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PODCAST

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World

Zen Buddhist teachings point to a profound view of reality--one of deep interconnection and non-separation. Awakening is a word used to describe the freedom, creativity and love of our original nature. This podcast explores the profound liberating teachings of Zen Buddhism at the intersection of dreamwork and the soul. The intention is to offer a view of awakening that explores our deep interconnection with the living world and the cosmos as well as to invite a re-imagining of what human life and

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

30:24

Encounters with the Stone Woman

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/04/12

One of the figures that we encounter in the Zen literature is the stone woman. In the Precious Mirror Samadhi we find her dancing, in another story she calls us back from our dream of the world.In the study of the Mountains and Rivers Sutra, she shows up early on when Dogen quotes Furong Daokai. “The green mountains are always moving, a stone woman gives birth to a child at night.” He then comments on the stone woman, saying:“A stone woman gives birth to a child at night” means that the moment when

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27:21

Circling Back to Ourselves

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/04/01

Greetings Friends,Happy April Fool’s Day! Last week I had the opportunity to co-facilitate a Zen sesshin in the mountains of West Virginia at Saranam Retreat Center.Sesshin, a zen-style silent meditation retreat which translates as touching the heart-mind, has been a huge part of my adult life. While living at Great Vow Zen Monastery, I practiced sesshin together in sangha for a week every month. Such is the rhythm of monastic life we enter this cauldron of awakening together and let our hearts and

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29:59

Mountains and Rivers are Sutra

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/03/15

I will be joining the Mud Lotus Sangha in West Virginia for our first sesshin of the year. Sesshin is now often translated as a Zen-style meditation retreat. But the words meditation and retreat are mis-leading. It is in its truest sense a practice of recognizing our true nature, of touching, encountering the heart-mind that abides everywhere.We are going to the mountains of West Virginia to practice. Stepping back into Mountain time to learn from the mountains, waters and great earth. To be

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23:17

Being Born and Unborn

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/03/08

Greetings Friends,This past weekend I had the opportunity to join the Pause Meditation community for a deep dive into practice around the theme of the beginner’s mind. In the Zen tradition we celebrate the beginner’s mind. For it is both the unborn buddha mind— our original mind which is always right here and our curious, open mind that is constantly being born anew. So very much like the energy of spring, life is constantly bubbling up, recreating itself, blossoming in our awareness. “In every

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28:20

the world is not what we name it or think it

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/03/03

I wanted to share with you a profound, beautiful and somewhat unsettling teaching from the Diamond Sutra.I would say its unsettling precisely because it is so radical, it touches something true that we know at the core of who we are, and it also reminds us that everything we think we are or think the world is —is not the whole story, our thinking inevitably misses something.we are inconceivable in our nature—and we all have, the same bright, clear, open, ungraspable heart-mind.here’s the verse from

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27:54

Realizing the Mind that Abides Nowhere

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/02/22

dust returns to dustearth to earth mind always at home in itself where does it return?This past week I was reflecting on the 6th Chan Ancestor, Huineng and his encounter with a verse from the diamond sutra.Huineng lost his father early in life, and supported himself and his mother by selling firewood. On one occasion, he was selling firewood to a customer, and someone passed by chanting the words of the diamond sutra.Huineng heard a single line and was profoundly moved—it touched something in him

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39:06

A Lotus Blooming in the Fire

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/02/15

A lotus blooming in the fire is an image that comes from the Zen tradition. And before I write further on the symbolism of the image or the dharma teachings it evokes—I would like to invite us to just sit with the image of a lotus blooming in the fire.For a moment, let yourself sense, imagine or feel into this image. Notice what you see, feel, hear, experience as you attempt to connect with the image of a lotus blooming in the fire. Now, if you haven’t already bring the image closer in. Sit as, be a

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29:16

Our Extra-Ordinary Heart

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/02/08

Greetings Friends,I have been reflecting on one of the simplest and perhaps most profound teachings in the Buddhist tradition— the teaching of our extra-ordinary heart. Our extra-ordinary heart is the aspect of our being that doesn’t die, and isn’t born. That isn’t dependent on us but is a deep refuge and resource—one that we know and rely on all the time. One that we also see demonstrated and embodied in our communities, on the world stage, in the people we love and care about. We are living in a

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33:43

Compassion is Our Nature

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/01/30

Greetings Friends,In the heartbreak, pain, confusion of this moment. I wish to remember together the Way of the Bodhisattva. The image or archetype of the Bodhisattva resonates deep in the hearts of those oriented towards love for this beautiful and broken world.For a Bodhisattva is motivated to relieve suffering and pain, as they work towards a liberation for all beings. This is the spiritual warrior, who knows that this life is not our own but a shared life.Practice of a bodhisattva is a practice

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31:45

Stepping from the One-Hundred Foot Pole

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2026/01/11

New Years Blessings! And wow, it feels like its off to a chaotic start. In times like these, I find it vital to ground myself in this bodhisattva vow. To remember what is always reliable, no matter what circumstance or situation I find myself in.I would like to share a koan that has been close to my heart as we began 2026.Mumonkan Case 46: Stepping from the Top of the PoleSekiso asked: How do you step from atop a 100-ft pole?Another eminent master from former times said:You who sit on the top of the

