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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Teisho: Case 57, Book of Equanimity: Gon’yô’s One Thing
September 7, 20172 min read
"... when you experience sight and sound with your whole body and mind, you are swallowed whole, so to speak. We are swallowed by the moment.” Description: The focus of this talk is Case 57 of The Book of Equanimity, “Gon’yô’s One ‘Thing.’” Henry begins by discussing the story of Jôshû’s life and cites James Austin’s article, “Old Jôshû Lives On,” which considers the aging process and recent research into the positive effect of meditation on...
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Retreat to the Mountains
September 2, 20171 min read
[caption id="attachment_7427" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Sonnenhof: A retreat to the mountains[/caption] A thousand clouds, ten thousand streams, Here I live, an idle man, Roaming green peaks by day, Back to sleep by cliffs at night. One by one, springs and autumns go, Free of heat and dust, my mind. Sweet to know there’s nothing I need, Silent as the autumn river’s flood. Hanshan (literally: "Cold Mountain") Photo and creation by Rosa Bellino....
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Teisho: Shukman: Case 1, The Blue Cliff Record, Bodhidharma’s “Clear and Void”
August 31, 20171 min read
"... Sitting is how we embody zen ... It is “the complete continuation of the practice of Bodhidharma in his cave … it is one, unbroken fact.” Description: The focus of this talk is the first koan of The Blue Cliff Record, “Bodhidharma’s ‘Clear and Void.’” It begins with the story of Bodhidharma, who is traditionally said to have brought Zen meditation practice from India to China. This particular night, Henry wanted to choose a...
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Dogen: Every Step is Home
August 26, 20171 min read
Treading along in this dreamlike, illusory realm, Without looking for the traces I may have left; A cuckoo's song beckons me to return home, Hearing this, I tilt my head to see Who has told me to turn back; But do not ask me where I am going, As I travel in this limitless world, Where every step I take is my home. ~ Eihei Dogen Generally, this image (bird call) is used...
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Teisho: Koans & Why We Study Them
August 24, 20171 min read
"... the world that koans reveal grows evermore in wondrous beauty ..." Description: This teisho centers on koans and why it is worthwhile to study them. Henry likens koan study to a violinist playing a technically challenging piece like Bach’s Chaconne, in that both set a very high standard. Koans are saying to us that the awakening experience is not enough----they want us to go deeper. There is another order of our experience where there is...
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Dogen: Portrait
August 19, 20171 min read
If you take this portrait of me to be real, Then what am I, really? But why hang it there, If not to anticipate people getting to know me? Looking at this portrait, Can you say that what is hanging there Is really me? In that case your mind will never be Fully united with the wall {as in Bodhdharma's wall-gazing meditation cave}. ~ Dogen Accompanying a portrait of the master painted at Kōshōji...
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Teisho: Case 46, The Gateless Gate: “Stepping Forward From the Top of a Pole”
August 17, 20171 min read
"... Our whole body is all things. Our entire existence is one practice ..." Description: This talk centers on the koan, “Stepping Forward From the Top of a Pole,” Case 46 of The Gateless Gate. Henry discusses the teachings of Master Chosa, relevant to this koan. Chosa points to the fact that our own body, our live flesh is all things. We are not just the sense of “me” that informs our view of the world,...
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Photos from the Mountain Cloud Garden, July 2017
August 12, 20171 min read
Enjoy these photos from our garden of earthly delights... [caption id="attachment_7351" align="alignleft" width="768"] Lettuce and Marigolds[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7352" align="alignleft" width="768"] Garden Art with Mary Ann[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7353" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Gardening with Uma[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7357" align="alignleft" width="336"] Jack and the Beanstalk?[/caption] ...
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Video: The Moment That Still IS …
August 12, 20171 min read
I was given this greatest opportunity of all opportunities - to be a human being. ~ Henry Shukman Based on his own direct experience of dying without dying, Henry Shukman talks about ... the moment that still IS ... where there is no seer ... nothing but pure awareness. It is the pivotal turning point of a human lifetime... the extraordinary shift is possible for us ... without a theistic context ... the greatest opportunity of all opportunities -...
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Teisho: Case 56, Book of Equanimity: “Misshi and the White Rabbit”
August 10, 20171 min read
"... “Just this” is waiting in the middle of our lives, of our existence ..." Description: The focus of this talk is the koan, “Misshi and the White Rabbit,” Case 56 of The Book of Equanimity. Master Tozan enters straight into dharma dueling with his student, Uncle Misshi. Tozan wants him to show him what he really understands. Tozan’s own deepening practice is reflected in his response to Misshi, “A noble of an ancient house is...
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