Emily Eslami - First Gift (The Precepts pt 2 - Not Killing)

“All the rules & commandments out there are trying to anticipate a situation. But right action, acting in the moment of an actual situation, can only happen in the moment of doing.” - Emily Eslami

In her ongoing deep dive into the precepts, Emily takes on precept number one - No Killing! Which sounds simple, until she starts walking us through an honest look at the utter impossibility of such a thing.... Fortunately Emily is on the case armed with classic koans and thousands of years of commentary, and a wealth of personal deliberation and confusion one how to live a life without harm in a universe composed of infinite suffering. What do we do if we accidentally step on a bee (relax)? What kind of belief system has breaking the rules built into the rules (this one!)?? How is not being enlightened already not killing (whoa)? And how could we even destroy what we are already part of (exactly!)?? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - Inconceivable! (The Vimalakirti Sutra - pt 2)

"The freedom, or liberation, she’s talking about is one that all of us inherently possess, and one that only we can grant to our selves. And it’s also a freedom that no one could ever take away from you no matter what they do..." - Dave Cuomo

The thrilling conclusion to our two part series on the Vimalakirti sutra! Dave continues the story with the classic goddess chapter, where everyone's favorite no BS goddess gives Sariputra the business for his worst ideas on gender roles and enlightenment. Also, we get Dogen's hot take on the whole sutra, a visit from some benevolent sweet smelling aliens, heavenly take out is ordered, and so much more!

Dave Cuomo - Thank You For Being (The Vimalakirti Sutra - pt 1)

“There is no good or bad. its all just the universe learning through trial and error. So go out, do good or screw up. And whatever you do and whatever you’ve been through, thanks. We’re all better off for it.” - Dave Cuomo

In this extended two part podcast, Dave brings us a thorough cliff notes reading  of the Vimalakirti Sutra! An epic story of right and wrong complete with miracles and magic, bodhisattvas breaking all the rules, benevolent aliens, devils disguised as gods, snarky gender bending goddesses, and through it all Buddha finally answering the question of why the world is so screwed up and whether or not there's anything we can do about it. The plot revolves around our hero Vimalakirti, everyone’s favorite enlightened layman, who is suffering from a mysterious illness that just might be the root cause of all sickness and suffering in the world! Will he get better? Will we get to the heart of suffering and end it once and for all? Let’s find out… 

Erik Andersen - The Poor Way

“This is poor man’s Buddhism - we don’’t have the resources to carry around bundles of scrolls with us, we don’t have the time to memorize sutras. Zen is about self sufficiency, autonomy, freedom. It’s a simpler way….” - Erik Andersen

In an lightly amusing and deeply enlightening talk, Erik takes us on a very deep dive into a very short story as he gives us a close reading of Prajnatara’s classic three sentence tale of a very poor practice. Along the way we discuss the Zen shortcut to to truly mindful breathing, how to properly speed read the scriptures (hey look, there they go again!), self care, Zen mysticism, Lion's dens, Elephants, and fox tracks (oh my!)

Emily Eslami - On Shaky Ground (The Precepts pt 1 - Historical Background)

"True precepts are changeable and at the same time unchangeable. And the consequence of not following them is just being on shaky ground. According to Buddhism you could live your whole life on shaky ground if you choose...” - Emily Eslami

In the long awaited premier to Emily's new in depth series on the precepts, she takes us on a wild ride through 2500 years of making and breaking the rules, as we whittle an unwieldy set of hundreds of vows down to the familiar 16 that we Zennies know and love today. Join us as we find Buddha laying down the law about the proper relationship one should have with a monkey (respectful of course...) and when the appropriate time to wear owl feathers is (sadly, never). And then we catch up with Dogen as he makes his way to China and has his monkhood (gasp!) questioned by the emperor himself for an apparent lack of concern for said owl feathers and monkey rules. Along the way we question what it means to make impossible vows (everything!) and ultimately who we answer to when we break them (only ourselves!).

Emily Eslami - Old Bones, Dull Brains (Ceaseless Practice pt 2!)

“There is no scarcity of beautiful scenery. The flowers know how to laugh, and the birds know how to sing. The autumn leaves shrivel. Situations are just as they are. There is nothing to pursue. “ - Dogen

Emily brings us Dogen at his most poignant and poetic as he gives us a rousing pep talk for practice, complete with inspiring stories and exhortations on giving up everything except for all of the bounty you already possess in every moment. Fame and profit? Who needs it. The body? No big deal! Its the endless path of existential ease, and Dogen and Emily are the perfect team to inspire us to it.

