Hardcore Zen

One Bright Pearl in Finland

Here's a talk I gave on September 3, 2021 in Lammi, Finland while on my recent European tour. The subject is a koan called One Bright Pearl as well as the teachings of Zen Master Huangpo, who is also known as Obaku. 

Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Three

The thrilling conclusion of my three-part talk about Hyakujo's Fox at Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany in September, 2021. The Q&A gets a little funny in this one, but it's sort of interesting too.

Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Two

Here is the second part of my series of lectures about the old Chinese Zen teaching story, Hyakujo's Fox. This talk took place in September, 2021 at the Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany.

Hyakujo‘s fox Part One

Here is part one of a three part lecture I did at the Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany. I'm discussing Hyakujo's Fox, a very old Zen famous koan (teaching story). Parts two and three will follow shortly. 

Aliens, Socks, and Sweat in Finland

Here's a recording of a discussion I had on September 4, 2021 with the group at my recent retreat in Lammi, Finland. We talked about aliens, socks, and sweat — three vital topics in Zen Buddhism!

Getting Rid ofWhat Does Not Originally Belong to Us

Nishijima Roshi said that zazen is getting rid of what doesn't originally belong to us. It's kind of an interesting to say.

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Three

Here is the final part of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Bussho (Buddha Nature). In this episode, Dogen says, "Grasses, trees, and even land are mind itself. Because they are mind, they are living beings and they have Buddha Nature. The sun, the moon, and the stars are mind itself. Because they are mind, they are living beings and they have Buddha Nature." Pretty interesting stuff!

Hacking Enlightenment?

Years ago I made a joke commercial about a machine called The Enlightenizer that gets you enlightened in minutes. Now someone has created the Enlightenizer for real!

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Two

At last! Here is part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay "Bussho" or "Buddha Nature." The commentary is far more extensive this time so the episode is twice as long as part one! Dogen discusses the deep meaning of Buddha Nature and I get into some of what I think Dogen means. What is Buddha Nature, anyhow?

Dream (for Franz)

The second episode of my series about Buddha Nature isn't ready yet. So I'm putting up the audio from the video tribute I made for my friend Franz Kummer in Germany who passed away a few weeks ago. He was good guy.