Dave Cuomo - Space

"When I stopped being scared of other people, a funny thing happened. I realized I like people.

You were like these static things that knew right from wrong and could judge me, and then one day you stopped being that. I realized that you don't know who you are or what you’re supposed to be doing either, and that meant I don't have to know what I am or what I’m supposed to be doing. And now we can all just hang out. It's a way different relationship, a funny relationship, and I like it a whole lot better." - Dave Cuomo

Recorded live from Mt Baldy, Dave Cuomo reads Dogen’s “Space!” and talks emptiness, anxiety, and boundless love, while the sangha debates the best and worst poems to bum out a wedding.

Gyokei Yokoyama - The Simplest Thing

“The freedom we talk about is that wherever we are, we are in some kind of structure.  Some are more restrictive, some are more free...

What I picked up through this monastic life was the freedom from your own preconceptions and notions - the end of enslavement by our own mind, to be free wherever you are.” - Gyokei Yokoyama

Join us as special guest Gyokei Yokoyama of Sozenji temple brings us a highly personal and insightful window into growing up in traditional Japanese Zen Buddhism and monastic training in the rough and tumble world of Eheiji Temple (yes, that Eiheiji!). What do Japanese Zennies really think of us hair brained Westerners taking up the practice? And what is gained and lost in the sometimes harsh realities of institutional Zen? And do we need such harsh lessons to get the fundamental point? (And what is the fundamental point???) Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - Grump & Gruff (Bodhidharma's Outline of Practice)

"If I say my boss over there is underpaying me because they're a jerk and that's not my fault, then I'm not really being with that situation. If I see myself as much a part of this situation as they are, then that's where actual joy happens. That's what I would call love.
I can love my crappy bosses for the fact that we shared the same circumstances that conditioned me to resent them, and them to find it pleasing to underpay me, and that it's not either of our fault that eons ago the earth came together in a big shattering of star bursts, and now here we are fighting over resources because we're both made of DNA, and how can I blame us for being born on a planet like that?
So all we're really saying here is, yup, I live here too, and I love you, because we're in this together." - Dave Cuomo

Dave takes a good hard look at a classic tough love treatise by our great grumpy founder of Zen himself, Bodhidharma. Does "suffering injustice" really mean we're supposed to take crap and like it? Can "seeking nothing" actually help us find joy?? Find out here!

Leslie Mundy - Near Happenstance (What Am I Doing Here??)

“It's not about the chanting. It's not about what we're saying. It's about the community. It's about listening to each other.” - Leslie Mundy

In a very sweet and insightful story hour, our own Leslie Mundy takes the hot seat to regale us with the tale of what she’s doing and why she’s here. From mind altering days in the ‘60s, to the wild world of koan interviews, to our own ACZC Zoomdo, Leslie spins us stories within stories of learning how to sit still in a world that never seems able to for all that long.

Dave Cuomo - Leggo My Ego (Yogacara - Manas (Self Consciousness))

“We didn’t evolve to see reality, we evolved to survive. If we had evolved to see reality we would probably just appear as timeless bits of quantum foam. But that wouldn’t be very helpful for trying to feed yourself or make babies…" - Dave Cuomo

In the latest installment of his Yogacara series, Dave takes on the double headed monster, the double edged sword, of Manas - the self consciousness. According to DT Suzuki, It’s the thing that keeps us captive, and the only thing that can set us free. Buddhism says we have no self. Our senses tell us otherwise. Why? What is that self, how did it get there, and do we need it? What’s the difference between healthy self conception and the hindrance of self conceit? And can we ever get to know the sweet taste of fresh air if we’re stuck driving around seeing the world through the gauges of a submarine? Find out here!

