"The Pursuit of Happiness"

"May all beings be happy" says the Metta (Lovingkindness) Sutta. We all want to be happy...all the time, with no possibility that we won't be unhappy, ever. We know that's an unreasonable expectation. But we think of it being unreasonable when it comes to someone else's expectation of happiness. As for us, it's not unreasonable at all, is it? Even if we know intellectually we won't always be happy, we still get fearful, upset, and even more unhappy that we're not happy. Kevin Hae Seong Sheridan gives the talk on February 8, 2023.

"What is Remembering?"

1  I am subject to aging, I  have not gone beyond aging. 
2. I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.
3. I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.
4. I am subject to change, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me. 5. I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir. 

What is it that's subject to aging, sickness, death, change, and karma? What is it? 

 Myeong Jin Eunsahn gives the Dharma talk on February 1, 2023 at One Mind Zen.

"Compassion for the Holidays"

It's that most wonderful time of the year...for some anyway. For others, there may be some habits in the Storehouse Consciousness that turn gatherings into the fodder of conflict. We can practice compassion for both ourselves and others by being mindful of their thoughts, perceptions, and feelings whether pleasant or unpleasant, jolly or not-so-jolly. Kevin Hae Seong Sheriadan gives the talk on the first day of winter of 2022 at One Mind Zen.

"Vast Emptiness, Everything Holy"

In Indra's net, each jewel contains all other jewels, it shows the interpenetration, inter-causality, interdependence, and identity of all things. In the Huayan Sutra, fantastic images and events are shown, some quite unbelievable. But those extraordinary images, events, and beings are the stuff that makes up our daily, unbelievable, fantastic universe...right in front of us. Jonson Sunmin Citta gives the Dharma talk on September 14, 2022 at One Mind Zen.

"The Other Three Bodhisattva Vows"

"Sentient beings are numberless; we vow to help them all. Delusions are countless; we vow to see through them all. Opportunities to awaken are infinite; we vow to embrace them all. The Buddha Way is endless; we vow to embody it."

Zen centers worldwide chant some variation of the Bodhisattva Vows. It's easy not to get past the first one, because numberless beings needing to be saved sounds a little daunting. But if we work backwards from the 4th Vow back to the 1st, it all becomes clear and open, and much easier to be of service without even thinking about it.

Myeong Jin Eunsahn gives the Dharma talk on August 24, 2022.

"The Refreshing Coolness of the Dharma"

Meditation can give us the boost in equanimity we may need to immerse ourselves in the hot, humid, rain that we may perceive to be the world. But our meditation isn't separate from the "world," it's part of it. Some time one the cushion can give us the joy and ease in our practice, can give us the refreshment that is the Dharma. Robert Koho Epstein gives the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen on June 22, 2022.

"Admirable Friendship"

"Admirable friendship, Ananda, is the whole of the practice," says the Buddha in the Upaddha Sutta. It can be easy for us to practice the holy life when we're in our local Sangha, or maybe with members of our order. But can we carry the practice "off the cushion" into the broad Sangha of all sentient beings--even when some of them aren't what we'd consider admirable? The Dharma talk from May 16, 2022 at One Mind Zen.

"Smile"

We join in sangha activities. We smile. We contemplate love and compassion. We smile. Contemplate discomfort? Smile? Corpses and death? Smile. A child's laughter? Smile. Though your heart is breaking? Smile. It's all good! Brier Haengdal Windwalker gives us the Vesak Dharma talk May 11, 2022.

"Who Are We?"

Robert Koho Epstein asks the perennial question--the one that causes discomfort--what is this that's dragging this corpse around. The hwadu for the ages, what constitutes this thing we think of as "I." Is it eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind? No, no, no, no, no, and no. The Dharma talk from May 4, 2022 at One Mind Zen.

"Tear Down the Flagpole"

"Ananda, go knock down that flagpole!" External trappings serve a purpose, but they aren't any less empty than what fills the robes, the bowl, or flies in the breeze. Attaching too much, they're a hindrance. Saying they're meaningless is a hindrance also. The middle path is to use what function is appropriate in the situation, not force the situation into the function, whether appropriate or not.

"The Other Guy"

In a world where enmity, divisiveness, blame, and hatred are the loudest, how do we as Buddhists quietly point away from these poisons, and toward virtuous speech, thought, and action? We can start by realizing the "other" guy is an illusion made by our thinking, and only when it serves our purpose. Ron Kisen Stevenson delivers the Dharma talk March 16, 2022.

"Equanimity Now!"

Sometimes we think that it's never been worse--Pandemic, maybe on the brink of a world war--but 100 years ago there's been a world war and pandemic, there's been the Black death, and conflicts throughout the ages. But right hereandnow, how do we live up to the Bodhisattva Vows to help all, to cut through delusion, take every opportunity to awaken, and to live according to our True Buddha Nature? Not easy, sometimes inconvenient, plenty of backsliding, but with diligent practice, we might skillfully approach every situation and relationship with the mind of helping all beings, and attain the correct action. Eunsahn Citta gives the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen on March 8, 2022. 

"The Zen Game Show"

In a variation of the standard Dharma talk, the members of the One Mind Zen Sangha give us the Dharma in a semi-game show format. Questions were asked about a hypothetical newcomer to the Zen Center, and how each Sangha member would describe the What. How, and Why of Zen.

Score was not kept, as there are no points, no attainment of them, and no one to do the attaining of points.

"Absence & Presence"

Min'ui Maitri talks about the intersection of Zen & Taoism. Is "emptiness" the best way to convey shunyata, or might "absence" be better suited? The Relative & the Absolute are box and lid, one isn't complete without the other, nor is either lacking.

"Why are You Here?"

The huatou du jour:

Why are you here?

How did you come to practice? What keeps you coming back? What drives you away? What is it that asks these questions? You're here, right here, right now. Why are you here? Eunsahn Citta asks more questions than gives answers in the Dharma talk from February 2, 2022. They are your answers, after all.

"Forget the Ox. How Can I Help"

The 10 Oxherding pictures are an allegory for the entrance to practice. Arguably the most important is the 10th - "Entering the Marketplace with outstretched arms". But what is the marketplace in the era of Zoom and quarantine? Pay attention! The opportunity to enter the marketplace and help all beings is right here, from moment to moment.

"New and Old~Same or Different"

Rev Min'ui Maitri gives the year-ending Dharma talk about transitions, hard endings and beginnings, and the loss we feel when separated from things we love. Shariputra was finally extinguished, and Chunda was sad and felt a loss. The Buddha teaches us that it's inevitable. Zen teaches us that it's inevitable, feel the sadness fully, then let the sadness go.

"Opportunities to Awaken"

One of the Bodhisattva Vows is to embrace all the infinite opportunities we have to wake up. On Bodhi Day, we commemorate the Buddha's awakening-- his sitting down Gautama, and standing up the Buddha. May we all embrace the myriad chances we have to wake up for the sake of all beings.

Jonson Sunmin Miller gives the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen December 8, 2021.

"Where is That Ox?"

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The 10 Oxherding pictures are an allegorical representation of our journey through Zen practice. This talk by Eunsahn Citta from December 1, 2021  goes through pictures 1 through 4: Searching for the Ox, Seeing traces of the Ox, Catching a glimpse of the Ox, and Capturing the Ox.

"To Do Good is to Act as a Buddha"

"To do good, not to do evil, and purify the heart/mind" are the three Pure Precepts. If you want to be what a Buddha is, do what a Buddha does, and that includes the doing and not-doing. Brier Haengdal Windwalker gives the Dharma talk at One Mind Zen on November 17, 2021.