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PODCAST

The Zen Studies Podcast

Learn about traditional Zen and Buddhist teachings, practices, and history through episodes recorded specifically for podcast listeners. Host Domyo Burk is a Soto Zen priest and teacher.

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

35:26

269 - Making a Vow of Inner Nonviolence and Complete...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/05/14

We all have negative aspects of ourselves we want to fix, disown, or even expunge completely from our being, but even with practice some things are extremely hard to change. As we strive to break free of our less-than-helpful aspects of self, we typically employ violent means, ranging from subtle rejection to vicious and debilitating self-loathing that may even manifest physically. Regardless of the severity of the violence, it causes damage. Much more transformative than our typical approaches to

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29:52

268 - Teisho, An Encouragement Talk During Zazen

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/04/30

Last week I led a sesshin, or silent Zen retreat. Participants participated in a 24-hour schedule of zazen, chanting, silent work, formal meals, and rest. Once or twice a day, I offered a "teisho" during zazen. "Tei" means to offer or put forth, and "sho" means to recite or proclaim. Teisho are sometimes called "encouragement talks," and they are meant to help listeners connect with the Dharma in spaciousness and silence of zazen. Teisho are not about explanations or the imparting of information,

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28:35

267 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chp 4 - Mindfulness:...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/04/22

The third Field of Zen practice is Mindfulness, which is cultivating clear awareness of what is happening, moment by moment, within you and around you. Mindfulness is absolutely fundamental to Zen practice, allowing you to practice within all the other Fields. Without awareness, you can’t live your life by choice instead of by karma.

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21:01

266 - What Would the Buddha Say About the Suffering...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/04/15

Recently, someone submitted a Dharma question for me to address: “I wonder what Buddha would say to us about the crises facing humanity, particularly the suffering of our own making?” I can't know, but I dare to put some words in the Buddha's mouth and then present follow-up questions.

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22:59

265 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter Three, Part...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/03/30

This is the third episode of three comprising the “Zazen” chapter of my book, “The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners.” I start by offering what I should have put at the beginning of my chapter on Zazen: Basic instructions for Zazen. I then discuss how my “Five Efforts in Zazen” suggest Zazen is a neat and linear process, but in actuality Zazen is a messy, organic, real-life experience. Finally, I talk about how to deepen your Zazen without getting caught up in self-centered

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31:30

264 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter Three, Part...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/03/26

This is the second episode of three comprising the "Zazen" chapter of my book, "The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners.” I finish my discussion of the five efforts of Zazen, covering becoming intimate with Life, seeing the true nature of Life, and being one with Life.

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37:29

263 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter 3, Part 1 -...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/03/18

The second Field of Zen practice is Zazen. “Za” means seated, and “zen” means meditation. However, as 13th-century Zen master Dogen famously stated, “…Zazen is not meditation practice.” Superficially, our Zazen may look like the meditation done in other spiritual traditions, or even in secular settings. We even call Zazen “meditation” sometimes, for convenience. However, Zazen is not meditation in the sense of a mental exercise aimed at a particular result. Zazen is our total response to life. It is

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29:24

262 - The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/03/01

The Buddha famously said “admirable friendship,” or what I’m calling Dharma friendship, is the entirety of the holy life. In the last episode, I discussed the value and nature of personal Dharma friendships. In this episode, I talk about what makes a good Dharma friendship and offer some practical ideas about how to find, form, and maintain such relationships.

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23:34

261 – The Value, Care, and Feeding of Dharma...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/02/25

The Buddha famously said the “admirable friendship,” or what I’m calling Dharma friendship, is the entirety of the holy life. In this episode, I discuss the value and nature of personal Dharma friendships. In Part 2, I will talk about what makes a good Dharma friendship and offer some practical ideas about how to find, form, and maintain such relationships.

