Zen Community of Oregon Dharma Talks

In this talk, Jomon explores the paired Paramitas of patience (kshanti) and joyful effort (virya), showing how they support and balance one another on the path of practice. Patience becomes a willingness to fully meet life as it is, even in discomfort, while joyful effort offers the energy and curiosity to keep going. Drawing on teachings from Shantideva and real-life examples, the talk highlights how we can transform anger, doubt, and distraction into opportunities for growth. Ultimately, practice becomes sustained not by force, but by a genuine sense of engagement, meaning and joy. ★ Support this podcast ★

Hogen explores how awareness and direct experience form the foundation of spiritual practice, inviting us to look closely at our own minds rather than relying on secondhand beliefs. He emphasizes grounding in the body and present moment as a way to uncover what is truly real and alive. Through this lens, challenges and problems become opportunities to expand perspective, cultivate wisdom, and deepen compassion. Ultimately, the talk points to a practice of meeting life fully—with clarity, resilience, and an open heart. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk on the paramita of patience (kshanti), impatience is explored as the tension between our desires and reality. Rather than something to resist, it becomes a doorway to awareness when we learn to let experiences arise and pass without reacting. This practice reveals a deeper sense of spaciousness and reduces our dependence on external conditions for fulfillment. Patience, in this way, becomes a flexible and grounded way of relating to both life and the spiritual path. ★ Support this podcast ★

Jomon introduces the paramitas, core qualities in Buddhist practice that guide the path toward awakening, focusing on generosity and ethical conduct. She explores the meaning of paramita as both “perfection” and “the other shore,” emphasizing that these virtues are not goals to achieve but ways of being to continually embody. Through teachings, stories, and real-life examples, she highlights generosity as a natural expression of compassion and wisdom, extending beyond material giving to include presence, protection, and sharing the teachings. Ethical practice is presented as a stabilizing and “cooling” force in an inflamed world, grounded in non-harming and mindful action. The talk weaves together the bodhisattva vows, the practice of not knowing, and the importance of reflecting on one’s actions, encouraging a life of ongoing care, awareness, and service to others. ★ Support this podcast ★

Hogen explores the central role of direct experience in practice, emphasizing that true understanding arises from living and sensing life, not just intellectual knowledge. He reflects on how retreats and meditation provide opportunities to experience clarity, presence, and insight, and why these experiences can fade when we return to habitual patterns. Hogen discusses the balance between respecting the miracle of life and the evolutionary growth of our practice, stressing that faith, practice, and engagement with others turn insight into living wisdom. He reminds us that every listener is extraordinary and that the foundation of practice is both appreciation for life and the continual cultivation of mindfulness, generosity, and awareness. This talk was given on Feb 22 2026 at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Jomon continues the February exploration of parinirvana and the teachings of death, weaving together reflections from Frank Ostaseski’s The Five Invitations with the story and symbolism of Jizo Bodhisattva. Known as a protector of travelers, children, and those navigating difficult realms, Jizo represents compassionate presence amid life’s uncertainty. Through stories, Buddhist cosmology, and the metaphor of spiritual pilgrimage, the talk invites listeners to meet difficulty directly, cultivate “don’t know mind,” and embody the bodhisattva qualities of benevolence, determination, fearlessness, optimism, and vow. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Jogen explores why it has become so difficult to show up for one another in a culture of endless options and easy canceling. Through the lens of Zen practice, he examines social anxiety, the tendency to overextend ourselves, and the role of the critical mind in undermining commitment. By clarifying our obligations and affinities, learning to sit with discomfort, and ultimately living by vow rather than momentary feelings, the talk points toward a more grounded and reliable way of relating—one rooted in presence, honesty, and spiritual maturity. ★ Support this podcast ★

