PODCAST

Young Urban Zen SF

Young Urban Zen is a group under the auspices of the San Francisco Zen Center, with a particular focus on those between 20 and 40. It meets on Tuesday evenings for meditation and discussion about Zen practice. People of all experience levels are welcome.

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

The Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/12/18

I will be sharing my thoughts and reflections on a poem The Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi and how understanding the nature of duality can alleviate suffering

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Case 29 of the Blue Cliff Record

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/12/11

The topic is (yet another) Zen story, suitable for the late season and the promise of a New Year, that brings up the question of what actually happens when the world ends. For those who have a copy of the Blue Cliff Record lying around, the case number is 29.

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A True Companion: Zazen & Mortality

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/11/27

Our topic for this talk is A True Companion: Zazen & Mortality. We will begin with embodiment and stay close to ourresources as we take an honest, Dharmic look into the transformative power of this journey from here to the end of our life.

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Case 4 of the Blue Cliff Record

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/11/19

The topic is focused on an old Zen story (Case 4 of theBlue Cliff Recordfor those who are familiar with the literature), which discusses the apparently paradoxical relationship between what we might call “spiritual ambition”—i.e. wishing to benefit in some way from a spiritual practice like Zen—and the way in which ambition of any sort (aka “grasping”) is a barrier to fruitful practice.

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Zen and Politics

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/11/12

What is the intersection of Zen and Politics? What principles in Zen practice are most pertinent to engaging/not engaging/digesting the political discourses of our times?

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Faith and Refuge

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/11/05

When we're struggling or feeling lost, what do we have faith in? In other words, what do we believe will bring greater happiness? In this sense, we're all placing our faith in something-- whether that's the Dharma, a job promotion, romance, Netflix or cookies; we all seek happiness somewhere.Though faith isn't often associated with Buddhism, it's a fundamental part of the practice. During this session, we'll talk about the role of faith in our awakening, and how placing our faith in the Buddha,

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Jumping Off the Hundred Foot Pole

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/10/29

The topic is the koan of "Jumping Off the Hundred Foot Pole" (Case 79 Blue Cliff Record)and how we can find trust and faith in ourselves and our practice. How can we cultivate loving kindness and compassion within our zazen practice and how we spread that to the world around us?

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Case 30 of the Blue Cliff Record

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/10/22

We’ll talk, inspired by a Koan—Case 30 of the Blue Cliff Record—about what we’re actually “supposed" to be practicing with.

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Work Practice

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/10/15

We have so many different types of work and yet, they are all governed by the same Zen principles: what does this moment ask for? What is my body sensation and mental formation around what is happening? How can I appropriately show up for "production" when Zen is about the "path" not necessarily the end result?

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How we relate to experience

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/10/09

Each moment, the mind takes on an attitude, perspective, or way of seeing. These perspectives will often color our vision such that reality is missed and we see everything through me-colored glasses. We'll talk about what Zazen has to do with taking off distorted lenses and seeing the world anew.

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What is it to live an awakened life?

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/10/02

We will discuss what it can be to be "awake" in the midst of our busylives. Practically speaking, what is it to be "awake" in places like work and bring practice to our daily struggles? How can the practice of awakening help with the daily stresses and anxieties that arise? We'll look at embodiedrituals and zazen that can help alleviate suffering and help us get through our difficulties with grace and integrity.

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Words, Ducks, and Buddha: Don’t Get Lost in Translation!

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/09/25

In Zen, words are tools to guide us, but they are not the destination. We will discuss how words can sometimes mislead us in practice, and how we can stay grounded in the direct, lived experience of our true nature rather than getting lost in concepts.

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Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/09/18

Zachary Smith: we’ll answer the age-old and often-asked question, “Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?”

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Difficult Conversations

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/09/11

Michael McCord: Do Zen monks have difficult conversations that they wrestle with whether to have or not?What space does difficulty with others play in the Buddhist path? Tonight we will explore the subject of difficult conversations, and when it may or may not be best to engage. And if so, what we do before, during and after - so that we and others may suffer a little less and set tomorrow up for a bit more thriving.

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Meeting Fear With Stillness

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/09/04

Eli Brown-Stevenson: We will be discussing a few flavors of fear and the role of zazen (Zen meditation) in overcoming everyday anxieties.

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Being Human in the Age of A.I.

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/08/28

Michael McCord: what does Zen elucidate about who we are if there is "no self"? A machine is looked at as a soulless collection of fallible parts that are subject to decay and failure. How is this different from the Zen concept of the self, an unfixed ever changing collection of matter with no permanent properties that eventually falls apart? And why does it matter?

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Studying The Self

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/08/21

Kogetsu Mok: we’ll dive deep on ”Studying the Self” from Dogen Zenji’s Genjo Koan.

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Zazen: Ready, Willing, Don't-Know

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/08/14

For our discussion, let's see if we can point to the heart of the matter regarding our practice of Zazen.

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The Vicissitudes

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/08/07

The session will be inspired by Case 74 of the Book of Serenity, commonly known as “Fayan’s ‘Substance and Name,’” which, frankly, gives the best-ever accounting of thevicissitudes of the human condition. With this gift in hand we will puzzle together over the central question of what, in Buddha’s name, we should do about it.

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On Death and Dying

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/07/31

Mei Elliott: The theme for the evening was the Buddha's Five Daily Recollections, with an emphasis on the third reflection, which focuses on death and dying. Recollections on death are common in the Buddhist tradition and can be a powerful source of wisdom and compassion.

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Young Urban Zen SF

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