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 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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Compassion and Empathy

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/07/24

Michael McCord: Compassion and Empathy, the difference between these two (compassion involves empathy but also brings in the element of action/no action as a decision) and how do concepts like “tough love” fit into and or work with these fundamental elements of practice? As a cornerstone of Buddhist practice (compassion cultivation) how do we set good/healthy boundaries while not veering into ruinous empathy or cold hearted disassociation from another’s struggle?

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Shikantaza and Emptiness

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/07/17

The topic will be about Shikantaza and Emptiness. What is shikantaza practice? What is "emptiness"? How can that help us in our daily lives as we navigate the difficulties that come our way?

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Equanimity and The Mountains of Our Lives

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/07/03

Kogetsu Mok: How can we use Zen practice to navigate the persistent mountains in our lives with poise and balance?

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The Suchness of Mind and Objects

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/06/26

Kodo Conlin: We'll look directly into some of the basics and subtleties of Zazen.

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The Way Seeking Mind and The Welcoming Practice of Zazen

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/06/19

Eli Brown-Stevenson: in this week's gathering we will talk about the heart/mind that brings us to practice and we will also do a welcoming exercise to help inspire our zazen practice.

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The Messenger

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/06/12

Zachary Smith: Lately I’ve been thinking about all the cases where some teacher, for some reason, has been required to boil their knowledge and experience down to a single, simple compelling expression and deliver it. The Buddhist literature is full of examples and we’ll talk, at least briefly, about some of them but I’ll also be giving it a try as well.

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Mindfulness

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/06/05

Mei Elliott: Mindfulnesshas the extraordinary capacity to cultivate wholesome states and diminish unwholesome ones, illuminating the path to happiness. In this meeting we'll explore the Buddhist roots behind the buzzword, and discuss the liberating potential of this practice.

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Perfection of Patience

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/05/29

Kogetsu Mok: discussing the Buddhist principle of the "Perfection of Patience" and how this can help us to meet our suffering, anxieties, and difficulties. How can we examine the nature of our suffering with self-awareness and clarity? How can we cultivate patience and tolerance? How can we meet every moment of our lives with wisdom and equanimity?Patience can help us to find inner freedom and peace which can remind us that we are all interconnected. We can learn to find agency to act skillfully and

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Joy

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/05/22

Michael McCord: in a world with so much suffering, how can a person (should a person?) be joyful? Is this not taking the cares of the world seriously? And in the face of so many existential threats (pandemics, climate change, political polarization, wars, etc.) - what is the appropriate way to live a life that is responsible, connected and thriving?We'll unpack this from the context of Zen Buddhist principles. Since Buddhism has at its core the concept of "liberation", one shouldn't have to wait

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Just One Finger

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/05/15

Zachary Smith shares a collection of strange Zen stories, including Case 19 of the Blue Cliff Record, about a teacher named Jùzhī with a very eccentric teaching style.

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Expectations of Enlightenment

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/05/08

In this week's gathering we will talk about practical application of some of the core Buddhist teachings by bringing inquiry and curiosity to the expectations we hold.

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Your Teacher Anxiety

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/05/01

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This Is Not A Dharma Talk

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/04/24

Kodo Conlin: In this brief dharmette, we collapse the gap between audience and speaker and set the stage for intimate exchange about the Zazen.

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Celebrating Our History

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/04/17

Michael McCord discusses “things that are broken” and celebrating the way we are.

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Yun Men's Appropriate Statement

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/04/09

Zachary Smith covers case 14 of the Blue Cliff Record, “Yun Men’s Appropriate Statement”

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Focus and Distraction

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/04/03

Michael McCord: Is it "OK" to use Zen to get from A to B as a transactional practice or should a person only practice Zen and see what the fruits of this are? In other words: can Zen be my workout tool for focus?

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Zazen is Loving Kindness

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/03/27

Portion from The Loving Kindness Meditation, " Let no one deceive another nor despise any being in any state. Let none by anger or hatred wish harm to another. Even as a mother at the risk of her life Watches over and protects her only child, So with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things. Suffusing love over the entire world, Above, below, and all around, without limit, So let one cultivate an infinite good will toward the whole world "In this week's gathering we will talk about how

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Anger and strong emotions: are they in conflict with...

Young Urban Zen SF ·

2024/03/20

Michael McCord: In this week's session I plan to unpack the various ways strong emotions - particularly ones that are often thought of as 'negative' - play in our lives from the perspective of Zen and its principles for living.

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Young Urban Zen SF

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