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.
-
Between the Human Animal and the Animate Earth (Part 2a of 6)
May 24, 20182 min read
"... the sacredness of our human inter-being with the rest of nature ..." Description: This is the second in a three-part series of spontaneous conversations between Henry and David Abram. Henry and David continue to explore the sacredness of our human inter-being with the rest of nature. David is an ecologist, geo-philosopher, and writer. David describes a geo-philosopher to be someone who reflects under the influence of the earth. He is particularly interested in the ecology of sensory...
Listen to the talk -
Teisho: Case 67, Book of Equanimity: Wisdom in the Kegon Sutra
May 21, 20181 min read
Koans are dark to the mind but radiant to the heart Description: This talk centers on Case 67, which is taken from the Kegon Sutra. The Buddha says, “Now I see all living beings everywhere, and I see that each of them possesses the wisdom and virtue of Tathagata.” Henry explains the word Tathagata and points to the wonder of practice, which may allow us to see “all living beings everywhere.” In Zen training, we...
Listen to the talk -
Fully Human
May 19, 20181 min read
To be fully human – that’s the project. To do that, the key is dropping the self, being liberated from a constricted notion of self, forgetting self, seeing through self and its two attendants, greed and aversion. ~ Henry Shukman Image: Ocean woman by Nerivill, CC0 Public Domain from Pixabay.com
Read more -
Earth as Witness: International Dharma Teacher’s Statement on Climate Change
May 12, 20188 min read
We can use the climate crisis as a catalyst to acknowledge the consequences of our craving for more and more material wealth and the pursuit of power and realize we must change our assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors. A group of Dharma teachers have issued the following statement describing core Buddhist insights into the root causes of the climate crisis and ways to minimize its potentially tragic consequences. Over 500 Dharma teachers from around the globe...
Read more -
Teisho: Case 66, Book of Equanimity: Kyûhô’s “Head and Tail”
May 10, 20181 min read
"... the movement into service ..." Description: Henry begins by explaining how koans are a doorway into the deepest aspects of our existence. Zen is about letting go of everything we think we know, of all our beliefs and opinions. It is a process of purification that allows for the discovery of another dimension of our existence. In Case 66, this dimension is described as “Opening the eyes and not perceiving the dawn.” Everything is gone—time and...
Listen to the talk -
Cottage Opening Celebration Photos
May 8, 20181 min read
Saturday May 5 Celebration Ryoun Roshi cuts the ribbon... Sit and short talk with Ryoun Roshi Interior Photos... Chris Wuest manager/overseer of the entire project. Thank you Chris. Many bows!
Read more -
The Nonduality of Good and Evil, David Loy
May 5, 20185 min read
If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? —Alexander Solzhenitsyn Because it emphasizes mindfulness of our thought processes, Buddhism encourages us to be wary of antithetical concepts, not only...
Read more -
Between the Human Animal and the Animate Earth (Part 1b of 6)
May 3, 20182 min read
"... when we speak, the world is speaking through us ..." Description: This is the first in a three-part series of spontaneous conversations between Henry and David Abram. David is a cultural ecologist, geo-philosopher, and performance artist and the author of Becoming Animal and The Spell of the Sensuous. His writings have catalyzed the emergence of several new disciplines, including the burgeoning field of Ecopsychology. He is a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction, recently held...
Listen to the talk -
Arrested by Light
April 28, 20181 min read
I was suddenly arrested in the long, crunching path of the ridge by an exceedingly pointed awareness of the light. The moment I paused, the full impact of the mood was upon me. I saw more clearly than I’d ever seen before, the minute detail of the grasses, the small flotsam of the forest, the motion of the high clouds streaming above the peaks. I dreamed that for a moment... time stood quietly and the...
Read more -
Between the Human Animal and the Animate Earth (Part 1a of 6)
April 27, 20182 min read
"... the sacredness of our human inter-being with the rest of nature ..." Description: This is the first in a three-part series of spontaneous conversations between Henry and David Abram. David is a cultural ecologist, geo-philosopher, and performance artist and the author of Becoming Animal and The Spell of the Sensuous. His writings have catalyzed the emergence of several new disciplines, including the burgeoning field of Ecopsychology. He is a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Nonfiction,...
Listen to the talk