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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Developing our Land
March 14, 20161 min read
A dedicated group of volunteers has been developing our land. We have a beautiful garden, new walking paths, a lovely gazebo and many flowers around our zendo and other buildings. Pancho Burke celebrates the gazebo. Bill Bruce, our facilities manger and hardworking gardener and deck carpenter. The MCZC vegetable and flower garden, summer 2015. Many blessing to the volunteers who tended to her...
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The World is made of Stories, by David Loy, Part 3 of 3
March 14, 20165 min read
It is the deluded belief that one is separate from others that permits one to pursue one’s own interests indifferent to what is happening to those others. Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 of The World is made of Stories. One of today’s dominant stories is that we live in a world ruled by impersonal physical laws that are indifferent to us and our fate. Human beings serve no function in the grand...
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The World is made of Stories, by David Loy, Part 2 of 3
March 11, 20166 min read
Awakening involves realizing that “my” story is part of a much larger story that incorporates others’ stories as well. Our stories do not have sharp edges; they are interdependent. Click to read part 1 of The World is made of Stories. The central character in the foundational story that we return to over and over is the self, supposedly individual and real yet actually composed of the stories “I” identify with and attempt to live....
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Teisho: Case 28, Book of Equanimity: Gokoku’s “Three Disgraces” Part 1 of 2
March 10, 20162 min read
“This whole being called me is just a hole.” Description: Case 28: Book of Equanimity: Gokoku’s "Three Disgraces” Part 1 of 2 A monk asked Gokoku, “How about when a crane perches on a withered pine tree?” Gokoku said, “It is a disgrace when seen from the ground.” The monk asked, “What about when every drop of water is frozen at once?” Gokoku said, “It's a disgrace after the sun has risen.” The monk asked, “At...
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The World is Made of Stories, by David Loy, Part 1 of 3
March 7, 20163 min read
Believing we've moved beyond religious myth, we mistake our culture's newest story for the world itself. The American poet Muriel Rukeyser famously wrote that “the universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” We are not just animals that use language: we are storytelling creatures, for telling stories is a fundamental activity of all people in all cultures. The Canadian cognitive neuroscientist Merlin Donald expresses this well: Language is basically for telling stories. . ....
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The Zen Teacher as Midwife, by Ruben Habito, Part 2 of 2
March 4, 20163 min read
..the task of the Zen teacher is to help the practitioner be tamed by the Breath... Click for Part 1 of The Zen Teacher as Midwife. Zen spirituality can be described simply as the art of living in attunement with the Breath, and it is the Breath itself that will be the most reliable guide in the entire journey. Ultimately... the task of the Zen teacher is to help the practitioner be tamed by the...
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Teisho: Book of Equanimity Case 27, Hôgen Points to the Bamboo Blinds
March 3, 20162 min read
“A monk asked, What is the ultimate teaching of all Buddhas? Hogen answered, “You have it too.” Description: Case 27: Hôgen Points to the Bamboo Blinds Hôgen pointed to the bamboo blinds with his hand. At that moment, two monks who were there went over to the blinds together and rolled them up. Hôgen said, "One has gained, one has lost." Henry explores this penetrating koan. Gain and loss are amongst the most deeply ingrained concepts and...
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The Zen Teacher as Midwife, by Ruben Habito, Part 1 of 2
February 29, 20166 min read
The midwife is by no means the source of that life, but is simply one who sees to it that the way is cleared and the conditions made favorable for the new life to come through and see the light. In Zen practice, one cannot emphasize enough the vital role of the Zen teacher who has charted the paths of this arduous journey to the core of one’s being and is familiar with the terrain....
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Recovery of Our Shadow, by Ruben Habito, Part 4 of 4
February 26, 20163 min read
That thou art. Click to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of Recovery of our Shadow The practice of seated meditation in Zen, where we place ourselves fully in the here and now as we follow our breathing, enables us to become more and more transparent to ourselves and thus cut through our ego-centered consciousness to listen to the deeper realms of our being. There, as our practice ripens and becomes more and...
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Teisho: Book of Equanimity Case 26, Kyozan Points to the Snow Lion
February 25, 20161 min read
“In every realm of suffering there is a Buddha; flowers fall amid our longings; weeds spring up amid our antipathies…” Description: Case 26: Kyôzan Points to Snow Kyôzan pointed to the snow lion and said, "Is there anything that goes beyond this color?" Unmon said, "I would have pushed it over for him at once." Setchô commented, "He only knows how to knock it over, but he doesn't know how to help it up." Henry unpacks...
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Recovery of our Shadow, by Ruben Habito, Part 3 of 4
February 22, 20164 min read
The recognition of and reconciliation with our shadow is a crucial element in our healing. Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 of Recovery of our Shadow. This ego-centered consciousness functions not only on the individual level, but likewise on the corporate level, as we identify ourselves with a larger entity such as a nation-state, a financial corporation, an ethnic group, a neighborhood gang. Such a corporate ego-centered consciousness...
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