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PODCAST

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko

Boundless in Motion

Kritee Kanko, Ph.D., is a climate scientist, educator-activist, grief-ritual leader, and a Buddhist Zen priest who lives in Colorado (United States) and Rajasthan (India). This podcast offers her teishoes/talks that were given during residential retreats as well as half-day sits. She addresses how we can prepare ourselves spiritually and psychologically to confront the societal challenges of our times, how do contemplative practices need to change to be able to offer a “non-dual” response to our

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

00:44:00

Unmon's Medicine and Sickness Cure Each Other -...

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/10/25

Can we transcend suffering by letting go of notions of good and bad? When does medicine become a sickness? In this profound talk, Sensei Kritee Kanko explores one of Zen's most challenging teaching: everything on earth—including our most painful experiences—is medicine. Drawing from her 25 years of practice, she reveals how our desperate attempts to escape suffering through meditation and spiritual practice can paradoxically become another form of sickness. With refreshing honesty about her own past

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00:49:21

Ohashi awakens - Hidden Lamp 8

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/09/27

Should a slave meditate to wake up?How can we access a larger trauma-informed view in Zen? In this talk, Sensei Kanko discusses a very emotionally triggering koan with the greatest gentleness. How can we hold our bodies and emotions with gentleness to not fall into the shadows of Zen? How can we remain firm in our need to make changes in the society around us? And at the same time how to make sure we don't lose the golden idea of Zen that there is a possibility to wake up at any point, even in one

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00:47:12

Zuigan Calls His Master - Mumonkan 12

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/08/30

What is the relationship between the big “eternal” spiritual mind and our small lonely or calculative mind? How to live our daily lives in these times of polycrisis and systemic oppression?This talk by Sensei Kanko (Dr. Kritee) flows like a compassionate boat running down a wild river and embodies a deep spontaneity. Here, she guides listeners through Zuigan's paradoxical koan—calling his own self "Master!" and then answering "Yes sir!"—to explore who these two selves “Master” and

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00:44:54

Yunmen's Kanshiketsu - Mumonkan 21 (July 2025)

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/07/26

How is an enlightened compassion the essence of our “impossible" suffering?In this profound talk, Dr. Kritee explores case 21 of the Mumonkan, where a student asks Zen Master Yunmen "What is the essence of Buddhism?" and the master answers: "Kanshiketsu"—toilet stick. Through personal stories about extremely hard (impossible) life situations and sitting with a friend facing breast cancer, Sensei Kanko illustrates how the most challenging suffering can get transmuted on our

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00:48:49

Beloved Community and Accessing Deep Trust in...

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/06/28

How do we cultivate deeper trust in life when everything seems to be falling apart? What does it mean to "proceed on from the top of a hundred-foot pole" - to let go just when we think we've learned to control some aspects of life. In this powerful talk on the last day of silent May 2025 Zen retreat, Sensei Kanko explores the profound teaching of trusting the universe and releasing our grip on comfort and control. Drawing on inspiring examples - from Dipa Ma who could sit for seven

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00:49:42

Beloved Community and Accessing Deep Trust in...

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/05/31

Using the example of the Babemba tribe’s harm resolution ceremony, Sensei Kritee explores “What if a wise response to our current times is to expand our vision and perception beyond the limits of a single human lifetime?”Babemba tribe has unlimited belief in the fundamental goodness of all human beings. Where does such deep belief come from? They don’t start lashing out in fear and anger at people who cause harm. They actually remind people of their goodness when individuals end up causing harm. How

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00:47:37

Kyogen's Man Up in a Tree - Mumonkan 5

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/04/19

How can we make wholesome decisions in the face of impossible dilemmas that life throws at us? How do we face impossible choices when hanging between life and death?In this talk, Dr. Kritee Kanko reflects on a strange Zen story where someone finds themselves in an impossible situation: hanging by their mouth from a tree branch over a cliff, he must either answer a spiritual question and fall to his death, or remain silent and fail to fulfil his vow to help all beings. Is the koan presenting us with

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00:40:48

Dipa Ma's Fearless Daughters - Hidden Lamp 38

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/03/22

How can we cultivate fearlessness in these turbulent times? Can developing our ability to grieve, trust, and surrender help us access our inner vastness and fearlessness? Is our practice supporting communion between analytical and intuitive aspects of our mind?In this talk, Sensei Kritee Kanko explores an incident from 20th century India about Dipa Ma, who held a frightened student's hand during an extreme airplane turbulence episode and whispered, "The daughters of the Buddha are

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00:46:16

Yuanji Knocks the Body Down - Hidden Lamp 53

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/02/15

How can we respond with loving clarity and topple brothers like Trump or Musk who are stuck in toxic patterns of power and control?In this profound Dharma talk, Sensei Kritee Kanko explores a koan about an eighth-century Chinese Zen master who stubbornly dies standing on his head—only to have his sister, a bearer of gentle, loving wisdom, topple his final display of ego. Through personal stories and reflections on leaders like brothers Trump and Musk, who inspire others to be “brave in their

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00:46:33

Unmon's Kanshiketsu - Mumonkan 21

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2025/01/18

How can a soiled toilet paper which you have used to wipe your ass be Buddha? How can the things we “hate” about life be “sacred”? How can the worst kinds of physical and emotional pain experienced during meditation be a pathway to a deeper realization, equanimity and courage?In this talk, Zen teacher Kanko talks about a classic Koan and discusses how we can best relate to pain during a meditation session. Everyone feels pain. Life consists of physical and mental suffering. That is the first

