which is recited at the close of Zen Sesshins, Valerie turns to Dogen's Genjokoan and digs into two truths, conventional and absolute, which are actually one truth. Dogen believes that in Zazen, we are practicing realizing, “ripening the sweet milk of the long rivers.” The entire Genjokoan essay...
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Reduced Payments 30 Days of Zen, Nov 2023
October 1, 20221 min read
Enter the amount agreed upon with our team. Contact Sarah with questions.
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Message from Valerie: That Love is All There is
September 28, 20222 min read
“Every single thing holds all things.” This is a line from the awakening poem of Kongshi Daoren, an early 12th c. Chinese laywoman whose name is recorded – and in some centers recited – among the ancestors, one of Zen’s female masters. Born Zhidong, Kongshi is the Buddhist name given when she was permitted as a laywoman - a Daoren or follower of the way - to study with the Zen teachers of her time. Kongshi was...
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Dharmatalk: Henry Shukman on Presence
September 27, 20221 min read
"Your consciousness does not exist separately from what it contains" Henry explores presence from several different angles, including Internal Family Systems (IFS). The word presence includes some of what mindfulness means, and more. All you have to do is taste it. Presence is really about coming back to yourself, to your own experience. I am here. It requires no blistering kensho experience, but presence softens the way we cling to ourselves. And, here's a link to our...
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Embracing Our Intrinsic Belonging
September 23, 20221 min read
Dear Mountain Cloud Friends, With grateful hearts, we offer deep appreciation to our members and friends, our growing sangha, near and far – Mountain Cloud is flourishing! To our local community, your presence, patience, and practice make Mountain Cloud a place of peace and belonging. As we reopen our doors we invite our local sangha back home. We need you and want you to return to the zendo and our land, if you haven’t done so already. Through...
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Sangha Meeting – September 17, 2022
September 21, 20228 min read
Tree graphic made by Mark Petrick who presents the new vision for Mountain Cloud in this video MCZC Mission and Overview Mountain Cloud Zen Center (MCZC) seeks to foster teachings of Zen Buddhism, as adapted to Western cultural forms and traditions. Buddhism is constantly adapting to the culture in which it is practiced. There have been many iterations of Buddhism and this will continue to be. As Buddhism grows in the West, we will rise to meet the...
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Dharmatalk: Within Practice We Meet Ourselves
September 19, 20221 min read
Guest Speaker Karin Kempe of the Zen Center of Denver joins our Thursday Night Sit to offer a talk on Dogen's statement, "Practice is Enlightenment, Enlightenment is Practice." While this sounds great, it doesn't always feel easy. We face resistance that comes up over and over again. Karin offers perspective on the Genjokoan and reminds us that the way is already here. It is not contingent on some method of practice, but within us. And, here's...
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Simplicity Zen Podcast Features Valerie Forstman
September 13, 20221 min read
Simplicity Zen is a Zen and mindfulness themed blog and podcast started by Gambo Berry Crawford. Enjoy Berry's interview with Valerie Forstman. https://simplicityzen.com/simplicity-zen-podcast-episode-39-an-interview-with-valerie-forstman/ Image by Takeshi Shimizu
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Dharmatalk: Infinitely Open, Endlessly Bright with Valerie Forstman
September 13, 20221 min read
Valerie takes up case 29 of the Denkoroku, the record of the ‘transmission of light’ from Bodhidharma to Eka or Huike, as a way to explore the boundless clarity that is none other than this immediate world. One clarity, void of any separation. Hearing a turning word, Eka awakens to the reality Bodhidharma called “vast and void,” and illumines the way. And, here's a link to our YouTube video of this talk. Also, check out our Upcoming...
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Within Practice We Meet Ourselves, Karin Kempe (Video)
September 12, 20221 min read
Guest Speaker Karin Kempe of the Zen Center of Denver joins our Thursday Night Sit to offer a talk on Dogen's statement, Practice is Enlightenment, Enlightenment is Practice. While this sounds great, it doesn't always feel easy. We face resistance that comes up over and over again. Karin offers perspective on the Genjokoan and reminds us that the way is already here. It is not contingent on some method of practice, but within us. https://youtu.be/vH3gfOWi5EI Karin Ryuku...
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Infinitely Open, Endlessly Bright (Video)
September 12, 20221 min read
Valerie Forstman takes up case 29 of the Denkoroku, the record of the ‘transmission of light’ from Bodhidharma to Eka or Huike, as a way to explore the boundless clarity that is none other than this immediate world. One clarity, void of any separation. Hearing a turning word, Eka awakens to the reality Bodhidharma called “vast and void,” and illumines the way. https://youtu.be/OT2CJP0FekE Image by Mark Petrick
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