Dave Cuomo - Stillness Screaming

“Nobody in the universe can tell me what right and wrong is except for me. And thats a lonely feeling. I kind of wish someone could tell me sometimes… But what’s funny is even I can’t tell myself what right and wrong is. It’s like listening for stillness. It’s something you can only know when the moment occurs.” - Dave Cuomo

Dave opens up his own inquiry into the precepts with a deep look at the sounds of silence that ultimately animate everything we do. Dragon's moan, persimmon's speak, and a snake loses its head in a free wheeling talk filled with poetry that reads like koans, koans that read like poetry, and to top it all off Dave throws in some personal stories of the times when doing it wrong had a peculiar way of turning out perfectly right. Does practicing stillness mean we have to be quiet? (Yeah, no...) Does a practice of not knowing mean we can't tell right from wrong? (No! But sort of kind of yes?) Is Zen actually amoral? (Ok, that one's an easy no.) Let's discuss!

Sara Campbell - The Fuzzy That Is Neither Warm Nor Cold (What Am Doing Here??)

"There was definitely a moment where I was like, 'Oh my god what am I doing here?? These are rituals... I don't know if I'm that kind of person.'

But once I got past the strangeness and got to really sink into it, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt something holy." - Sara Campbell

In a glowing reminder of what exactly we're doing here and why we do it, Sara generously shares her personal practice story of turning her back on church and finding the sacred that lies just beyond the strange. She tells us about losing trust in yourself only to realize yourself as part of something much, much bigger. And, in a tradition admittedly short on coddling, she reminds us about the community of freak and geeks that kept her coming back and the warm fuzzies that have a way of sneaking in through the cracks when you're not even looking.

And if you love blog like newsletters and great writing, be sure to check out and subscribe to Sara’s newsletter, Tiny Revolutions at tinyrevolutions.substack.com!

Dave Cuomo - Is This Working??

"There is somewhere to escape to, there is a better you. But it’s just right here, it’s just you already. And for some stupid reason it takes a crap ton of zazen to understand that..." - Dave Cuomo

Dave tries to answer the question of whether our zazen is actually working with an in depth look at Dongshan's Five Ranks and the last time Soto Zen accidentally created a gradated system for practice.

Cat Kilmer - What Am I Doing Here?? (Love & Reality)

"Everyone says love is key to the human experience, but no one can agree what it means. But the idea that zazen is just sitting, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with you that you need to fix… It felt like I'd never been accepted before. I had to clamp my mouth shut not to laugh." - Cat Kilmer

In our ongoing series of sangha members sharing their personal practice stories, Cat Kilmer takes us on a quest of love and non duality through ashrams, yoga studios, and heartbreaks to find revelations, disillusionments, and an ultimately simple little truth beckoning to us from the wall.

Emily Eslami - Ceaseless Practice

“We’re surrounded by days of monotony, and yet here’s Dogen telling us that this one day of ceaseless practice can never be found again. These days of monotony can never be found again.” - Emily Eslami

In another timely talk, Emily tackles Dogen's "Ceaseless Practice," where Dogen opens up in personal terms about his own struggles with the frustrations of an endless practice. How is giving up practice is still part of practice? What do they mean "let go of letting go of attachments" and can we still love our loved ones? How does our practice create the whole universe?? How can we make friends with time and play video games like the whole world depends on it??? Join us for a loving look at these days of monotony we will never see again.

Dave Cuomo - Having Once Paused (History of Zen - Ikkyu)

“I know it’s nothing but then I taste the world’s sweet juicy plum. How is this fake dream so beautiful? All of its craziness, why?” - Ikkyu

In a special History of Zen, Dave turns to the life and poetry of Ikkyu to try to answer the question of how Zen has historically responded to times of crisis. In Ikkyu’s case the answer was great art, bad behavior, and a desperate need to get to the ultimate truth of a world that felt like it had left any such thing behind. Join us as Dave brings us his compelling life story along with some bawdy and beautiful poetry, including an extended reading from Stephen Berg's classic free verse translations “Crow With No Mouth.”

