"What do We Want!" (Full version)

(Full version with audience participation included)

As Buddhists, What do we want! Enlightenment! 

And when do we want it? Now!

What do we want to be! Happy! 

And when do we want it? Now!

Can we define "enlightenment" or "happy?" Can we define them without using a negative--not ignorant...or not sad...

As ZM Seung Sahn said, "Wanting enightenment is a big mistake." Wanting it when do don't even know what that is, is a REALLY big mistake. Our practice leads us into deep self-inquiry, to a calm mind where we can pare down the chaff to get to the kernel of our true nature without needing to think about it. Our practice isn't about attaining enlightenment, it's about "How may I help you?" And doing that before any thought as well.

Myeong Jin Eunsahn gives the Dharma talk on April 12, 2023 at One Mind Zen.

"Passing Over the Sea of Suffering"

It's a busy time of year for the world's religions--Buddha's birthday, Ramadan, Easter, and Passover to name a few. Some of those holidays are more joyous than others, some might have a bit of bitter with the sweet. We could curse the GPS that's kept us wandering for 40 years in the desert of suffering. We could grudgiungly accept suffering, but with overtones of "Why me?!?" While we may think we're stuck and wandering aimlessly and getting nowhere, our Zen practice gives us the realization that our practice itself is aim-less. We're home right where we are, and our awakening is available to us whether we're at home or the middle of a peninsula. We can accept that our thinking keeps us in the chains of suffering, and that our thinking, suffering, and bondage are all subject to causes and conditions, and as such are characterized by emptiness.

Robert Koho Epstein gives us the Dharma talk on April 5, 2023 at One Mind Zen.