The Jizo-an Zen Community Podcast

Life is always "urgent," we are challenged everyday to meet demands on our time, responsibilities, and the unexpected; and whether we are aware or not, the truth of suffering or discontentment. What might support us to meet the challenge of everyday living? The Three Tenets are powerful skillful means for working with our emotions and meeting daily challenges with all victorious mastery. The Three...

At the moment we fully appreciate the Power of Living Authentically, everything changes and nothing is ever the same again. Opportunities never available to us before become possible. The past, the present, and the future all at once is transformed. We will explore the impact of living as Shakespeare described it "The Life of an Actor" has on our physical, mental, and emotional health, and how we...

Self-confidence is an essential ingredient in living an inspired and effective life. Cultivating confidence in yourself and about your life requires living in harmony with the real nature of life, clarifying what is really important and aligning your daily living activities and choices with what is important including the people, places, and activities which support you. Join Seijaku Roshi & Rabbi...

Ultimately the goal of any authentic Spiritual Path especially The Path of a Spiritual Warrior is "Communion"; First with Mystery, call it God or Dharma, or Buddha, it is that which is larger than ourself; next with the Teachings (Dharma) manifested in myriad forms of energy that make the Universe what it is, and finally with Others (Community or Sangha). Tonight we will discuss the concept of - T...

"Even if the Sun were to rise in the West, the Bodhisattva knows One Way." For many Americans the Sun indeed rose in the West on Election Day and the reaction has left us with age old questions. Who are We? Who do we want to Be? Tonight we will explore The Way of the Bodhisattva - The Spiritual Warrior in the face of disappointment, grief, and impermanence. (Seijaku Roshi, Rabbi Richard Simon)

For so many of us fear can be crippling, stifling, getting in the way of our hopes and dreams, and yet it doesn't have to be that way! When we understand how the mind operates from moment to moment, especially when it is fearful, we can apply ancient wisdom, well-honed and proven to weaken the grip of fear - We can Be Courageous in the Face of Fear and Transform it for Our Benefit!

We are witnessing the most polarizing politics in modern American History. Should Bodhisattvas (Spiritual Warriors) become involved in the political arena as a method of helping everyone attain the requisites of a spiritual life? My answer to this question is "Yes." When we enter into the political discussion with Wisdom and Skillfulness, we are not dirtying our hands in a messy, mundane world tha...

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of our lives alone, we find it with another." Love is a Force of Nature. It pervades the entire Universe. It runs through everyone and everything. Revealing and available right here, right now. Yet Loving oneself and others continues to be the single most difficult experience in people's lives. We will explore LOVE as a Force for Change, Healin...

In a Nation torn by so much polarization, violence, and so much inequality, how do we begin to heal and find the ground to come together. If we don't we can only expect more pain, more suffering. In the first 78 minutes we will watch the Award Winning Documentary "The Power of Forgiveness" followed by a group discussion and a Dharma teaching by Seijaku Roshi on the Healing Power of Forgiveness and...

Living Mindfully helps us develop awareness of those habitual reactions rooted both in our genetic make-up and our early childhood experiences (pain body), then we retrain our minds to "respond", rather than react habitually, more skilfully and with real compassion for ourselves. Seijaku Roshi will begin by summarizing the teachings in Part 1, and guide us through several "mindfulness techniques"...

"The road to the truth is paved with disappointments. When life disappoints we need not be "dis-appointed". The key is to stay the course. The truth which liberates us is never far away" Living Mindfully helps us develop awareness of those habitual reactions rooted both in our genetic make-up and our early childhood experiences, then retrain our minds to react or "respond" more skillfully and with...

The Present is full of Yesterday and is moment to moment Creating tomorrow. "According to our yesterdays so shall today unfold, according to our interaction with the unfolding of today, so shall our tomorrows manifest." - Buddha The Buddha encouraged personal investigation of the mind as an essential practice leading to the highest level of conviction and of wisdom. This includes recognizing delus...

