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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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!
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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Are Human’s Special? Part 3 by David Loy
April 21, 20186 min read
Let one’s thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world — above, below, and across — without any obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity. ~ Metta Sutra We are featuring some of David Loy's recent writing on our website to introduce you to this thoughtful and brilliant Zen teacher, writer and environmental activist. David will be offering an Eco-Dharma lecture and Workshop at Mountain Cloud, May 18-20. Click here for details about the Eco-Dharma weekend. ...
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Teisho: A Map of Zen Training (Part 5)
April 19, 20181 min read
"... There is no self, no witness, and no world and it is marked by a sense of deep relief and joy ..." To reach satisfaction in all, desire its possession in nothing. John of the Cross Description: This is the fifth and final talk from the Fall 2017 sesshin. To wrap up the journey through a map of Zen training, Henry begins by pointing out that John...
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Are Human’s Special? Part 2 by David Loy
April 14, 20184 min read
...we are creatures that know we are creatures; moreover, we are creatures that create, and know that we create. We are featuring some of David Loy's recent writing on our website to introduce you to this thoughtful and brilliant Zen teacher, writer and environmental activist. David will be offering an Eco-Dharma Workshop at Mountain Cloud, May 18-20. Click here for details about the Eco-Dharma weekend. Click to read Part 1 of this essay on our website....
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Teisho: A Map of Zen Training (Part 4) & Case 64, Book of Equanimity: Shuzan’s “Bride”
April 12, 20181 min read
"... the most important thing about Zen training. It is the experiential discovery that we are not alone, we are not individual, we are not separate from anything ..." Zazen is the gate of ease and joy. Dogen Description: This teisho is the fourth talk from the Fall 2017 sesshin. Sitting is a life-long settling down process. We...
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