PODCAST

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis

Talks on Zen from a senior student at the Village Zendo. Frequent delusion and swearing.

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

41:36

Speak Up If You're Stuck in a Zazen Rut

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2025/08/19

Certain topics seem off-limits in Zen, like: What’s the goal of meditation? How do I get better at it? What is everyone else experiencing when they sit? I spoke at the New Paltz Zen Center about getting stuck at a plateau in meditation skill, and about Zen communities’ reluctance to discuss peak experiences, progress, and goals. Here's a written version: https://emptysqua.re/blog/speak-up-if-youre-stuck-in-a-zazen-rut/

39:17

Arjuna's dilemma

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2025/04/01

I look in the Bhagavad Gita and the life of radical abolitionist Benjamin Lay for examples: how do we live in stressful times, and how do we act when there are no good options?

43:29

Which Beings Are Sentient?

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2025/01/25

Which animals are sentient, and how can we liberate them from suffering? I review the philosopher Jonathan Birch's book "The Edge of Sentience" and shares good news about humanity's moral progress regarding animal welfare.

27:18

Is an Enlightened Person Afraid of Illness and Death?

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2024/12/25

This is a dharma talk I gave at the Village Zendo December 12, 2024, about my mother’s brain surgery and end-of-life decisions. Here’s the video and a transcript.

33:06

Are You Prepared To Save A Life?

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2024/12/25

You can find yourself in a critical situation without warning. Is Zen practice preparing you? Here’s a dharma talk I gave to the Village Zendo on September 5, 2024, about the classic koan, “Nansen kills the cat.” Video and transcript here.

28:21

Bodhisattvas Always Smile

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2024/03/22

Bodhisattvas smile, though they hear the suffering cries of the world. You should smile too! A Zen talk I gave against doomerism.

23:34

Give Something Away to a Stranger

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2021/02/08

Rich countries and drug firms act selfishly the COVID pandemic. Selfishness is natural, but we can strengthen our universal goodwill through training.

19:08

These Unreliable United States

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2020/11/10

The United States as we know it will someday come to an end. It's shocking to see how vulnerable our democracy is, but as Buddhists we aren't surprised: Buddha told us that nothing lasts, and we can't rely on anything except the truth revealed by our own practice. A talk at the Village Zendo, November 8, 2020.

24:37

American Religion in America's Time of Crisis

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2020/11/10

Buddhists must respond to the current political crisis, just as abolitionists like Frederick Douglass did in the 19th Century. A talk at the Village Zendo, September 3, 2020.

19:56

Who Can You Trust?

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2020/05/16

Our leaders are plainly untrustworthy. And when we hear about toilet paper hoarders, or protestors storming the Michigan governor's office, or covidiots crowding together on beaches, we stop trusting each other, too. But there is someone we can trust. Listen to find out.

28:13

How Buddhism Survived The Japanese Internment

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2020/04/13

Japanese Americans founded our practice, and they preserved and adapted it to life in the internment camps during WWII. Today we must adapt our practice in a crisis, are we up to the challenge?

33:01

How Not To Panic

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2020/02/15

Panic obliterates the self. We need a strong self to face fear in meditation and all of life. Dharma at the Village Zendo, February 23, 2020. Photo: Sam Bald https://www.flickr.com/photos/28931095@N03/3115110964

22:37

You Look So Zen

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2020/01/03

On a visit to some Buddhists incarcerated on a jail barge, I had to improvise how to practice Zen, just like we always have to improvise our practice.

27:30

When The Buddha Met A Murderer

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2019/12/16

Everyone deserves a place where we can practice together. Everyone deserves the opportunity for redemption. A talk I gave at the Village Zendo on December 5, 2019.

34:40

Five Ways to Establish a Rock-Solid Meditation Habit

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2019/10/23

Meditation can transform your life, but it only works if you sit regularly. You can establish a strong, serious practice following these five methods. Recorded October 3, 2019, and the Village Zendo.

29:05

How To Dissolve The Self

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2019/10/09

When you do something with attention, your self merges with your activity. Watch how the self shifts and moves, and you'll start to see through the illusion of ego.

27:52

How To Be Free From Greed

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2019/08/01

We waste our lives chasing temporary, superficial things, and our disappointment leads to grief. Here’s a practice that loosens greed’s grip on our minds, and frees us to appreciate this moment.

27:24

Are the Six Senses True Reality, Or Not?

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2019/05/24

When we practice mindfulness of what we're experiencing here and now, we can be at peace and free of worry. But we can go much deeper than that. Buddha taught that we can see through our greedy, self-centered delusions and clearly comprehend the truth of our lives.

23:14

Meaningless Striving

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2019/01/31

Each new year, Americans resolve to work harder and be more austere, for no reason. Let's stop torturing ourselves.

23:25

The Day That Yunmen Broke His Foot

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks ·

2018/12/11

The old stories all have the same punchline: the monk was suddenly enlightened. What really happens when we have an experience of insight? Transcript: https://emptysqua.re/blog/the-day-yunmen-broke-his-foot/

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A. Jesse Jiryu Davis"s dharma talks

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