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.
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Dharmatalk: The Flipside of Impermanence
March 2, 20211 min read
"... Every moment, if I pay attention, I feel a way I’ve never felt before. It’s totally new! ..." Description: The main part of this compilation of talks consists of a question and answer session conducted by Henry Shukman and Tias Little on the last full day of the January 2020 yoga and meditation retreat at Esalen. Questions revolve around similarities between yoga and zen, how to maintain a meaningful sitting practice in the midst of...
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Virtual Zendo – FAQ
March 1, 20212 min read
Welcome to our Virtual Zendo This page... answers frequently asked questions about zoom access and provides the zoom links for sits, retreats and the Introduction to Meditation Tuesday class. It also lists our online sitting schedule and offers help with time zone conversion Zoom Access FAQ and Guidance To participate in our virtual sits, talks the intro class and some retreats on your computer/tablet or other device, click on this zoom link.... sit.mountaincloud.org Passcode: mountain22...
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Dharmatalk: Inquiry into Experience
March 1, 20211 min read
"... Zen is an effortless practice. It’s just letting go ..." Description: In these two short talks given at the Esalen Institute in January 2020, we hear about Zen's emphasis on awakening, which is closely linked to the original meaning of the word "Buddhism." Zen is a unique spiritual path in that it is more interested in the heart-to-heart transmission of the awakening experience than it is in rhetorical dogma. Koans have a central place in...
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Dharma Talks from Valentine’s Weekend Introduction to Meditation Retreat, 2021
February 26, 20211 min read
Zen is awakening to the dynamic reality of the present moment.....Zen is finding love in all things at all times. ~ Ruben Habito Valerie's first talk from our Valentine's weekend Intro retreat explores Zen practice from the mind of compassion and curiosity. Valerie looks at the Buddhist origin story - Shakyamuni's awakening - and she discusses some of the fruits of practice. Valerie also asks (and simply answers) What is Zen? A life long path...
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Dharmatalk: The Intersection of Yoga and Zen
February 23, 20211 min read
"... who we are in the present moment--this very moment ..." "... Housebuilder, I have seen you! You will never build your house here again ..." Description: In this dialogue, which took place at the Esalen Institute in January 2020, yoga teacher Tias Little and zen teacher Henry Shukman talk about the similarities and differences between these two great traditions. Both yoga and zen share an emphasis on inquiry. When we inquire deeply within our...
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Video – Maria Reis Habito, Nansen Kills the Cat
February 22, 20211 min read
Guest speaker Maria Reis Habito's teisho explores Case 14 from the Gateless Gate, Nansen Kills the Cat. She looks at this koan from a compassionate perspective about how to become "unstuck." Maria is Sanbo Zen teacher at the Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, TX and international program director for the Museum of World Religions in Taiwan. [embed] Visit the
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Dharmatalk: Seeing through the Self
February 16, 20211 min read
"... Nothing changes, but everything changes, through the path of meditation ..." Description: In these talks, given during the 2020 Esalen meditation and yoga retreat, we consider certain questions about the nature of reality, taken from the Buddhist canon. Several anecdotes pose a simple question, which is something that every human being must reflect on at some level: What is the meaning of my life? The answer may not be what we expect, if it’s given...
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Sangha Meeting Minutes: January 30 2021
February 15, 202110 min read
Board of Director's Update Presented by Sondra Byrnes, Board President We would like to thank Michael Waldron and Chris Hebard for their service on our board. While their terms have come to an end, they will continue to be involved in various capacities at Mountain Cloud. Thank you! Due to these changes, we move to elect three new board members, Josue Damian-Martinez, Sarah Giffin, and Mark Petrick. Sondra Byrnes has been elected as President of...
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Video – Dosho Port: Record of Empty Hall
February 14, 20211 min read
Dosho Port speaks about his new book The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans. [embed] Dosho Port teaches with the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training and at the Nebraska Zen Center in Omaha, and he has been practicing Zen since 1977. The Record of Empty Hall is his new translation and commentary on a classic collection of koans by Xutang Zhiyu (1185-1269), an important figure in Ch’an/Zen Buddhism. Port illuminates these remarkable...
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Video – Empty Hands, Valerie Forstman
February 12, 20211 min read
We are always looking for the lack, like Eka (Huike) searching for his mind - this lack is so convincing and so untrue. It blinds us to who we really are and blinds us to see the astonishing beauty of one and other. In this Dharma Talk, from February 4, Valerie helps us open our eyes to authentic reality. She reads Thomas Merton's awakening experience and explores an enigmatic line from a verse in the...
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