Is "Independence" an Illusion? What is the real meaning of "Freedom"? Do we have "Free Will"? What about my "Choices"? Is there such a thing as "Pre-destination" and "Free-Will"? The Buddha encouraged personal investigation of the mind as leading to the highest level of conviction and of wisdom. This includes recognizing delusion the root of all as unskillful mental factors. In this way Buddhism h...

"What is lacking is virtue. Virtue is a force-of-nature a conduit for change. A force always to be reconciled with sooner-or-later. The only thing that has ever brought about real change in our world is the virtuous. The only thing that has caused war, poverty, injustice, and discrimination, are the non-virtuous." - Seijaku Roshi The Buddha characterized "The Way" as "The Noble Life". to live Nobl...

As the seasons change so do we. Being Present to Life-Changes is Being Present to the Life-Force which renews, rejuvenates, and sustains all life forms. If it feels like life is passing you by - where are you? Being Present is an inherent quality we knew as children and begin to lose as our conditioning redirects us away from life and toward an egocentric experience of life which is not the same,...

Imagine that there was nothing lacking in your life? That you had everything you needed and the world was filled with endless possibilities? Real change begins by taking our focus off the Kardashians and iPhones to take a look at what's going on inside. It calls for aiming the light inward. And, although our culture may consider sitting quietly with ourselves as painfully unproductive, "going with...

What would your life look like if you were enough? If at this very moment you simply declared, "I am enough!" Most of us haven't a clue as to how much of life's opportunities are lost in the pursuit of more, better, and different. When we just give up the pursuit of persons, places, experiences, and things to fulfill us, and love ourselves right where we are, opportunities both imagined and never...

As we approach a new training period at Pine Wind in Shamong NJ (Ango) in September, this evening Seijaku Roshi will talk about the meaning of Living a Zen Inspired Life, the life and offerings of a the Zen community, and the inclusive and diverse nature of Zen spirituality. Cantor Robert Esformes joins Seijaku Roshi in this talk.

Roshi's Teisho held at a half-day sitting.

"The Flower doesn't dream of the bee. It blossoms & the bee comes." Vision is the Mind of God - Buddha-Mind, that infinite moment right before, "Let there be Light." What you have forgotten is, "You are the Light!", and "BEING" is the lamp post. All the flower does is "be the flower", "it blossoms and the bee comes". We live in a culture obsessed with "doing" in order to "have". When we are "doing...

So many things seem to demand our time and attention in any given day. However if we never give our fullest attention to our most Elementary Presence - Being Present to Here and Now with Intention, dissatisfaction only compounds. The Buddhist formula for "Happiness" includes "Right View and Right Intention", whenever we are being distracted we are not living "On Purpose", and not living "Intention...

The Principle of Identity is cause in the matter of one's life. It not only creates the energy and space for possibilities but literally defines what is possible. Having a clearly defined "personal mission" or "vision" for one's life and, being unconditionally true to your "vision" creates the ground for long term well-being and happiness. "My vision for you and me is that we know ourselves and ne...

The definition of love in Buddhism is: wanting others to be happy. This love is unconditional and it requires a lot of courage and acceptance (including self-acceptance). There is no higher or greater purpose, or spiritual practice, than to "Love". 'Even offering three hundred bowls of food three times a day does not match the spiritual merit gained in one moment of love.' - Nagarjuna We will expl...

Compassion is not an ideal to strive for but rather the only ground for "human-being-ness". Until one gives up all ideas of "who you are suppose to be", and start loving who you really are, there are no possibilities for real happiness or well-being or for that matter, the world to ever change. Think of it! Love yourself as you really are - Change the World!

Is there anything we can learn from the holiday season about "happiness and joy"? The pursuit of happiness from the Buddhist point-of-view involves craving or desiring something we believe will give us happiness, or the desire for something more, better, or different than what's so now. This is also what the Buddha defined as "the cause for suffering" (the second noble truth). True happiness is no...