Teachings

  • Message from Valerie: An Invitation to Serve

    Valerie ForstmanJanuary 25, 20232 min read

    Mountain Cloud sangha members are currently coming together once each month to prepare and serve a delicious meal at the Interfaith Shelter, known as Pete’s Place, here in Santa Fe. For members interested in further engagement with vulnerable segments of our community, we have an opportunity to serve with fellow practitioners in Upaya’s Street Ministry project.  Upaya’s Street Ministry focuses on supporting member’s of Santa Fe’s community who are experiencing homelessness. Volunteers in the Street Ministry not only...

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  • Special Message from Henry

    MCZCMarch 25, 20206 min read

    Dear MC students, members, sangha, friends and supporters... Thank you all so much for making Mountain Cloud such a vibrant and thrilling community to be a part of. Yes, we gather primarily in order to be quiet and still together in person, to allow the deeper realities of our consciousness, our nature, and our very existence to show themselves. And also to ripen in the Dharma, in order to grow (let’s hope) as wiser, kinder human...

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  • Dharmatalk: Case 98, Book of Equanimity: Tozan’s “Intimate with It” (Part 1 of 2)

    MCZCMarch 19, 20201 min read

    "... the single, infinite, empty fact that is always, powerfully, right here, now ..." I am always most intimate with it. ~Tôzan Description: This talk begins by addressing the difference between concentration leading to emptiness practice, and mindfulness meditation. In Case 98, a monk asks Tôzan about the three bodies of Buddha. Tôzan’s beautiful, nonconceptual response expresses the single, infinite, empty fact that is always, powerfully, right here, now. Post & Featured image: Rapid mountain river in autumn....

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  • Message from Henry: Ease and Joy in Times of Uncertainty

    MCZCMarch 18, 20204 min read

    At any time, we can find within our experience a belovedness, an ease, that is intrinsic to our existence and our very consciousness. All of us in the Mountain Cloud sangha and network are blessed to be part of a deep and ancient lineage of practice. Throughout history we human beings have been through many challenging situations of many kinds, in all times and places. For example, in mid 8th century China, when Zen had...

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  • Dharmatalk: Case 97, Book of Equanimity: Emperor Doko’s Helmet Hood

    MCZCMarch 12, 20201 min read

    "Any sense experience is boundless and empty." Description: This inspiring talk explores the beautiful simplicity of Case 97. Emperor Dôkô says, “I have attained the treasure of the Central Plain.” His teacher, Master Kôke, asks the emperor to show it to him. What is this boundless treasure that cannot be quantified? It is always right here, right now. Post & Featured image: Yellow Sun Set in The Middle of The Ocean by osalenko, purchased from depositphotos, for use...

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  • Message from Henry: The Space in the Middle

    MCZCMarch 10, 20202 min read

    Suddenly it's clear: there's no one there. Just empty space. ... you become superconscious of your breathing, but it's no longer yours. It's like watching an animal breathe, as if through a lens. You ask, Who is it breathing? There is the rustle of inhalation followed by exhalation. Whose breath is it? You switch your attention to your sight. The question spontaneously arises: Whose sight is it? And there's hearing: some kind of faint hiss in the room, and a...

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  • Dharmatalk: Case 96, Book of Equanimity: Kyuho Does Not Acknowledge (Part 2 of 2)

    MCZCMarch 5, 20201 min read

    The fact of being is an utter mystery. Description: The focal point of this multifaceted talk is the seven-line verse by Master Sekisô in Case 96. Practice gives us a framework for seeking. What is to be found? In order to give us a taste of what Sekisô is conveying about the great mystery of existence and the varying depths of the awakening experience, each line of the verse is explored. Post & Featured image: Tree Tunnel...

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  • Message from Henry: Teacher-Student Relationship

    MCZCMarch 3, 20201 min read

    The teacher-student relationship is complex. Over the years Joan gently guided me, and sometimes not so gently. When I was full of myself, she reminded me that I had to try to live generously and kindly; when despondent, that I knew of a world of peace. She pushed me into seeing life as an ongoing exploration, and every moment as an opportunity for exploration. But perhaps the main thing is simply the teacher's presence in your life....

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  • Henry Shukman and Sam Harris Interview / Waking Up Podcast

    MCZCMarch 2, 20201 min read

    Henry was recently interviewed by Sam Harris on the Waking Up podcast.  Waking Up is available with a subscription. If you'd like to listen, we have a special offer that allows us to listen for free to Henry and Sam's conversation. Waking Up also offers a 30-day free trial if you'd like to explore more of the Sam Harris' offerings. To take advantage of the special offer... Visit https://www.wakingup.com Click on 'Sign Up' in the upper right hand corner Enter and...

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  • Dharmatalk: Case 96, Book of Equanimity: Kyuho Does Not Acknowledge (Part 1)

    MCZCFebruary 27, 20201 min read

    Each thing is itself a miracle. Description: What is a koan? Why are they used in Zen training? In the story of each koan, we are the main character with an opportunity to become clearly aware of our core nature. In Case 96, following the death of Master Sekisô, Kyûhô questions the head monk to discover whether or not he should become the next abbot of the temple. Kyûhô is unimpressed, demonstrating that the heart of...

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  • Message from Henry: Hammer Blows

    MCZCFebruary 25, 20202 min read

    An excerpt from part way through Henry's path of training as recounted in One Blade of Grass... ...In spite of all the practice I'd done, the study under them (teachers)... the faith I'd given Zen, throwing in my lot with it, I couldn't deny I still had mood swings. I still got "caught," as the Zen people put it. I looked at my teachers and saw their peace, and knew in some ways it derived from...

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  • Mindfulness: You are Not Alone, Jack Kornfield

    MCZCFebruary 23, 20201 min read

    In a recent article titled You Are Not Alone, Jack Kornfield reminds us that we are intricately connected to all things through the air we breathe, the food we eat and the experiences we share. Many mystics, physicists, philosophers and even mathematicians have reached similar conclusions. We are infinitely more than our mind or our body. Kornfield says, “And now, as you read these words, feel yourself as part of the stream of humanity walking together,...

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  • Falling Snow

    MCZCFebruary 23, 20201 min read

    All last night and    This morning still,     Snow falling in the deepest mountains;     Ah, to see the autumn leaves    Scattering in my home.    ~ Dogen 

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  • Dharmatalk:Already One: 2019 Spring Sesshin (Part 4 of 4)

    MCZCFebruary 20, 20201 min read

    "…and the deepest level of communication is not communication, it’s communion."  ~ Thomas Merton Description: This is the final talk of the Spring 2019 sesshin. It is a “key points” summary of the previous talks, beginning with a discussion of various zones of human healing and wisdom. Bodhidharma described two gates to the Zen path—entry by principle and entry by practice. This is the springboard to discuss many aspects of practice and the experience of awakening, which...

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  • Message from Henry: Nothing to Heal

    MCZCFebruary 18, 20201 min read

    There is nothing to heal. The great promise of Zen is that who we really are has been intact, whole and complete since before the beginning of time. And far from being some lofty unreachable claim, this is a palpable, immediate, intimate reality that is actually available in every moment.  This may fly in the face of some understandings, some received knowledge, of institutions with hierarchies and procedures, of "progress" as it’s sometimes understood. And for some...

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