MC Podcasts – Page 5 – Mountain Cloud Zen Center

Dharma Talk: “By Boat or By Land: Crossing over, fully arrived” with Valerie Forstman

In this talk, Valerie begins by revisiting themes from our recent sesshin – the wellspring of zazen, the intimacy of not-knowing, the peace that passes all understanding. The talk explores

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Dharma Talk: “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and the ABC’s of Zen” with Shana Smith

In this teisho, Shana uses Ruben Habito Roshi’s “ABC’s of Zen” as parallels for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She then explores Case 43 of the Shoyoroku as a pointer into

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Dharma Talk: “Waking up to this threshold moment” with Valerie Forstman

In this talk, Valerie begins with poetry as a portal to the language of koans, a language that uses words to go beyond words. Koans don’t just describe or express

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Dharma Talk: “What Moves?” with Valerie Forstman

In the Gateless Gate (Mumonkan) case 29, two monks watch a temple flag flapping in the wind. They argue back and forth: is it the flag that moves or the

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Dharma Talk: Love and Loss in a Seamless World with Valerie Forstman

This talk is offered in gratitude for the life of Johanna Sindelar, a long-time sangha member who dedicated over a decade of service to Mountain Cloud. As a tribute to

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Dharma Talk: “Meeting Challenge with Equanimity” with Scott Thornton

In this talk, Scott draws from the Gateless Gate case 13, “Tokusan Carries His Bowls” as a case study for how we can meet mistakes, challenges, and misunderstandings with equanimity.

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Dharma Talk: “Listen to the Heart of Things” with Maria Reis Habito

In this talk, Maria sheds light on how listening to the voice of a bird or the sound of rain can bring us fully back home to our true nature.

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Dharma Talk: “The Year of the Snake” with Valerie Forstman

On this first day of the Lunar New Year with the world in turmoil, Valerie turns to case 22 of the Blue Cliff Record, “Seppo’s ‘Poisonous Snake.’” What life-giving poison

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Dharma Talk: “What Meets the Eye” with Valerie Forstman

This talk begins with a look at Zen’s parable of the second arrow. What does the story say to us now when we may find ourselves despairing about despair? In

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Dharma Talk: “The Path to Discernment” with Carolyn Seburn

Carolyn discusses Mumonkan case 11: Jôshû Examines the Hermits as an invitation to examine and trust our own discernment.

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January 9th Dharma Talk from Valerie Forstman

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2025’s First Dharma Talk with Valerie Forstman

Welcome in the new year with this Teisho offered by Mountain Cloud’s Guiding Teacher, Valerie Forstman. To see what Mountain Cloud has planned for the upcoming year, visit www.mountaincloud.org/newyear/

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“Darkness and Light Reveal Our True Nature” with Maria Reis Habito

During the season of Rohatsu, Solstice, Christmas and Hanukkha, Maria takes up the psalm of Isaiah: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” This psalm becomes a

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Breakthroughs Part 2 with Henry Shukman

At this time when many of us may be feeling daunted and uncertain, we gather in the zendo to tap into our shared deeper nature that meditation can open up,

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