n this talk, Hogen continues the series “Turning Problems into Wisdom,” exploring how challenges in everyday life can become opportunities for clarity and insight. Through a vivid story about a major septic system failure at the retreat center, he reflects on how calm attention, community cooperation, and practical action reveal the wisdom hidden within crisis. At the heart of the teaching is the Zen practice of “not knowing”—approaching life with curiosity, openness, and humility rather than fixed assumptions—allowing us to meet problems with creativity, equanimity, and a sense of wonder. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Jomon reflects on the first of Frank Ostaseski’s Five Invitations—“Don’t Wait”—and explores what death can teach us about living fully. Drawing on the Zen teaching Identity of Relative and Absolute (Sandokai), a traditional koan, and a meditation on the elements, the talk invites listeners to consider the constantly changing nature of body, mind, and world. Through contemplation of earth, water, fire, air, and space, we are reminded that we are not separate, solid selves but expressions of a larger unfolding reality—at once here and disappearing. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this Rohatsu talk, Kisei shares the story of the Buddha’s awakening and the journey that led to it. Beginning with the Buddha’s birth and the prophetic dream of his mother, the talk traces his sheltered life in the palace, the transformative encounter with the four sights, and his years of searching through meditation and austerities. Through mythic imagery and traditional teachings—including Mara’s temptations, the rediscovery of simple presence, and the moment of awakening beneath the Bodhi tree—this story invites listeners to reflect on their own spiritual path and the possibility of awakening within everyday life. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Jogen continues exploring how Zen practice moves beyond the meditation cushion and into daily life. Focusing on the Bodhisattva path, he reflects on generosity as the first and essential practice—expressed through simple acts like appreciation, attentiveness, sharing resources, and imagining the inner lives of others. Rather than striving to be “good,” he invites listeners to cultivate a generous heart that naturally flows from clarity and awareness, transforming ordinary moments into opportunities to bring a little more care, beauty, and ease into the world. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Jogen explores how Zen practice extends beyond the meditation cushion into the challenges of everyday life. From observing habitual thought patterns and interrupting unhelpful mental habits to cultivating pockets of quiet mind in daily tasks, he emphasizes continual practice as a path to clarity, awareness, and grace. Listeners are invited to engage with their own minds, relationships, and routines as living opportunities for mindfulness, reflection, and transformation. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Jomon reflects on death, impermanence, and how mindfulness can deepen our appreciation of life. Drawing from experiences with wildland firefighters, Zen retreats, and the teachings of Frank Ostasewski, she explores how turning toward mortality and grief can cultivate presence, compassion, and wholehearted living. Listeners are guided through practices to recognize impermanence, connect more deeply with others, and fully inhabit the precious moments we often take for granted. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Hogen explores how to bring spiritual practice to life in the face of life’s inevitable endings. From confronting illness and loss to observing the fleeting nature of thought and time, he offers practical guidance on calming the mind, grounding in the present moment, and discovering wisdom and compassion in even the most difficult situations. Listeners are invited to cultivate micro-awareness and find stability, clarity, and meaning right here, right now. ★ Support this podcast ★

Responding to a question about fame, influence, and “sacrificing one’s life to a cause,” Jogen explores the Buddhist teaching of the Eight Worldly Concerns: pleasure and displeasure, loss and gain, praise and blame, fame and infamy. He examines the deep human desire to be known, respected, and powerful, and the spiritual dangers hidden within recognition and status. Drawing on stories from Zen tradition and his own experience, he reflects on how practice invites us to stop being buffeted by these worldly winds and to act from integrity rather than optics. What would it mean to contribute fully, perhaps even to change history, without needing to be known for it? ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Kisei continues exploring the Faith in Mind poem, reflecting on the invitation to “cut off all useless thoughts” and return to the root of awareness itself. Drawing on the koan of Mu, the teachings of Mumon and Dahui, and her own experience of practice, she reframes “cutting off” as seeing through the thinking mind rather than fighting it. By investigating the nature of thought—its texture, duration, and source—practitioners begin to recognize the spacious awareness in which thoughts arise and dissolve. This talk points to the freedom of the unhindered mind and closes with a poem from Joy Harjo, reminding us that true clarity opens from the heart. ★ Support this podcast ★

Jogen explores the question of motivation for practice, reflecting on why spiritual practice matters in a disturbing and impermanent world and why it can still be difficult to sustain. He examines sources of motivation—from habit and benefit to suffering, wisdom, and mysterious calling—and introduces the traditional “Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind” as contemplations on suffering, impermanence, karma, and death. Through personal stories and practical reflection, this talk invites listeners to consider what truly motivates their practice and how deep contemplation can unbottle a more wholehearted commitment to the Dharma. ★ Support this podcast ★

