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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One Bright Pearl: Conversation on Zen with Henry Shukman and Chris Hebard
September 28, 20181 min read
In One Bright Pearl, Henry and Chris Hebard take us on an intimate journey about Zen. This wide ranging conversation explores many core questions, including... What does awakened mean? What is happiness? What causes our suffering? What is Zen? Is Zen a religion? What is practice? and why do we practice? How do we meet personal or social crisis from a zen perspective? What differentiates me from everything else? Settle back and enjoy this 77...
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Teisho: One Love
September 27, 20181 min read
"... It is possible to see through our lives to a great wonder that is without form but is infinitely loving and deeply personal ..." Description: This talk was given the day after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Henry had planned on presenting a koan but, instead, decided to tell us a story about an experience he had while at Esalen in Big Sur, California. It is possible to see through our lives to a great wonder...
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Unfiltered Perception
September 22, 20181 min read
Once perception occurs unfiltered, stripped of the habitual veil of automatic preconception, it is inherently fulfilling. ~ Henry Shukman **** Photo and creation by Rosa Bellino. Text from The Unfamiliar Familiar, originally published in Tricycle Magazine, Fall 2014
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Teisho: Case 71, Book of Equanimity: Suigan’s “Eyebrows”
September 20, 20181 min read
"... Zen does not impart anything to us, but rather allows us to let go of everything ..." Koans are able to untie things we didn’t know were tied and to open things we didn’t know were closed. Description: This talk begins with a discussion of the power of koans to work on us -- “they are little love bombs.” These stories provide us with a glimpse into the world of the great masters, showing us how they...
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When Spring Returns
September 15, 20181 min read
When spring returns to the earth, the myriad things are born. Smashing empty space to pieces, one is free and at ease. One will never again become attached to self or others. Although the Dharma Realm is vast, one can encompass it all. *** Venerable Master Hsuan Hua http://www.cttbusa.org/dharmatalks/chan.asp *** Image and Creation by Rosa Bellino.
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Teisho: Ruben Habito: Two Zen Questions – Guest Episode
September 13, 20182 min read
Description: This talk was given by Ruben Habito Roshi, founding teacher of Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, TX and Professor of Comparative Religion at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He offers an inspiring introductory talk on Zen, centered on two key questions of a lifetime... Please enjoy this 30 minute talk from a great living Zen master to find out more!. NOTE: The original recording is at a low audio level with some background noise, however Rubne...
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Flower’s Song, Dogen
September 8, 20181 min read
Haru kaze ni Waga koto no ha no Chirinuru o Hana no uta to ya Hito no nagamen. **** Will their gaze fall upon The petals of words I utter, Shaken loose and blown free by the spring breeze, As if only the notes Of a flower's song? **** The Zen Poetry of DOGEN Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace STEVEN HEINE Tuttle Publishing. Boston This talk was given by Zen teacher John Gaynor at The Meditatio...
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Teisho: Happiness
September 6, 20181 min read
Description: In this talk, Henry touches on the various kinds of happiness, or sukha, as articulated by the Buddha, and explores why happiness is a worthwhile subject in light of the questions: Who are we? What are we? Why are we here? Ultimately, Zen practice can guide us into allowing the true experience of unconditional wellbeing. Post & Featured image: Happiness by mohamed_hassan, CCO Public Domain.
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The Meaning of it All, by David R Loy
September 1, 20186 min read
...by not taking this side rather than that, we become receptive to both. By not identifying with either, we can come to identify with everything. ~ David Loy The most important thing that humans create is meaning. Because of our distinctive ways of valuing and intending, it is with us (or, to express it less dualistically: in us, as us) that the cosmos becomes meaningful in a new way. To examine the universe objectively and conclude...
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Teisho: Suffering, Beauty & The Dharma
August 30, 20181 min read
Description: Highlighting excerpts from two books, Why Buddhism is True, by Robert Wright and Narcissus and Goldmund, by Hermann Hesse, this talk focuses on three topics: suffering, beauty, and the Dharma. When we expose and examine our pain and the suffering caused by wanting things to be different than they are, it becomes easier to allow and accept it— just as it is. Then, we can truly discover the Dharma, and the experience of beauty is...
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