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.

  • June 13, 2024 Teisho with Valerie

    MCZCJune 13, 20241 min read

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  • Valerie Forstman: Case 37 of Hekiganroku (Blue Cliff Record)

    MCZCJune 6, 20241 min read

    In this talk, Valerie weaves through our Zen inheritance from Shakymuni Buddha, to Prajnatara  to her disciple Bodidharma, to Bodidharma's disciple, to Baso and his student, Banzan, and here to us. She then takes up case 37 of the Hekiganroku, "Banzan's Not One Thing in the Three Realms; where should we seek the mind?" She weaves in Bodhidharma's answer to a question from Emporor Wu, "What is genuine merit?" We learn that Bodidharma’s answer to...

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  • Bill Bruce: The koan of the Earth

    MCZCMay 23, 20241 min read

    In this teisho, Bill shares Susan Murphy Roshi's compelling, “Koan of the Earth.” Bill offers a quote from John Tarrant at the beginning of his talk, “Pessimism implies too much knowing.” In the 45 minutes it takes to read the koan we have the good fortune to consider the current precariousness of life/Earth, as well as our response to the current crisis. How might practice-realization or enlightenment help? Can we look deeply and see that...

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  • Carolyn Seburn: Shakyamuni holds up a flower

    MCZCMay 16, 20241 min read

    In this teisho on Mumonkan case 6, “Shakyamuni Holds Up a Flower,” Carolyn Roshi notes that this koan is uniquely important as a record of the first transmission, the foundation moment of Buddhism. She notes that not a word is spoken at the key moment when Shakyamuni Buddha, on Vulture Peak, gave a teaching by simply holding up a flower. Among the many disciples in attendance, only Maha Kasyapa reacted, also wordlessly, by smiling. Recognizing...

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  • Sean Tetsudo Murphy: Creativity applied to Zen practice

    MCZCMay 9, 20241 min read

    Remarking that along with structured activity in the zendo, Zen is also characterized by creativity and playfulness, especially in dokusan, Sean noted that this creativity can help keep zazen practice alive when we feel we are getting stuck and, without judging our zazen, discern that it is not working. Creative solutions include knowing when thoughts involve memories, future events, or judgments of the present, and instead recognize that the present moment, the reality of our...

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  • Billy Doyle: Our Real Nature

    MCZCMay 2, 20241 min read

    In this dharma talk, Billy leads us gently along the path of non-duality. With words he asks us to remember that our real nature can’t be expressed by words. By feeling deeply into the body, the senses, the moment by moment conscious awareness, we can truly experience it. His introduction is followed by questions and answers and finally a short guided meditation.

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  • Valerie Forstman: What Are You Dreaming?

    MCZCApril 25, 20241 min read

    In this teisho, Valerie takes up the subject of aging and illness using case #94 from The Book of Equanimity. In this case, titled Tozan’s Illness, we hear Master Tozan confounding the shallow questions of the student about this illness. Tozan is not merely ill but facing death. Even from his diminished physical state, he is still guiding his monks in how to understand and experience fundamental reality. Valerie does the same in this teisho,...

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  • Teisho with Shana Smith

    MCZCApril 18, 20241 min read

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  • Maria Reis Habito: Coming Out of Exile

    MCZCApril 11, 20241 min read

    With grace and deep compassion, Maria Habito offers us a beautiful story of deliverance from exile. Like the Israelites being in bondage in Egypt, we are all in some kind of prison, even if it is a palace. “For even a palace has walls,” she reminds us. Drawing on the story of Shakyamuni Buddha from the Transmission of Light, by Master Keizan, we can appreciate the consonance of the deliverance from bondage with the Buddha’s...

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  • Valerie Forstman: Shoji

    MCZCApril 4, 20241 min read

    Shoji is the Japanese word for “life and death.” Where will we go when we die? In this teisho, Valerie takes up the matter of life and death and its prime importance. The koan for this teisho is from Dogen’s collection of 300 koans, case 3. Joshu asks his teacher, Nansen, “Where will the one who knows go?” Nansen answers, “To the donor’s house near the mountain and become a water buffalo.” This koan is...

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  • David Loy: Changing our Story

    MCZCMarch 28, 20241 min read

    In his teisho, David Loy leads us through a consideration of the stories that many of the world’s religions tell. They are stories which give priority to a world separate from this one, held out as a reward for leading an ethical life and for following the commandments of religion. Unfortunately for this world, the stories often devalue our home planet and make its destruction and the continuation of life here of no ultimate concern....

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  • Scott Thornton: Stop the Sound of the Distant Temple Bell

    MCZCMarch 14, 20241 min read

    In his teisho, Scott takes up case 1 from the Sanbo Zen collection of miscellaneous koans. As he explains, this collection is usually the next step on the path of koan study after passing the koan “Mu.” The koan is the statement, “stop the sound of the distant temple bell.” We are guided to examine this gem from many perspectives. What do we want to stop? Who hears it? Is it a statement or a...

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  • Valerie Forstman: Celebration of Sister Elaine MacIness

    MCZCMarch 7, 20241 min read

    This teisho is given on the 100th birthday of Sister Elaine MacIness. Valerie shares a sketch of the remarkable life and work of Sister Elaine who was a Roman Catholic nun as well as a student and Dharma heir of Yamada Koun Roshi. With great warmth and respect, Valerie describes Sister Elaine’s experience during sesshin on December 6, 1972. “The heart-spot burst open, and its beautiful contents exploded right through the whole of me, until...

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  • Valerie Forstman: Leaping into Here and Now

    MCZCFebruary 29, 20241 min read

    In this teisho, Valerie takes up the important koan, “Three pounds of flax.” This is case 12 in the Hekiganroku or Blue Cliff Record and also appears as case 18 in the Mumonkan or Gateless Gate. A monk asked Tozan, “What is Buddha?” To which Tozan answered, “Masagin!” Explore this answer with Valerie, but as she says, “blink and you will miss it.” Concepts can’t touch this one beating heart, this one radiance.

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