Sara Campbell - A Different Way of Being Hopeless (Genjo Koan)

“It’s been hard to accept that my life didn't go exactly how I thought it should. That is a humbling thing to experience. And to know that your time is finite…

I still grieve some of the things that I don't have, but I'm way more able to see beyond them as a result of this practice. And I can be grateful for it. And I can see that my weirdo life has value. But I'm not really the judge of that. That's not up to me. That's bigger than me.” - Sara Campbell

Sara takes us on an intimate personal journey through Genjo Koan, Dogen’s classic poetic piece about a small nonexistent self trying to make its way in a wide world that turns out to be bigger than it could hope to understand. Who are we if we don’t make the conventional life milestones we’d sought to define ourselves by? And how do we let go enough to dive fully into a life that might not be going the way we’d planned? Find out here!

Emily Eslami - Holy Poop

“People of scant knowledge do not think that buddhas have dignified behavior in the toilet... This is not learning of the Buddha’s truth. Remember, purity and impurity is exemplified by blood dripping from a human being. At one time it is warm, at another time it is disgusting. The buddhas have toilets, and this we should remember.” - Dogen

In an ever topical and timely discussion, Emily reads us Dogen’s (in)famous chapters on the perfect practice of washing and going to the bathroom in a talk on purity and impurity, the clean and the unclean, and the bright bathroom mirror that reflects what we truly are as we wash, brush our teeth, and yes, poop the great poop of enlightenment. Do enlightened beings fart like the rest of us? (You betcha!) How exactly does one bathe in enlightenment? (With ease!) And did Yunmen really say that Buddha was a dried s**t stick? (Again, you betcha). Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - Trust Fall (The Singing of Dragons)

“Not knowing what the crap we’re doing is the delight of being human.” - Dave Cuomo

Dave brings us a Zen pep talk for hard times with a reading of Dogen’s Ryugen or, The Moaning of Dragons Through Withered Trees, one of Zen’s most poetic and enthusiastic exhortations for giving up and giving in to a universe that just wants to sing it’s song through you. What is there to rely on in a world of emptiness (everything!) And can we still have faith in ourselves in a practice of non self (what’s stopping you)? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - "DIY(T)" (Teachers in Zen)

"If anyone says that I was ever enlightened, they're lying. If anyone says that I teach anyone, they're lying." - Gautama Buddha 

Dave does his best to shed a little clarity on the classically confusing situation of working with teachers in Zen. What is there to teach when Buddha himself swore there is no dharma and no beings to teach? And given that, how should we Zen students work with our teachers?? And why does Zen suspiciously seem to maintain a rigid hierarchy and organization while telling us constantly that no such thing is necessary and no one should trust it?? Dave brings us answers straight from the mouths of the old masters themselves. But who did they think they were talking to and if we believe them, why would we listen to them?? Find out here.

Corey Warner - The Sweet Spot (What Am I Doing Here??)

“I read ‘Hardcore Zen’ and it said, ‘Don't listen to me, you have to try this out for yourself.’ And I was in the Navy, so I was really sick of people telling me what to do. And I was really not interested in God telling me what to do. So that really hit the sweet spot.” - Corey Warner

Sangha favorite Corey Warner tells us the story of what he’s doing and why he’s here. From cavorting with demons in Kansas to trying to find a quiet place to sit zazen on a submarine, Corey treats us to a relatably winding tale of trying to find a quiet port to set your zafu.

Dave Cuomo - Pure Non Sense (Yogacara - The Six Senses)

“Ideally a talk about the six senses would just be practicing being together and experiencing our sensory experiences and asking, ‘what are those?’ So if at any point you space out and get lost in whatever it is you're hearing, seeing, or thinking, that is a perfect way to listen to this talk.” - Dave Cuomo

Dave continues our dive into Yogacara Buddhism with a deep look at the six senses (all puns intended). It is one of the simplest and most bafflingly stupid ideas ever called a teaching, that we that we see, hear, taste, touch, & think. So why is it so impossible to wrap our minds around what that actually means, and why did the Heart Sutra say that no such thing ever happens? Is it true that we only see what we want, and if so why can’t we see something better?? Find out here!

Colin Young - Words are Hard! (What Am I Doing Here??)

