AZC Weekly talks

Painting legs on a snake Sources: Meetings with Remarkable Women , Lenore Friedman, Shambhala 1987 Subtle Sound  ed. Roko Sherry Chayat Shambhala 1996

Sesshin mind Readings from Stephen Batchelor's Introduction to his translation of Nagarjuna's  Verses from the Centre.

Nagarjuna's  Verses from the Centre  Part Two. In this teisho we concentrate on the verses themselves. Sources:  Verses from the Centre  translated by Stephen Batchelor The Unborn: Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei  by Norman Waddell

 Mostly biographical material Sources:  Meetings with Remarkable Women , Lenore Friedman, Shambhala 1987 Subtle Sound  ed. Roko Sherry Chayat Shambhala 1996

Readings from Stephen Batchelor's Introduction to his translation of Nagarjuna's  Verses from the Centre.  Nargajuna was an important Indian teacher and our 14th Zen Ancestor. Batchelor calls him "the poet of emptiness".

Teisho by Sensei Richard von Sturmer Readings from the autobiography of Daiun Sogaku Harada-roshi, Roshi Kapleau's first teacher.

Individual consciousness, collective consciousness, universal consciousness. Sources:  Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet  by Thich Nhat Hanh, Rider London 2021,  Canticle to the Cosmos  video series by Brian Swimme.

We can learn to guard our mind and nurture our aspiration by being careful of what we consume. Source:  Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet  by Thich Nhat Hanh, Rider London 2021.

What we consume shapes us -- not just the food and drink that nourish our physical body but also the impressions of our five senses, what we long for, and what we think. We can learn to be mindful of our mind/body and be careful about what we consume. Sources:  Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet  by Thich Nhat Hanh, Rider London 2021; The Universe is a Gre...

Teisho by Sensei Richard von Sturmer. The  Milindapañha  (lit. 'Questions of Milinda') is a Buddhist text which dates from sometime between 100 BC and 200 AD. It is a dialogue between the Indian Buddhist sage Nāgasena, and the 2nd century BC Indo-Greek king Menander I (Pali:  Milinda ).

Morality, Awakening and Meditation -- that is, good character, prajna wisdom and daily zazen -- are what is looked for in a Zen teacher. Teisho by Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

All the other precepts we take at Jukai flow from our taking refuge in Buddha (realisation), Dharma (truth) and Sangha (harmony). Various sources.

Some background on why we receive the sixteen precepts at Matariki. The importance of attending to our often harsh inner speech, and seeing through it. Source(s):  Advice Not GIven  by Mark Epstein, Hay House 2018

Some reflections on why we have ceremonies and rituals, and look at some of the legends behind the bathing of the baby Buddha.

A Dharma talk by Sensei Richard von Sturmer. Texts used: Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki  by David Chadwick; To Shine One Corner of the World  by David Chadwick.

A first-hand case study in working with reactive states of mind. Source(s):  A Fire Runs Through All Things: Zen Koans for Facing the Climate Crisis  by Susan Murphy, Shambhala 2023

Comments on ten zen pointers on the practice of welcoming Source: Article by John Tarrant "How to welcome the end of the world" in Lion's Roar November 2016.

Just calmly see that all is one and by themselves false views will go. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987.

These dreams are merely flowers of air. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987.

The wise do not strive after goals. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987.

The great Master Joshu gives a teaching on non-abiding. Sources: various

Beyond the easy and the hard. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987.

 Dropping things and mind. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987.

Unifying the mind. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987

Attempts to stop activity will fill you with activity. Sources: RZC translation of Affirming Faith in Mind, in  Chants and Recitations , Rochester Zen Center, 2005 and   Faith in Mind: A Guide to Zen Practice  by Master Sheng-Yen, Dharma Drum Publications, 1987.