Kisei reflects on the closing stanzas of the Affirming Faith in Mind poem, exploring what it means to trust the heart-mind beyond discrimination and thought. She considers seasons of practice, the tension between sidedness and non-duality, and the lived, particular shape of a practitioner’s path, weaving in stories of pilgrimage, faith in America, and the koan of calling out to one’s true nature. This talk invites listeners to recognize the mysterious source within, honor their unique karma and calling, and cultivate trust in the unfolding of their life and practice. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this dialogue, Jogen and Hogen reflect on practice, uncertainty, and how to find direction in life. Hogen shares what he would tell his 18-year-old self about confidence and liberation, while Jogen explores non-resistance, yielding to experience, and listening deeply to the body and mind. Together they discuss career choices, not knowing the future, and how Zen practice cultivates discernment, flexibility, and trust in the unfolding of a life. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Hogen reflects on turning problems into wisdom, exploring how fear, beliefs, and fixed stories can become inner prisons—and how practice opens a path to freedom. Drawing on teachings about equanimity, responsibility, and gratitude, he invites listeners to face fear directly, soften around difficulty, and transform life’s challenges into sources of insight, compassion, and appreciation for this one precious life. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this closing retreat talk, Jogen explores awareness, language, and love as portals into awakening, weaving poetry with Zen teaching to question what we mean by “the world.” Reflecting on impermanence, intimacy, and the bodhisattva path, he invites listeners to recognize the myriad worlds arising through their own body and mind—and to live so that life itself becomes an altar of love, responsibility, and presence. This is talk 5 of the 2026 Dharma Gates retreat. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this New Year Dharma talk, Kisei reflects on the Zen koan of stepping from the top of the hundred-foot pole, exploring what it means to move from insight into lived, embodied practice. Weaving together koans, tarot imagery, and reflections on aspiration, habit energy, and curiosity, she invites listeners to examine where they hold back from life and how playful, resourceful engagement can become a path of awakening. Through images of the Fool, the lotus in fire, and the bodhisattva archetypes, the talk encourages a wholehearted leap into intimacy with experience and a renewed connection to personal vow as the year begins. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this retreat talk, Jogen explores the inner disturbance that drives spiritual practice and the ways mistaken perception, fixed beliefs, and self-image shape our suffering. Drawing on Zen teachings, poetry, and personal reflection, he examines how we live in mental representations rather than direct experience, and how practice invites us to shed accumulated knowledge and see more clearly. The talk points to deep yielding and decisive, wholehearted engagement as gateways to freedom, inviting practitioners to soften resistance, question the reality of the separate self, and fully inhabit the living moment of practice as it unfolds. This is talk 4 of the 2026 Dharma Gates Retreat. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this opening talk of a series, Hogen introduces the Dharma as a practical path for transforming life’s challenges into wisdom, compassion, and clarity. Drawing on the Four Noble Truths, he reframes suffering as “challenge” and emphasizes that everything in our inner life is workable when met directly. The talk focuses on cultivating a clear mind through slowing down, presence, and discernment, learning to distinguish facts from problems, and understanding what is truly ours to carry. With humor and plainspoken examples, Hogen outlines how practice helps us meet fear, confusion, and dissatisfaction at the root—laying the foundation for real, lived transformation rather than quick fixes or abstract solutions. From Heart of Wisdom Sunday night on January 11, 2026. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Kisei explores the Bodhisattva path as a life oriented toward love for the world and responsiveness to suffering. Drawing on Mahayana teachings, Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva, and contemporary reflections, she distinguishes between boundless compassion as our true nature and active compassion as a practice we cultivate. Introducing the “five compassions”—wise, fierce, patient, joyful, and unified—Kisei offers practical guidance for living the Bodhisattva vow with discernment, humility, and sustainability, while avoiding the pitfalls of burnout, righteousness, and pity. The talk invites practitioners to embody compassion in ways that are grounded, aligned, and responsive to real conditions. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this retreat talk, Jogen explores love, yielding, and aimlessness as essential dimensions of Zen practice. Beginning with love as the ground of awakening—from kindness toward oneself to devotion to ending suffering—he offers practical guidance for integrating warmth, relaxation, and embodied presence into meditation. The talk unpacks distraction and return as the natural texture of practice, introduces the Mahayana teachings of signlessness, wishlessness, and aimlessness, and points to how releasing the habit of striving opens timelessness and freedom. Throughout, Jogen emphasizes sincere effort, deep yielding to the present moment, and the way an awakened heart-mind naturally interpermeates and benefits the wider world. This is talk 3 of the 2026 Dharma Gates retreat at Great Vow. ★ Support this podcast ★