"When I got here, I wanted Brad to tell me how to live my life, and he said to just sit, and offered some reading suggestions; Suzuki, Uchiyama, Kobun Chino, and Dogen. And then I wanted Suzuki Roshi, Kobun Chino Roshi, and Uchiyama Roshi to tell me how to live my life through their books. And they said to just sit and talked about Dogen. And then I wanted Dogen to tell me how to live my life. And he said to just sit. It was at this point that I started to notice a pattern...

And now I'm honestly curious and sincerely excited to see what tomorrow morning's sit will be like." - Colin Young

In a meta commentary on on his own personal journey, Colin walks us through the process of writing five drafts for one great talk with insightful comedic commentary and a knack for self inquisitiveness all along the way. What do we do when our life's narrative runs itself out and we realize we might not be so special after all (at least not in the ways we thought...)?? What do we say when words don't work in the ways we think they should?? And while we're at it, why was the pandemic (somewhat awkwardly) such a perfect place for practice??? And in this new land of internet Zen and Zoomdos, if we're not local should we sit with internet superstar sanghas like ACZC, or should we sit with whatever local group is nearby because that's just the right thing to do (spoiler alert, yes & yes! And what was the question again)?? Find out here!

Emily Eslami - One Rule to Rule Them All (The Three Pure Precepts)

“The relation between the precepts and the words of avowal is like a person who is always thankful, and is always able to say, “I’m sorry.” It is the bright side of things and the shadowy side of things.” - Kobun Chino

“The burden is on you. There is no greater being to say, ‘Don't do that because you're going to a bad place.’ The burden is on you to decide how you're going to observe these precepts, what these precepts mean in your life, what translation of these precepts you're going to read… You're the only person accountable for this.” - Emily Eslami

In the thrilling conclusion to her year long ever timely precept series, Emily brings us the one rule (ok, three rules, but also kind of one…) to rule them all, the Three Pure Precepts! As always, it sounds so simple but it’s the gateway to a lifetime and a universe of practice. Luckily Emily is here to guide us with her ever in depth, informative, and personal reckoning with the simple little truths that mean everything. Do we really have to follow the rules of society if we don’t agree with them? Can we actually know the “moral rule of the universe” with our humble human brains? And how are we supposed to “save all beings” when there are so darn many of them (and more being born every day)!! Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - Empty Innocent Space (Yogacara - The Storehouse Consciousness)

“The storehouse consciousness is the root of everything. If the whole universe is just your experience, then this is what it's born from. It’s the fountain of everything. Also it's empty and doesn't exist, so don't think it's a thing.” - Dave Cuomo

In part 2 of our ongoing Yogacara series, Dave brings us a mildly nerdy and deeply personal look at the Alaya Vijnana, the storehouse consciousness, the pure innocent empty space of possibility that all of reality is born from. Is it really possible to clean our karma and wake up to something new? Does a practice of no self leave room for us to become a better one?? How do we clean our room when the only world we know is a mess??? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - The Good Life (Renunciation)

"The world wants me to be happy. I think it needs me to be happy. Because it seems I can make people miserable when I'm not. Which is probably true for all of us...." - Dave Cuomo

Dave takes a look at what Buddhist renunciation means for us 21st century Westerners living lives far removed from the simple forest beggar life Buddha originally recommended. What actually makes us happy and what does it really mean to live "the good life"? Join us as Dave takes us on a journey through the weeds of want with stories of alms offering monkeys, poetry from the first Buddhist nuns, Dogen's monks questioning whether or not this whole monk thing is actually a good idea, Dave's own stories of dumpstered wealth lost and found, and finally Buddha's long lost bossom buddy Epicurus gives us his hot take on what really constitutes a life devoted to pleasure (hint: it's cheaper thank you think).

Dave Cuomo - Buddha's Baggage (Yogacara pt 1)

“We don't know what the universe is made of at the root. All we know for certain is that the only thing we have to work with is our own experience.

