Shasta Abbey

Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves. YouTube: https://youtu.be/sQ0B43rUg6A Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves. YouTube: https://youtu.be/fwn37lVcBFc Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves. YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q1pn_yntRDc Twitter/X: @shastaabbey  

Rev. Sanshin Alexander is a visiting monk from the community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland UK, and a disciple of Rev. Master Daishin Morgan. In this talk he explores the term 'Buddha Nature', using the ideas and teachings of Great Master Dogen and his work the Shobogenzo, to help us understand it and how we can know it for ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbe...

   Rev. Allard Kieres explores the vital relationship between faith, doubt, and compassion within Zen practice, contrasting rigid "absolute faith" with the open, flexible "perfect faith" described by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. He redefines doubt not as the enemy of faith, but as a tool that sharpens it, describing faith as the willingness to take the next step in the dark even w...

Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck explores Prajnaparamita as the "Perfection of Wisdom", specifically focusing on the 8,000-Line Prajnaparamita Sutra and her personification as the "Great Mother." Rev. Oswin discusses how this foundational Mahayana Buddhist teaching emphasizes transcendent wisdom, emptiness, and the nurturing, compassionate nature of enlightenment. Ultimately, the lecture...

Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk after the annual celebration of Wesak which celebrates the Buddha's life and teaching. She emphasizes that above all else, for her, it is the Buddha's kindness that shines forth as the supreme example of his life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 17, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/Pt908DbVCwQ Twitter/X: @sha...

Rev. Valeria Allison explores the aspect of practice in which we must be willing to ask of our teachers and ourselves, 'The Honest Question', and how we find this for ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 10, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/dtILL-GtoPA Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Margaret Clyde gives a talk about faith. She addresses the idea of having 'certainty' in our practice and faith of the Triple Treasure (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and what that word means to her and how we might approach it. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 3, 2026.  YouTube: https://youtu.be/uwrQUsFD3d8 Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Ando Mueller talks about Great Master Keizan Jokin after his annual festival memorial. Master Keizan is considered the 'mother' of Soto Zen in Japan and is the monk after Master Dogen who is credited with making the practice accessible to the people. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 19, 2026.  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvV3D6ZfNZs Twitter/X: @shasta...

Rev. Astor Douglas addresses 'changing conditions' and how we approach this dynamic, often chaotic, reality of life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 12, 2026. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmmHGPp-w50 Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, encourages us with a teaching on 'simplicity' in a world that seems like it is getting more and more complicated. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on April 5, 2026. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPxC97Exf9I Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett gives and explanation of the Denkoroku and how to study this particular text. This includes a look at what the traditional 'Transmission' is about. This talk is part of a lecture series given in 1979. YouTube: N/A Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Master Koten Benson, Prior of Lions Gate Buddhist Priory in B.C., Canada, and Head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, talks about the fundamentals of Buddhist practice. This talk was given at Lions Gate Buddhist Priory on October 17, 2025.  YouTube: N/A

Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett continues with study and commentary of the Shushogi, picking up where the previous lecture left off. She then enters into a detailed explanation of the daily scriptures. There are questions and answers at the end. This talk is part of a lecture series given in 1979.   YouTube: N/A Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

The late Rev. Chosei Swann gives a talk on Founder's Day and talks about how Shasta Abbey's found is not actually Rev. Master Jiyu, but actually  her  teacher Keido Chisan, and also other important points of teaching.

Rev. Scholastica Hicks shares some reflections from her life as a monk and specifically as an elderly woman. We never know how much time we have left in this world. This brings up the important question, "what's important now"? This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 22nd, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/CeufxBpaSAY?si=XkEf0HLcuiacbhYg Twitter/X: @shastaabbey 

Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about trust in Buddhist practice. How do we as Buddhists approach and practice trust? What is it not? And what did the Buddha have to say on the matter? This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 29, 2019. YouTube: N/A Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues his lecture series on iconography. In this talk he focuses on how the gender switched from Compassion as male in India to female in China. And how Wisdom switched from female in India to male in China. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 15, 2026. YouTube: N/A Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Daishin Yalon encourages us to practice Metta (goodwill) towards others during this difficult time of war and violence in the world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 8, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/Na3qC5AbenM Twitter/X: @shastaabbey 

Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks after a Transfer of Merit Ceremony about how being still and offering our love and well wishes to the world is an important and helpful part of our practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 1, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/yi24vgWwFwY Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Ando Mueller gives a detailed look at the Festival of the Buddha's Parinirvana, describing the details and symbolism of the ceremony. Parinirvana is the festival of the Buddha's death. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 22, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/Cv8ceOA5NgU Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Amanda Robertson discusses what the Three Refuges are and what they mean to us in our daily practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 15, 2026. YouTube: N/A Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk on the annual Avatamsaka festival day. She talks about what the scripture is and why we hold it in such high regard. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 8, 2026. YouTube: https://youtu.be/n8AA1VsdFww Twitter/X: @shastaabbey

The late Rev. Jisho Perry talks about the Shurungama Sutra and its core teaching. This fundamental teaching is what we in our practice hear over and over again—we are not trying to 'get' something, we are trying to let go of something. The heart of the scripture, as Rev. Jisho discusses, is how to convert our ignorance into understanding. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday Dec...