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...

    Read more
  • Daily Activities

    MCZCFebruary 16, 20201 min read

    Transmitting to the east the way the ancestors brought from the west, My daily activities illuminated by the moon and shadowed by the clouds, Because I revere the ancient way of the patriarchs, The secular dust of worldly customs does not reach Where I remain secluded in my grass-thatched hut, On a snowy evening deep in the mountain recesses. ~ Dogen Zenji  

    Read more
  • Dharmatalk: Case 95, Book of Equanimity: Rinzai Draws a Line (Part 2): 2019 Spring Sesshin (Part 3 of 4)

    MCZCFebruary 13, 20201 min read

    Where have you come from?  ~ Rinzai. Description: This is the third talk of the Spring 2019 sesshin. It begins with further reflections on the process of settling into a multi-day retreat and explores the topic of doubt. This unfolds into the story of Rinzai and how he fully expressed the Dharma without any trace of self-driven purpose, as demonstrated by his seemingly perplexing behavior. In Case 95, Rinzai and the temple steward are having a...

    Listen to the talk
  • Message from Henry: Practice Tip

    MCZCFebruary 11, 20202 min read

    Let it be there. Feel it. Breathe into it... don’t try to make it go away. If a lot of thoughts are coming up, pay attention to the body. See if there is some restlessness or discomfort in the torso. Are you wishing the sit could be over, was calmer, quieter, better? If so, check out the torso closely and carefully, looking for a place of unease – perhaps tightness, tingling, agitation, heaviness, whether in chest...

    Read more
  • Learning Peace of Mind: By T.S Last / Journal North Editor / about RGMI Partner Schools.

    MCZCFebruary 10, 20209 min read

    Published / February 9, 2020. Used with the permission of The Journal North. [caption id="attachment_18008" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Starting second from left, Emery Munn, Mateo Martinez, Brooke Roll, Asahel Chavez and other second graders in Zelda Sanchez's and Bart Ramey's classes sit listening for the sound of a metal bowl to fade. This is one of the mindfulness exercizes students at Atalaya Elementary were doing Tuesday, January 28, 2020. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)[/caption] Students in Zelda Sanchez and Bart...

    Read more
  • Winter Retreat

    MCZCFebruary 8, 20201 min read

    The white mountain of Echizen   My winter retreat:  A blanket of clouds   Covering the frosted peaks   And snowy slopes.  ~ Dogen Zenji 

    Read more
  • Mindful Living: Open Mind and Heart Space

    MCZCFebruary 7, 20201 min read

    Mindfulness teaching instructs us to observe our thoughts and feelings without judgment. Why? Mind and body are the accumulation of all we have done and experienced in our lifetime. We have an incredible capacity for the storage of memory. This memory becomes our road map for how we see the world. But the map is not the territory! The mind can be a tricky place. If we allow ourselves to cling to the “truths” or “life...

    Read more
  • Dharmatalk: Case 95, Book of Equanimity: Rinzai Draws a Line (Part 1): 2019 Spring Sesshin (Part 2 of 4)

    MCZCFebruary 6, 20201 min read

    "... You are the innate beauty of the whole cosmos, the whole of creation ..." Description: This is the second talk of the Spring 2019 sesshin. To begin, methods to address difficulties that may arise when sitting for long periods are discussed. Case 95 is introduced through the lens of the Three Treasures: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. A koan sets a precedent— in spite of what we may think, are all capable of the level of...

    Listen to the talk
  • Message from Henry: One Bright Pearl

    MCZCFebruary 4, 20201 min read

    Zen: the only way to keep it is to give it away. Throughout my training I'd thought I just wanted to find again the "one bright pearl" I'd glimpsed on the beach at nineteen, the Golden Fleece the youth failed to bring home, and the inner torment he felt about that being the very measure of his failure. I would never have guessed back then that bringing home the fleece was the lifelong endeavor at the...

    Read more
  • The Moon Will Come

    MCZCFebruary 2, 20201 min read

    Creating a pond, do not wait for the moon. When the pond is built, the moon will come.   ~ Eihei Dogen

    Read more
  • Mindful Living: Our Mind Can Be Our Friend

    MCZCFebruary 1, 20201 min read

    Our quality of life has a lot to do with how we use our brain. As we refer to our measurable intellectual capacity as our IQ, so we have a corresponding emotional intelligence which we refer to as our EQ. Self-awareness gives us insight into how our emotions affect our thinking, our reasoning, and our relationships with others and vice versa. Our thoughts trigger emotions. Conversely, our emotions can conjure up subconscious habitual patterns of...

    Read more
  • Sangha Meeting Report: January 25

    MCZCJanuary 30, 20209 min read

      Attending: Will, Stephen, Lisa, Christian, John, Karen, Peg, Gudrun, Mark, Vivian, Valerie, Paul, Laura, Christy, Rob, Dan, Henry, Chris, David H, Mary Ann, Yvonne, Rosemary, Damon, Bill, Kathryn, Katie, Sarah, Sean, Rachel, Jay, Deborah, Sandy, Dave S, Johanna Welcome: Introducing Valerie, Yvonne and Dan, and the visiting students;  Sgt Pepper’s Heart of Perfect Wisdom Band, framed art piece. Approval of Minutes of October 2019 Sangha meeting: Approved Endorsement of Board of Directors for 2020 - Thank you to long...

    Read more
  • Dharmatalk: Finding the Heart: 2019 Spring Sesshin (Part 1 of 4)

    MCZCJanuary 30, 20201 min read

    "... the functioning of the heart with which I was born came into play in its purest form ..." ~ Sôkô Morinaga Description: This is the first talk of the Spring 2019 sesshin. What kinds of growth and change does Zen practice engender and what are the ways Zen practice can bring them about? In response to these questions many facets of practice are explored, including the power of breath practice, the power of Mu and the...

    Listen to the talk
  • Message from Henry: Down the Drain

    MCZCJanuary 28, 20203 min read

    ...ordinary beings have no illumination in their consciousness, but Buddhas have no consciousness in their illumination. ~ Dogen Zen training is like a bathtub where the plug has been pulled. At first nothing seems to be happening, but the water is surely going down. We're a plastic boat floating round, bobbing along, past the rubber duck, along the side of the tub That's interesting but no big deal. The water is going down, but too slowly to...

    Read more
  • Mindfulness: Social Emotional Learning and the Case for Mindfulness in Schools

    MCZCJanuary 25, 20201 min read

    The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a national standard-bearer in the field of social emotional learning or SEL. According to Tim Shriver, co-founder and board chair, “Emotion drives attention and attention drives learning…Children learn when their heart is open, engaged, connected and filled with purpose.” SEL goals include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Mindfulness cultivates emotion regulation, attention control and self-awareness. Although less goal oriented than common school...

    Read more
footer support banner image

Support Mountain Cloud

You can show your gratitude for Mountain Cloud events, retreats, podcasts and other teachings by making a one-time gift, or by becoming a supporting member.

Donate to Mountain Cloud Become a Member