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35:07

Faith, Heart and the Return of the Light

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/12/20

When faith and mind are not separate. And not separate are mind and faith, this is beyond all words, all thoughts.If you have been reading these posts this season, you may have noticed I have been writing about Faith. Writing, reflecting, wondering, wandering through the many expressions of Faith as I returned again and again to this practice poem, Affirming Faith in Mind. There is something both delicious and challenging about coming back to the same teaching, day after day, week by week.Above is

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45:20

Telling the Story of Awakening

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/12/13

Tis’ the season for story-telling. I don’t know about you, but there are certain stories I can hear over and over again. These stories often have mythic and archetypal elements, that seem to resonate with the poetics of the soul.In the Zen Buddhist tradition the first week of December is the week we commemorate/remember/celebrate the Buddha’s awakening. We do this with our bodies. Sitting retreat with the orientation that we too can realize our true nature. That we too can awaken.We do this with our

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28:07

The mysterious source

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/12/07

I want to return to this profound poem we are studying for the autumn practice period—Affirming Faith in Mind.If mind does not discriminate, all things are as they are as one. To go to this mysterious source—frees us from all entanglements.When all is seen with equal mind, to our self-nature we return. This single mind goes right beyond all reasons and comparison.This poem is about Trust in Mind, Faith in our true nature, Trust in the Heart of WisdomDo we trust our heart-mind?Do you have faith in

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42:39

When Obstacles Become the Path

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/11/22

One stanza from the Trust in Heart poem says:Cut off all useless thoughts and words and there’s nowhere you cannot go.Returning to the root itself, you’ll find the meaning of all things.If you pursue appearances you overlook the primal source.Awakening is to go beyond both emptiness as well as form.I appreciate the clarity of these instructions. Here we find an invitation to practice with our thinking minds. I find that this instruction to “cut off” is more of an invitation to see through or into

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19:10

Feeding the Hungry Heart

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/11/08

Calling all you hungry heartsEverywhere through endless timeYou who wander, you who thirstI offer you, this Bodhi MindCalling all you hungry spiritsAll the lost and the left behindGather round and share this mealYour joy and your sorrow, I make it mine. —KanromonGiving awakens the unbounded heart. What in our lives isn’t already shared? If we open to all the inter-relationships that make up our lives, we begin to see that this life is vast, and full of uncounted kindnesses.In the Zen tradition, we

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40:03

One Hundred Demons Night Parade

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/10/31

I am currently spending some time with this beautiful teaching poem, Affirming Faith in Mind as part of Autumn Ango through ZCO. As I was reading it this week, I thought about how would I summarize this teaching in one sentence. I came up with:Everything’s Included on the Path!Everything is included. Maybe it seems too simple, too obvious. And yet, how often are we looking outside of our experience for satisfaction, the answer, some-thing-else. How could it be that our doubt, fear, the wars and

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30:55

The Bright Dark

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/10/24

Deep Autumn Greetings Fellow Travelers of the Way!As autumn becomes us, I have been contemplating darkness and the creaturely way my body seems to respond to the cold-dark. Maybe you too feel a little more intimate with the night and the dark creature of the body at this time of year. Sometimes I feel, and I know others feel, that we are living in dark times—and whether this feels true for you—I think we all know something about the dark. Whether its as the seasonal darkening of autumn, energetic

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37:39

Playing in Polarizations

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/09/13

Polarization & PlayPolarization (def)—division into two sharply contrasting groups, sets of opinions or beliefs. When we stop seeing similarity or what is shared, but only see difference. When difference becomes a threat.Play (def)— to engage in something for enjoyment or for sport. Be cooperative. Try something out.I want to say, we are living in a polarized time. But I find myself questioning each word. I look for polarization and find it in my social media feed, in the news, in my own inner

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39:32

Heart Mirror Gazing

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/09/07

Greetings Friends,I have a deep love and appreciation for the wonderment and creativity of this life. It’s un-pin-down-able, slippery, un-define-able—like a water color painting that continuously repaints itself.One story from the Zen tradition that has always helped me stay awake to amazement and in courtship with the great mystery is the Zen Mirror of Tokeiji.A partial-telling of which can be found in Case 34 of the Hidden Lamp.The convent of Tokeiji had a great mirror. The founding abbess,

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25:43

Transmissions from the Crescent Moon

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World ·

2025/08/29

Hello Good Friends,It’s late summer and I can feel the seasonal shift. Here in the northern states the Earth is darkening earlier and staying dark later, its cooler too. The humidity has dropped and the insects have grown quieter in my central ohio village. The tomatoes, peaches, corn, and zucchini are in abundance, the pawpaws are ripening and chicken-of-the-woods are blazing orange on fallen logs. We even found some huitlacoche! What seasonal shifts are happening where you are?What are you

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