This talk explores the Buddhist teaching of impermanence as the foundation of liberation and ethical living. Reflecting on the meaning of a “new year,” it examines how fixed ideas about self, time, and identity create suffering, and how seeing the fluid, moment-to-moment nature of experience opens creativity, responsibility, and freedom. Through teachings on letting go, vow, and integrity, the talk invites practitioners to align their deepest intentions with daily life, discovering how personal practice naturally becomes service to the world. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this opening retreat talk, Jogen explores the nature of effort in zazen, describing practice as a living, responsive correction of the mind’s continual drift from intimacy with body, breath, and present awareness. Using the image of driving a car, he shows how meditation requires both gentle steadiness and, at times, wholehearted intensity, always guided by sincerity rather than force. He unpacks the “discriminating itch” that divides experience into right and wrong, and invites practitioners to trust their innate diamond wholeness and big tender heart through unwavering attention, prayer, reflection on impermanence and death, and a deep commitment to stay on the path that leads beyond habitual suffering into freedom. This is talk 1 of the 2026 Dharma Gates retreat at Great Vow Zen Monastery. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this opening sesshin talk, Jogen welcomes practitioners into the deep work of gathering the heart and aligning with true nature through the simple, demanding forms of Zen retreat. He speaks of awakening as the end of unnecessary suffering and the discovery of a deeper truth than personality, a shared root of all beings that softens division and reveals a “diamond kinship” with life. Emphasizing both character formation and mind training, he encourages sincerity, steadiness, relaxation, and intimate attention to the breath, reminding us that we need not be perfect or special to practice—only willing. Through yielding to structure, meeting ourselves honestly, and trusting the immediacy of this very moment, we cultivate freedom, compassion, and the clarity that naturally serves the world. This is from the 2026 Dharma Gates at Great Vow Zen Monastery. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this New Year’s talk, Hogen reflects on impermanence as the ground of freedom, showing how the fluid, flickering nature of body, mind, and world makes transformation always possible. Through the traditional elements of letting go, clarifying vow, and living with ethical integrity, he points to the deep creativity inherent in each moment and the unique aspiration alive in every person. By trusting direct experience, releasing fixed self-images, and aligning our actions with our deepest heart, we discover that a new year is not merely a date on a calendar, but an ever-present opportunity to awaken, to serve, and to allow the world itself to become a place of greater clarity, kindness, and possibility. ★ Support this podcast ★

Drawing on the teaching “Appreciate Your Life” from Taizan Maezumi Roshi, Jomon weaves together the Zen story of Gensha with the lives and insights of Carl Rogers, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Marsha Linehan, showing how trust in direct experience, mindful presence, and compassion reveal the same truth across traditions. Through breath, awareness, and the courage to meet life as it is, she points to a lived understanding that this very life is the life of Buddha, that each moment is complete, and that learning to rest in “this is it” allows gratitude, healing, and confidence in our own true nature to naturally arise. This talk was given at the Plum Blossom Zendo in Vancouver, WA. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk on the Faith in Mind chant, Jogen explores acceptance, frictionlessness, and the deeper wisdom that lives beneath ordinary discriminating thought. He reflects on how suffering arises from clinging to opinions, identities, and habitual stances, and how Zen practice reveals a naturally fluid, responsive mind that does not grind against experience. Pointing to prajna—intelligence before thought—he invites us to trust the heart-mind that meets each moment freshly, allowing action and understanding to arise from the bare ground of presence rather than from fear, preconception, or self-doubt. This talk was given at Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple on December 17 2025. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this closing sesshin talk, Hogen reflects on faith not as belief, but as the lived courage to step into the unknown moment by moment. He speaks of karma as an unfolding stream, of practice as learning to trust the next step without grasping at outcomes, and of life’s purpose as simply being fully alive in what is. Through images of walking, breathing, and letting go of fixed identity, he points to a deep confidence in the present moment and in the heart’s aspiration, inviting us to meet the future with clarity, curiosity, and a faith grounded in direct experience. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this Rohatsu sesshin talk, Chozen reflects on awakening, silent mind, and the constructed personality that both protects and confines us. Drawing on the Buddha’s own awakening, the teaching of “don’t-know mind” from Seung Sahn Sunim, Eckhart Tolle’s modern account of disidentification from thought, and the koan of Isan tipping over the water bottle, she points to the moment when thinking falls away and original mind reveals itself—vast, intimate, and free from entanglement. The invitation is to trust this silence, let personality become optional, and allow awakening to flow through the body and into everyday life. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this talk, Jogen reflects on joy not as something to be manufactured, but as a natural expression that arises when we stop getting in the way of our own experience. Drawing from Zen practice and everyday life, he explores several forms of joy: the brightness of nowness and sensory vividness, the steadiness of samadhi, the intimacy of non-separation, the ease of a clean conscience, the warmth of an undefended heart, and the quiet fulfillment that comes from generosity. Together, these point to a joy that is not dependent on circumstances, but emerges from presence, ethical clarity, and a mind at rest in itself. This talk was given at Heart of Wisdom Zen temple of December 10 2025. ★ Support this podcast ★