Hardcore Zen

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.

Buddha Nature A Brief Synopsis

I'll be back soon with more of my in-depth analysis of Dogen's essay about Buddha Nature. But here's the audio of a brief video I did on the subject. It may serve as a good introduction to the subject.

Dogen on Buddha Nature Part One

This is part one of my podcast about Dogen's essay Bussho or "Buddha Nature" from Shobogenzo. I paraphrased the essay in the style of my Dogen paraphrases from my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Came From Beyond Zen, then I commented on it. Enjoy!

When Buddhism Goes Bad

Sometimes scary things happen during meditation. Sometimes it can be really, really scary. Let's talk about that.

An Experience of Enlightenment

My reaction to a story about an enlightenment experience.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

It's one of the most popular Buddhist books in the world, but up until a few months ago I had never read it. Now I have. Here are my thoughts about the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Some of My Favorite Zen Books

If you always wondered what my favorite Zen books are, well, here are some of them! 

Polishing a Tile to Make a Mirror

Zazen is supposed to be a practice without a goal. What does that mean?

The King of Samadhis

Dogen describes zazen as the King of Samadhis. What the heck does that even mean?

Zentertainment with Rylend Grant

This episode was recorded in the pre-pandemic days. But I think we all need a break from that stuff, so here it is. In this episode, I talked to my friend Rylend Grant, a professional Hollywood screenwriter and member of the Angel City Zen Center. Topics range from Zen in the entertainment business, to entertainment in the Zen business, and even a bit about diversity and inclusion in Zen. Enjoy! Or, should I say "Zen-joy?"