Best Bodhisattva Vow Podcasts (2025)

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Awareness In Action: Nonviolence with Father John Dear (Part 11 – September) 1:33:05

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1d ago1:33:05

1:33:05

In this timely session of Awareness in Action, Father John Dear confronts the urgency of our times with an echo from Martin Luther King Jr.: “The choice is no longer violence or non-violence… It’s non-violence or non-existence.” Rooted in Gandhi’s teaching that “nonviolence is the highest form of human consciousness,” Father John presents nonviolen…

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Life, Death, and Freedom 53:15

2d ago53:15

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In this unique Wednesday Night Dharma Talk before the upcoming Love and Death program, Roshi Joan Halifax and Frank Ostaseski engage in an open dialogue on Life, Death, and Freedom. Departing from scripted teachings, the evening unfolds through participant questions that touch the raw edges of grief, love, and mortality. Roshi Joan frames grief as …

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Ep. 155 - What Should a Teacher Say? with Francesca Cervero 57:44

2d ago57:44

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Ethan is joined by friend and yoga teacher Francesca Cervero to talk about becoming a teacher as a livelihood, the duty of the teacher when it comes to building community in a post-pandemic world, and how to be clear and open with students about the ethical teachings of Buddhism and yoga in a world of chaos, violence and oppression. Francesca Cerve…

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The Grace of Bodhisattvas 44:35

9d ago44:35

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Dainin interweaves personal story, Buddhist teaching, and contemporary challenges to show how the Bodhisattva vow can be lived — and is urgently needed — in our times. She shares how her understanding of compassion shifted through practice, from a fixed character trait to something that can be cultivated …

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Awareness In Action: We Were Made for This with Rebecca Solnit (Part 10 – August) 1:38:51

10d ago1:38:51

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In this session of Upaya’s Awareness in Action series, writer and activist Rebecca Solnit joins Roshi Joan Halifax to explore how stories shape reality, the nature of human behavior in crisis, and the discipline of hope as an antidote to despair. Rebecca reminds us, “Hope is not an emotion, it’s a commitment to not give up, to keep looking for poss…

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Ep. 154 - How Do I Know If I’m Enlightened? 51:06

15d ago51:06

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In this episode, Ethan discusses the crucial question of “enlightenment,” better translated as “awakening.” What does this word mean? What doesn’t it mean? How would we know if we were really there? Is awakening a big deal? And most importantly, how can we glimpse it, or notice the glimpses we are already having of our awakening, and build off of t…

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Vimalakirti’s Vulnerability: Through Star to Sky to the Eye of Another 46:01

16d ago46:01

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei James Fushin explores vulnerability as a profound gateway to awakening. Drawing from the Vimalakirti Sutra and physicist Brian Cox’s question—”How do we live a finite, fragile life in an infinite, eternal universe?”—Fushin reflects on illness, silence, and the dissolution of self and other as pathways to …

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Bodhicitta (Link #772) 1:06:46

17d ago1:06:46

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Speaker: Bob Reid. Following up on two LINKs from August 2024, Bob talks about the four immeasurables practice with a focus on loving-kindness. He describes loving-kindness as the sense of care, warmth and tenderness that we feel towards others in our life as well as to ourselves. He goes on to explain how it is the care towards oneself that is par…

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Silent Illumination and the Practice of Wonderment (Part 2) 1:08:22

23d ago1:08:22

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In the second part of this two-part Wednesday Night Dharma Talk mini-series, Zen teacher Guo Gu guides us into the embodiment of silent illumination. He begins not with theory but with experience: posture, presence, and body. Speaking with a soft, smooth cadence—measured and unhurried—we explore the terrain of our own physicality through an extende…

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Awareness In Action: Earth with Terry Tempest Williams & Joan Halifax (Part 9 – August) 1:36:49

23d ago1:36:49

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In this session of Awareness in Action, Roshi Joan Halifax and Terry Tempest Williams guide participants to witness the world with care, presence, and courage. Roshi Joan opens with the Zen koan—“A monk asked Joshu, when great difficulties come upon us, can they be avoided?” Joshu replies, “Welcome.”—and, in the same spirit, notes the similarity in…