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00:47:35

Nansen’s ordinary mind is the way (2019) - Mumonkan 19

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/12/21

What is the mental state from which we can take action during these times of uncertainty, fear and grief? How can we access such a “prized” mental state?In this talk Sensei Kritee Kanko (Ph.D.) shares, with examples and stories, a modern trauma-informed way to access equanimity and courage to take action for the benefit of all beings. In these times of polycrisis, it is ordinary to feel busy, distracted and stressed all the time. But were we born to be like this? Usually when humans have

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00:44:32

Ryutetsuma the Old Female Buffalo (2017, classic, one...

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/11/30

Get drunk on Mu and strategize. This talk addresses how “masculine” Rinzai Zen and feminine ancient Indian path of bhakti can come together. And what we can do after we have drunk the finest wine called Mu. Mu is a Buddhist word for fundamental zeroness and absolute mind. Can the importance of societal change, divine feminine, and respect for multicultural spiritual traditions find a place even in the most rigorous Zen retreats, where people meditate day and night to achieve enlightenment? What

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00:39:55

Two Monks Roll Up the Blinds: Mumonkan 26

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/09/21

What is inner spiritual liberation? What happens when outer social-political liberation is not possible in these times of polycrisis?In this talk, Dr. Kritee explores the path of inner liberation in the midst of overwhelming planetary grief and oppression. It is important that we keep going with our actions for peace at political level, climate sanity, and social justice. But is it wise to cling to our physical wellbeing and derive meaning of life only based on the material and political results of

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00:46:08

Tozan's Three Pounds of Flax - Mumonkan case 18

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/08/10

Can the deepest personal, societal and ecological challenges we face lead our way to the "great bliss"? If the most vulnerable species and innocent children are being killed every hour, is it okay for us to sit in this great bliss? In this teisho (Zen talk), Dr. Kritee explores the deep challenge of staying sane in the difficult times using personal anecdotes and stories and myths from ancient China and India. The times we live in are heartbreaking and bewildering, and there is genuine

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00:43:31

Reindigenizing amidst climate chaos

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/07/13

Is a widespread climate chaos or collapse inevitable? Can we face this impending chaos through the frameworks promoted by late stage capitalism: the ones driven by quarterly or annual financial returns? Is it time to stop accepting that we are lonely, sinful, inadequate and isolated from our more-than-human kins? How can we create a “Beloved community” and move away from a sense of shame and inadequacy? Dr. Kritee explores these questions in a talk given on the second last of a six day residential

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00:47:08

Ling’s Question - Hidden lamp 74

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/06/08

Can there be grievous suffering even in the midst of an expansive, vast and clear “blue sky” mind?In Buddhism, the practice of meditation helps us access what some teachers call “the blue sky mind”, a state that relieves a sense of insufficiency in our lives and brings clarity, spaciousness and joy. But is this the deepest level of intimacy with “reality-as-it-is” we can reach in our spiritual practice? In this talk, Sensei Kanko explores this question from a modern, polycrisis-informed

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00:53:00

Joshu's Mu - Mumonkan 1 (October 2020)

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/05/04

Is Mu enough?In this talk, Sensei Kanko dives into some details of the Rinzai Zen path, discussing the all-encompassing nature of the Mu Koan and its relationship to breathing from the hara (lower belly) and accessing concentrated awareness. She invites listeners to balance the masculine Zen approach with emotional healing. Acknowledging Zen's limitations with respect to dealing with societal inequalities, she also advocates for devotional approaches as part of spiritual practice. The talk

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00:39:54

Kisagotami's Mustard Seed - Hidden Lamp 49

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/04/06

Kisagotami's Mustard Seed - Hidden Lamp 49Will Western Buddhism lead us to selfish acts and an egoistic pursuit of enlightenment if we do not reintroduce the original communal aspects of Buddhism as they were present at the time of the Buddha? In this Zen Talk, Sensei Kanko delves into the profound intersection of Buddhism and the universal experience of grief. She shares her journey from India to the United States, weaving in the poignant story of Kisagotami, Buddha, and the mustard seed to

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00:45:36

Shotaku's Paper Sword - Hidden Lamp 37

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/03/02

How to access your spiritual power amidst overwhelming grief and shame?How can a sword made of paper help you when you are being attacked? How can we fight oppression when we feel powerless? How can we begin to see why the universe brought us alive as a human in this exact time and place? In this talk given on the last day of Feb 2024 Zen retreat, Sensei Kanko powerfully shows us a clear path to access our spiritual power against all the odds and make a difference. How is it possible that almost

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00:53:51

Lingzhao's Helping - Hidden Lamp 83

Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko ·

2024/01/27

How can we bridge the gap between serene meditation experiences and our world’s ongoing climate and social crisis?In this thought-provoking talk given on the last day of a Zen retreat, Sensei Kanko (Dr. Kritee) invites us to consider life beyond the retreat. She emphasizes the necessity of grounded compassion and encourages a broader understanding of Zen beyond the usual Western interpretations. She illustrates the importance of carrying the fruits of our meditation practice into our day-to-day

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