Ultimately I can't blame anybody else for what I go through because I take it all in through my own filter. I only see what I am willing to see, and only do what I want to do on some level. So when they say the world is “mind only” or “experience only,” to me it's about taking responsibility for my own experience in the only place I’m able to turn to.” - Dave Cuomo  

By popular demand, Dave brings us a new series on Yogacara Buddhism, that simpler-then-it-sounds wealth of Buddhist theory that just might have underlined all of the elegant simplicity of Zen. In pt 1 we look into the background and context of the two purported founders of the movement, Asanga & Vasubandhu, and the high stakes (literally life & death!) world of philosophy & debate that shaped the school they created. Is the world really all in your mind? And what do you mean by mind? And can we ever escape our baggage?? Find out here!

Emily Eslami - Triple Treasure, Triple Treat! (The Three Refuges)

“Everything reflects triple treasure. You reflect triple treasure, and questioning triple treasure reflects triple treasure. Not understanding what the heck I'm talking about is triple treasure. We're talking about coming home to ourselves, trusting ourselves, relying on ourselves.

And there's that tricky word. Self. What is self? Is it my memories? No. Is it my thoughts? Is it what I'm saying right now? No. Is it the clothes I'm wearing, this body that I’m in? No, not quite. Then what is it? What's left? That's not self, that's what we truly are. “ - Emily Eslami

Emily brings us a precept, a promise, and gift in her latest installment of her ever timely precept series with an in depth look at the three refuges. What are they (everything!), and what are they a refuge from (everything else??)? And what does it mean to take refuge in them? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - What Do You Want? (Love & Self Care)

“If there's a distinction in our minds between self care and doing good for other people, then we're missing the point of everything that we're doing on this planet.

It sounds mystical and woo to say, 'I eat this soup on behalf of all living beings.' It sounds ridiculous. But if you're paying attention, it's obviously true because I know all too well what happens if I eat a bunch of sugar instead. I'm going to be stressed out, and then I'm gonna put that on all of you. And that's just how it works. And I don't know why I forget that…” - Dave Cuomo

Dave brings us a Zen look at love and self care through encounters with the Bodhisattva of Compassion his(or)herself, Avalokiteshvara. Can this magical being really save us from danger and death? Is it compassionate to give people what they want? Does prayer actually work? And does smoking count as self care? Find out here!

Emily Eslami - The Cheat Sheet of (un)Reality (10th Precept - No Disparaging the Buddha, Dharma, & Sangha)

”To not kill the Buddha when you meet them on the road is abusing the triple treasures. How not to abuse the triple treasures is to accept everything as Buddha, Dharma, & Sangha, and accept yourself as Buddha Dharma and Sangha.” - Emily Eslami

Emily takes on the 10th major precept, no disparaging the Buddha, Dharma, & Sangha. Sounds simple right? But of course this is Zen so nothing is ever so simple (or maybe way simpler than our brains are equipped for…) Why are we told by the old masters that the only way not to abuse the Buddha is by killing him? Why does this dharma talk tell us that dharma isn’t something that can be learned in teachings? And what does sangha even mean if it means everything and everyone? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - The Great Mistake (Ignorance - part deux!)

“To remember that ignorance is enlightenment is to not separate myself from what's right in front of me, to not think that I can be better than the people in front of me, to not think that I'm going to be a better person by trying to be a better person. It’s to love and accept what's in front of me.

To embrace ignorance is a loving act. And that's why I like Zen. It sounds weird and ironic, but I always think they mean love.” - Dave Cuomo

By popular demand Dave takes a deep dive into delusion and follows up to his talk on the 12 Fold Chain with an in depth look at ignorance in Buddhism. What is this great mistake we can't help make that causes the whole world to come into being? And what does Zen mean when they tell us that ignorance is already enlightenment and does Dave have any tips for what to do with that personally?? (Stories yes, no promises on helpful tips...) And bonus round! One deep dark koan, two contemporary Zen masters duking it out in the commentaries. Who will win the great dunce crown of ignorance supreme?? Find out here!