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Compassion Without Limit: Talk 1, Part 2 of 2 (Link #771) 50:52

24d ago50:52

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Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This two-hour talk, originally given on September 14, 2024 to an online, European audience was split into two parts for rebroadcast on August 24 and 31, 2025. In this second part, Rinpoche explains that as we begin to have some objectivity towards our suffering and recognize the causes of it, we can find a tremend…

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Dogen Seminar 2025: Living Transmission Closing Session (8 of 8) 1:06:08

28d ago1:06:08

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In this closing session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, faculty and participants reflect on how ancient teachings become living transmission through courage, friendship, and practice. Roshi Joan reminds us that discovery emerges not through resolution but through living fully within paradox, just as Dogen himself persisted amid loss and uncertainty. Stev…

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Dogen Seminar 2025: Eight Awakenings of Great Beings (7 of 8) 1:02:03

28d ago1:02:03

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In the seventh session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, Sensei Genzan explores Dogen’s Eight Awakenings of Great Beings (Hachi Dainin Gaku), weaving scholarship with lived experience to reveal how Zen practice addresses the paradoxes of daily life. “It’s not that Dogen is paradoxical,” he notes, “our lives are paradoxical.” With humor and humility, Genzan…

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Dogen Seminar 2025: The Art of Contextual Teaching (6 of 8) 1:07:52

28d ago1:07:52

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In the sixth session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, the faculty engage in a rich exploration of Dogen’s use of language, paradox, and poetry as spiritual communication. Heine highlights how paradox functions as a “turning word,” pushing beyond ordinary discourse to liberate us from fixed assumptions. The faculty respond with perspectives on authenticity…

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Dogen Seminar 2025: Four Methods of Guidance (5 of 8) 1:03:17

28d ago1:03:17

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In this fifth session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, Norman and Kathie Fischer explore Dogen’s Four Methods of Guidance (Bodaisatta Shishobo), one of the most accessible and transformative fascicles of the Shobogenzo. Building on reflections about paradox in Zen, […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Dogen Seminar 2025: True Paradox (4 of 8) 52:50

29d ago52:50

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In this fourth session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, Sensei Jiryu explores the profound paradox at the heart of Zen practice: the essential teaching of non-separation. He highlights the famous line, “The great way […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Dogen Seminar 2025: Paradox as a Tool of Awakening (3 of 8) 1:08:13

29d ago1:08:13

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In this third session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, renowned poet, translator, and peace activist Sensei Kazuaki Tanahashi presents his analysis of paradox in Dogen’s writings, drawing from his monumental 33-year translation project of […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Dogen Seminar 2025: Paradox, Parable, and Paradigm (2 of 8) 1:06:14

29d ago1:06:14

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In this second session of the Dogen Seminar, distinguished scholar Dr. Steven Heine explores the profound role of paradox in Zen Buddhism, examining how these seemingly contradictory teachings serve as liberating devices rather […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Dogen Seminar 2025: Meeting Paradox in the Teachings of Zen Master Dogen (Part 1) 1:06:35

29d ago1:06:35

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In this opening session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, program faculty introduce themselves and reflect on themes and paradoxes within Dogen’s teachings they will be sharing over the weekend. Roshi Joan Halifax presented Dogen’s […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Ep. 153 - You Won’t Heal Until You Love It : Inside The Neurological Storm with Reggie Hubbard 56:48

29d ago56:48

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16 months ago, yoga/meditation/sound teacher Reggie Hubbard had a near-death experience, a major stroke. He visits the podcast to describe the experience of his "neurological storm" and the path of collapse and healing that he's been on ever since, and how it has profoundly affected his views as a practitioner, teacher, and his views of the neurolo…

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Just One Thing 43:00

1M ago43:00

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, resident priest Senko Perez reflects on the common trap of imagining that true practice lies elsewhere—in quieter places, calmer minds, or better circumstances. During a recent solo […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Compassion Without Limit: Talk 1, Part 1 of 2 (Link #770) 55:04

1M ago55:04

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Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This two-hour talk, originally given on September 14, 2024 to an online, European audience was split into two parts for rebroadcast on August 24 and 31, 2025. In this first part, Rinpoche begins by saying that in order to cultivate compassion, we must first recognize, open up to and understand our own suffering. T…

