"Oh, Shariputra, Have You Not Heard? On the Compassion of Emptiness." Dr. Jason Tetsuzen Wirth is professor of philosophy at Seattle University. He was ordained a...
We'll look at the Heart Sutra as a text-what was its purpose as part of the larger Prajnaparamita collection of sutras? What can it tell...
How do we meditate in Zen? What are some techniques we can use for quieting down? What does posture have to do with it? In...
Ritual is central to every religious tradition known to us. Buddhist traditions are no exception.Even in the most streamlined of Zen traditions, meditation occurs in...
There’s a Zen story about a non-Buddhist who questions the Buddha. The Buddha doesn’t say a word, and the non-Buddhist comes away with a deep...
On February 9, 2020 Keri Pederson spoke at the PSZC on Finding (and Taking) Refuge: Reflections on trust, safety, and belonging in practice. Keri has...
Wes Borden discusses Case #13 of the Mumonkan: Tokusan Carries His Bowls - The Last Word of Zen on Feb. 2, 2020 at the PSZC....
Nansen famously told Joshu, “Ordinary mind is the way.” What did he mean, and what does it tell us about our practice? Koshin Chris Cain...
Zen Master Rinzai told his students to become people with nothing to do. How does that work? On January 19, 2020 - Rinzai’s Death Day...
Zen practice teaches us to see things anew, but first we have to learn to drop our everyday habitual way of seeing things. There’s a...
Marcie Rubardt on Dec. 29, 2019 explores at PSZC what it means to act from a firm and “fierce” commitment to STOP what is wrong...
'Sun-Faced Buddha, Moon-Faced Buddha: A Different Light.' Genko poses the question, Enlightenment - what's time got to do with it? On Sunday, December 15, 2019,...
What happened under that Bodhi Tree 2500 years ago, and what can it teach those of us who sit under different trees? Koshin Chris Cain...
Elizabeth Fitterer talks about the Sanskrit language, its place in history and religious philosophy, the struggles and joys of being a Sanskrit student, and how...
One sure way to a more grateful heart — understanding our interconnection more deeply. Koshin Chris Cain speaks on Interdependence and Gratitude on November 24,...
Leni Torvbråten is a member of Rinzai Zen Center in Oslo and has for the last 9 months been practicing with sanghas in India, Myanmar,...
Giko David Rubin speaks at the Zen Center on November 4, 2019...
Genko Kathy Blackman speaks at the Zen Center on October 27, 2019....
Koshin Chris Cain speaks at the Fall 2019 retreat at Camp Sealth....
Koshin Chris Cain speaks at the Fall 2019 retreat at Camp Sealth....
Koshin Chris Cain speaks at the Fall 2019 retreat at Camp Sealth....
On October 13 , 2019 the Rev James Farwell speaks about, "What Is the Meaning of My Neighbor’s Faith for My Own?” Spiritual traditions normally think...
Jim Hunziker speaks at the Zen Center on Oct. 6, 2019 about his volunteer work....
Genko Kathy Blackman speaks at the Zen Center on Sept. 29, 2019....
Every six months we switch officer positions in the zendo - the Shoji (tea server), the Jiki (meditation leader) and so forth. Together they are...
Learn a new way to understand Buddhism and the spectrum of unhappiness to inner happiness, by examining the 4 +1 Noble Truths from the perspective...
Eko Jeff Kelley from Seattle Soto Zen discusses Heroism and Humility at the Puget Sound Zen Center during a full day sit on Saturday July 13,...
Koshin Cain answers questions at Puget Sound Zen Center on September 1, 2019. ...
How does our practice lead to kindness and love? How can this kindness best help others?...
Genko Kathy Blackman speaks at the Zen Center on Aug. 11, 2019....
Beth Glennon, who has completed her chaplaincy training though Upaya Zen Center, finds compassion all around in her work at Harborview Medical Center. Beth spoke...
Genko Kathy Blackman talks of the interdependence of cause and effect at the Zen Center on July 28, 2019....
