SokukoJi Buddhist Temple Monastery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yQbHtWq_OA&t=22s

The three existential aspects are the nature of being in the dynamic we call the human realm of desire. It is another way of talking about the three marks of existence. The basic suffering is discontent, wanting things to be different. Impermanence is the existential aspect that all compounded things will go away. It won’t last. See how each of these aspects shows up in your life. The awareness pa...

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See the impulse before it gets its hooks into you and takes you on a journey to do this or that. Any kind of directionality, including stopping, moving away or moving towards is ignorance. It’s sometimes called prejudice because we don’t see what we’re ignoring. There’s an impulse, then another impulse – they get layered up very quickly out of hope for something better and fear of something worse....

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Sometimes our real questions are hiding in the gnarled up tree branches, covering up what we really want to know. A strong question elicits a strong response. How can we know what we don’t know, what we are unsure of? Not being sure on the mundane path is a difficulty. On the spiritual path, feeling like you don’t know is the open space that has the quality of being respectful. Wisdom mind is not...

Less is better. When I say reduce the production, I mean everything, especially language. It’s not so much about control; you can’t really control your thoughts. As you’re talking to someone, notice the space between the words. Start by expanding the space first. Even though you know what you’re about to say, give it a little more room. The spaciousness will help you to see how much you’re produci...

When training the mind, the idea is to get some depth rather than wandering around on the surface. Most of the world is on the surface; that’s materialism. It appears you can control it. We don’t see what’s moving, only what we think is moving. Depth needs to appear surface. Just look at the surface. That’s where the laminations are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQLYdCedwNE

We put ourselves into the corral of either-or. I say don’t give me either-or questions unless you’re really clear about the need to do it that way. Im not doing away with that aspect of consciousness; the tendency to be selective is very seductive. Don’t take a position or reject the one that arises right in front of you. The conclusion is just a sidetrack. Stop looking for proof of things; this i...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VaifzTZHZ8

When the six sense fields are cooperating with the five skandhas, it creates an illusion so real that we believe it. It’s an astonishing synchronization. The basic difficulty here is the 7th consciousness, the mind bully or paranoid aspect that believes there is someone in control. At some point, the boundary between what feels like meditation and what feels like post-meditation vanishes. You won’...

Hard discipline is about hierarchy and chain of command, like the military. Some monasteries also have strict forms that are about control and manipulation under the pretense of training your mind. Softer forms are about understanding the nature of form and awareness of the form. The fundamental understanding comes from observing the form, not obeying it. Soft discipline makes use of the forms to...

We train our minds to help us understand the thought patterns that operate out of impulse and desire, controlled by causes and conditions. You have to see it yourself. Start at the surface; sit down, hold still, and watch what you cannot prevent from moving. Look more and more deeply into whatever is arising and the space within which it occurs. It’s not a deeper training, particularly – that’s re...

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How can we communicate in the midst of our preconceptions? We laminate or comment on the very thing we are trying to investigate. Don’t interpret just because you can. Acknowledge you don’t know and make receiving the priority. Be with all things; listen to everyone. Then if you need to respond, you will do that out of what arises in your awareness minus your interpretation of it. https://www.yout...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2F5JDcDIrw

Radical is from a latin word meaning root. Going to the foundation, the substrate, or root is what shikantaza is. There is no mundane sense of progress particularly. If the thinking process shows up as some kind of result, you have work to do. Just receiving and not being too concerned about how you feel about it is the radical meditation of shikantaza. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJgO7oaRlKM

Does all apparent negativity come from ourselves? Suffering, dissatisfaction, and anxiety; recurring negativity and thought patterns. The momentum needs to be seen closely before it actually gets a foothold. Praise and blame are extra, and are all about getting control. Watch what comes until you see the disturbance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofGyKXseRDM&t=1s

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That aspect of causality that’s ignored because we want a result is the deeper cause and effect which goes beyond the physical form, beyond the illusion of the three dimensions. What is this human experience? Don’t jump to conclusions; the main issue is mistaken identity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWnPPV5oNY

What underlies the stories we get hooked by? What is the difference between observing and noticing or observing and receiving? What does it mean that the wall is the buddha, the dharma and the sangha? These and other questions from sangha elicit profound and unexpected responses from Sokuzan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1m_qAoUFI

Sokuzan chats with New York comedian, Ethan Herschenfeld, on a variety of topics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDKE5vPp9GE https://www.ethanherschenfeld.com @eherschenfeld

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