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33:22

260 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter Two:...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/02/17

This episode on Bodhicitta, or Way-Seeking Mind, is chapter two of my book The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners.” Bodhicitta is the first Field of practice because without it we never even begin practice, and, if we don’t nurture and sustain it, our practice will wither and die. I discuss the first arising of Bodhicitta, its function, how to cultivate it, and its profound nature.

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37:55

259 - Ten Fields of Zen Practice Chapter One: What Is...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/02/01

In this introductory chapter to my book, “The Ten Fields of Zen Practice: A Primer for Practitioners," I discuss the nature of practice and "progress" on the path of practice. I then introduce the Ten Fields, and the rest of the book will consist of a chapter on each of the Fields.

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26:10

258 - One Reality, Many Descriptions Part 6: The Two...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2024/01/09

The Two Truths teaching is another classic Chan/Zen description of Reality-with-a-Capital-R. Reality has two aspects, often called relative and absolute. I call them the “dependent dimension” and the “independent dimension.” I describe this teaching and discuss why it is so important to our practice.

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25:28

257 - One Reality, Many Descriptions Part 5: The Two...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/12/31

The Two Truths teaching is another classic Chan/Zen description of Reality-with-a-Capital-R. Reality has two aspects, often called relative and absolute. I call them the "dependent dimension" and the "independent dimension." I describe this teaching and discuss why it is so important to our practice.

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31:18

256 - Do Your Own Practice: Spiritual Translation...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/12/17

One way to frame our practice is to say it has a "translation" aspect and a "transformation" aspect. Translation means to apply Buddhist teachings and practice to our life to free self and other from suffering, and live with greater wisdom and compassion. Transformation means to seek transcendence of the self and all of its limited views through a relentless process of inquiry, for the sake of an even more profound and stable liberation. I discuss how each aspect is valuable, how they differ, and

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35:25

255 – The Medicine of Emptiness When Witnessing...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/12/02

When we witness - or experience - suffering or injustice, the medicine of emptiness can give us strength and equanimity. It should also increase our compassion, allowing us to be open, sensitive, and responsive without getting overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, fear, anger, or hatred. I talk about what the "medicine of emptiness" is - and isn't - and how to access it.

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36:15

254 - Practice is How You Live Each and Every Moment...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/11/25

Everyday life gives us countless opportunities for "awakening work." I discuss ways to practice each and every moment in order to awaken to the truth of Dukkha and the ending of Dukkha, and to the truth Emptiness. In Part 3 I will talk about how we can similarly work on a direct, personal experiences of Suchness, Buddha-Nature, and the Two Truths (absolute and relative) in the midst of our daily lives.

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31:54

253 - Practice is How You Live Each and Every Moment...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/11/15

The formal aspects of Buddhist practice – the things you can look at and identify as “Buddhist practice” – are very important. These include meditation, Dharma study, and time with Sangha. However, unless you’re a monk in a really strict monastery, over 90% of your time is spent outside of formal practice. It’s important to remember that practice each and every moment – how we choose to live our life, just as it is – is the most important thing.

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27:39

252 - Reflections on Dogen’s “Bussho, The...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/10/31

In my second episode reflecting on Dogen's “Bussho,” or “The Buddha-Nature," I discuss how Buddha-Nature is a teaching about our existential koan as human beings. I also talk about how Dogen says we have already got Buddha-Nature, and then explore more fully his teaching about "Total Existence."

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28:56

251 – Reflections on Dogen’s “Bussho, The...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/10/27

In his essay "Bussho," or "The Buddha-Nature," Dogen explores and expands a classic Mahayana Buddhist teaching. I reflect on a few central concepts from the first paragraph.

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31:06

250 - In Zazen We Stop Imposing Ourselves on the...

The Zen Studies Podcast ·

2023/10/15

In zazen we stop imposing ourselves on the world either through our habitual thinking or through any effort to control or judge our meditative experience. Only then can we meet the world us it is unfolding around, within, and through us - but this meeting requires energy and participation. This episode addresses the two essential aspects of zazen practice: What we are not doing, and what we are doing. Both are equally important and both are easily misunderstood.

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340 results

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