Emily Eslami - Equanimity

“Why crave happiness, why push away the sadness. Why not just let everything be? We put so much energy into resisting the things we have no control over (which is actually everything), it’s a little silly.” - Emily Eslami

Emily wraps up her series on the Bramaviharas with the very timely subject of equanimity or, how to be cool without going cold.

Jason Dodge - What Am I Doing Here?

“I came here on a monday night and it was like, wow, a bunch of weirdos staring at a wall, this is where I need to be. I still don’t know what I’m doing here but I think thats a good thing.” - Jason Dodge

Jason Dodge tells us the story of what he’s doing and why he’s here, while just maybe we learn something about those things for ourselves. In an especially warm and fuzzy installment, the sangha doubles down and shares their own stories too!

Dave Cuomo - Blinding Darkness

“I love this creation myth because it’s such a moral story, but also not at all. Even if you spend your entire time here screwing up and getting sent to hell, that’s just going to help us all learn and find our way out of this suffering universe in the end anyway. So, thanks for your efforts.” - Dave Cuomo

Dave gives us an in depth look into the Buddhist creation myth. it's the question Buddha famously  refused to answer (except of course for when he changed his mind). It's a beginning in an ending and a story with no beginning and no ending. It's a story of nothing that confused itself for something, and was cursed to wander for endless kalpas trying to forget that one pesky thought. What the hell are we talking about?? We're talking about the story of everything! No one said it was going to be simple, but it's a good yarn and the sangha goes all in and laughs along with the ridiculousness of life, the universe, and everything, because in the end, what else can you do?

Love & Emptiness w/ Emily Eslami

     “What if there was no qualifications for the things that we accept in ourselves? What if it was just us? What if it was all just reality? We think of light as this shining good thing and darkness as this dark thing, but we have both inside of us and we have nothing inside of us, and we have emptiness inside of us…” - Emily Eslami

Let’s talk about love! We all know Zen can be reluctant to talk about mushy things like love and kindness, but Emily bravely tackles loving kindness head on in the latest installment of her series on the Bramaviharas. From Buddha, to Dogen, to us, it’s a 2500 year long epic love story where the happy ending is always right here and now. How do we love the people we hate? (Boundlessly!) How do we let go of the ones we love? (By letting them go!) And what do we do about those pesky tree demons bothering us when we sit?? (Love them too!)

Dave Cuomo - Good Friends (History of Zen - The Platform Sutra)

“Your mind already contains a Buddha. That’s the real Buddha. If you didn’t already have a Buddha mind, where else would you go find one?” - Huineng

In our latest installment of History of Zen, Dave gets very excited about sharing one of his favorite books with us that also happens to be the original defining text of Zen as we know it. In this 1300 year old sutra, Dave reads to us the warm words of our self professed good friend Huineng, who offers up a surprisingly modern take on secular spirituality. With humble wit and good humor, Huineng lays out a religion that asks us to only believe in what we already know - that we are perfect just the way we are. And in case we ever forget, there will always be a good friend here to help remind us.

Michele Roldan-Shaw - Street Buddhism (Jataka Tales)

“This is street buddhism… There’s no right or wrong. Sometimes there is no good option  Sometimes your’e backed into a corner and just have to live with the results or do nothing at all.” - Michele-Roldan-Shaw

Michele Roldan-Shaw spins classic Jataka Tales (folk tales of the Buddha's past lives) for us with all their ambiguities, tough love, and hard choices. We get to meet sea spirits, unruly crows, guilt ridden partridges, and yes a renunciant hermit disappointing his parents, all running around out there trying to figure out how to be decent beings in a world that rarely wants to make that easy for us.

You can check our more of Michele's work at - https://www.micheleroldanshaw.com.

And our own Brad Warner posted a video about the stories and this talk up here! - https://youtu.be/SHOHnzQl9xg

Erik Andersen - Worry Time

“Zen is about finding certainty in uncertainty, it’s about not knowing anything that’s going on and being completely solid about that.” - Erik Andersen

Erik looks at anxiety in a wide ranging and well informed discussion of everything from the intricacies of classic Zen literature to contemporary psychology and all the vulnerable (and personal) twists and turns he takes to be able to share them with us. With readings from the great Huangpo, and tips and techniques from the latest in mental health science, Erik generously presents us with his own in the moment process of the anxiety of giving the talk itself to bring us a full meta exploration of how to manage and maintain through the method of no methods.