Dylan Thomas’s poem points us to a truth that Buddhism uncovers: We share the world of life and death with everything. Koshin speaks at the...
In Zen, freedom is gained by facing, not running away. Koshin Cain speaks at the Zen Center on July 3, 2019....
Genko Kathy Blackman speaks at the Zen Center on June 30, 2019....
Koshin talks of the value to us as individuals and to our community of ritual, especially those maintained in our zen services....
Death and loss pervade the fabric of life, yet we spend a great deal of energy pushing this reality away. What would happen if, instead...
Hakuin Zenji’s Song in Praise of Zazen begins, “From the beginning, all beings are Buddha”. What does that mean? Is it true? Wes trained at the Rochester Zen Center,...
While the ancient Greeks did not like the concept of zero one bit, the ancient Indians ran with it. Working with our aversion to emptiness can be...
Leigh Weber, originally from NC, has lived in Renton, WA for the past 26 years. She holds an MDiv and post master’s certificate in Spiritual Direction from...
The Buddha identified two bright, natural qualities of the heart-mind as the roots of our ethical sensitivity, and therefore ‘guardians of the world.’ How can...
Robbie Rohr, Executive Director of the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank, has been working in the fields of human services and social justice for 40 years....
How do we build a healthy community? Koshin Cain speaks at the Zen Center, March 3, 2019....
On his deathbed the Buddha told his disciples to have confidence in the teaching, the disciplines, and in themselves. Koshin Cain speaks at the Zen Center,...
The Japanese are said to love cherry blossoms, not only because they are beautiful, but also because their beauty is evanescent. For New Englanders, the...
How do we make the three refuges (the Buddha, the dharma and the sangha) a part of our life? Genko Kathy Blackman speaks at the Zen Center,...
The Zen and humanist traditions share a few fundamental tenets: The central importance of human well-being; a belief in individual authority; a distrust of superstition....
Buddhism has a tradition of sange, or confession and repentance. Where does that fit into the Zen tradition? ...
Nomon Tim Burnett is Guiding Teacher of the Red Cedar Zen Community in Bellingham. He founded the Bellingham Zen Practice Group in 1991, was ordained...
The new year invites us to consider the coming and going of things. Dogen called the issue of birth and death (shoji) the "great matter." Tetsuzen Wirth will explore living...
On New Year’s Day Master Ikkyu went door to door with a human skull on a pike: “Happy New Year!” His message is more sanguine than you...
The founder of the Zen school said there are fundamentally two entrances to the Path - reason and practice. Do we have to choose?...
This may seem to be a contradiction in terms, but self-compassion is essential to true awakening. Genko Kathy Blackman speaks at the Zen Center, December 9,...
Hakuin Zenji’s Poem “Song of Zazen” starts by assuring us that beings are Buddhas as surely as ice is water. Grasping this tenet is key...
The first of the Buddhist perfections is Dana, or generosity. Why is it first? Koshin Chris Cain speaks at the Zen Center, November 25, 2018. Click...
It’s counterintuitive to be thankful for our troubles as well as our joys. Zen helps us see the value in being grateful for all of it. ...
December 9 - Genko - This may seem to be a contradiction in terms, but self-compassion is essential to true awakening...
December 2 - Koshin - Hakuin Zenji’s Poem “Song of Zazen” starts by assuring us that beings are Buddhas as surely as ice is water....
The Buddha makes an unusual request – that we make a spiritual practice of observing the impermanence of all things, including our own life. How...
How do we progress in Buddhist practice? Isn’t it about NOT progressing? In Rinzai Zen we ask you to diligently make an effort until there...
In every cycle of breath spirit travels through the body creating form, consciousness, formlessness and returning to emptiness. Each cycle is a microcosm of our...
Our practice helps us move through our lives with a deeper liberty, living and dying more freely....
Eko Jeff Kelley of Seattle Soto Zen speaks at our annual summer day sit, July 14, 2018....
Beth is a student in the Chaplaincy Program at Upaya Zen Center and is currently an intern at Harborview Medical Center. She shares experiences from...