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Awareness In Action: Equity with Konda Mason (Part 8 – August) 1:34:24

1M ago1:34:24

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In this session of Awareness in Action and speaking from her farm in Alexandria, Louisiana—unexpectedly located at the center of America’s deportation operations—dharma teacher and social justice activist Konda Mason explores the powerful connection […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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We Just Have to Get Quiet Enough 32:24

1M ago32:24

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Monshin explores the ancient Buddhist teaching of Kanno Doko — “responsive communion” or “mystical communion.” Drawing from a Wallace Stevens poem and the writings of Suzuki Roshi, she […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Blessings Galore (Link #769) 1:00:28

1M ago1:00:28

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Speaker: Michael Velasco. Michael recounts the early days of becoming a student of Mangala Shri Bhuti, and a series of auspicious coincidences he encountered before meeting his teacher. Unsuspecting of what was to come, Michael shares how he has been the beneficiary of myriad opportunities to fully enter the path including pilgrimages, living in In…

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Ep. 152 - Crucial Questions: What Is The Bodhisattva Vow? 55:37

1M ago55:37

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Ethan discusses three reasons we take vows and make commitments from a Buddhist perspective, and gives special emphasis to The Bodhisattva Vow, where we commit to not only pursue our own path of liberation and awakening, but also vow to work for the benefit of all beings, to the limits of space, until all beings are awake. It is a commitment to the…

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Silent Illumination and the Practice of Wonderment (Part 1) 50:09

1M ago50:09

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In the first part of this two-part Wednesday Night Dharma Talk mini-series, Zen teacher Guo Gu explores the deep relationship between silent illumination (or just sitting), and embodiment practice. He traces the historical roots of silent […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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When We Look in the Mirror, the One Thing We Don't Want to See is an Ordinary Human Being (Link #768) 1:04:57

1M ago1:04:57

1:04:57

Speaker: Joey Waxman. Joey reflects on Rinpoche's book, It's Up to You, asking why we resist seeing ourselves as ordinary. We cling to self-importance seeking comfort, resources, and reputation while fearing loss, discomfort, or criticism. This clinging arises from the belief in a fixed self. If dismantled, we uncover our Buddha-nature, which is th…

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Ep. 151 - Buddhist Geeks, 21st Century Practice, and The Duhkha of Palestine 1:01:38

2M ago1:01:38

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Ethan welcomes Buddhist Geeks Co-Founder, teacher, and Palestinian-American Dharma teacher Vince Fakhoury Horn. They discuss the rise of "podcast dharma" in the early 21st century, Vince's path to teaching meditation, Vince's experience of his Palestinian heritage, why it's hard to get Dharma teachers to speak out about the genocide in Gaza, The Bu…

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Becoming Yourself 40:51

2M ago40:51

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Jiryu affirms the central practice of Zen is to become truly ourselves. Reading from Suzuki Roshi’s teachings, and sharing quotes from Shohaku Okamura, Katagiri Roshi, and […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Principles of Bodhicitta (Link #767) 54:38

2M ago54:38

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Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse Jampal Norbu examines how we let go of holding onto principles and concepts in order to enter into an authentic relationship with how things appear, and therefore act from a place of harmony. Investment in our personal principles and ideas can become neurotic, preventing us from relating with a flexible frame of…

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Ep. 150 - The Virtues of Boredom (The Most Boring Podcast Ever!) 46:57

2M ago46:57

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This is the 150th episode of The Road Home Podcast! Yay, Big Deal! But, it’s—as always—also a conversation about the Dharma, and the mind, and how to work with your own experience. And your mind, especially during meditation, can be boring. Very boring. So why is boredom such a difficult, yet important—and creative—experience? What do we do about b…

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Ryokan Dances Dogen 43:39

2M ago43:39

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Genzan offers a unique exploration of true dharma expression – weaving together the teachings of 13th century Zen master Dogen with the poetry and life of […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Everything Is Habit (Link #766) 1:02:54

2M ago1:02:54

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Speaker: Polly Banerjee-Gallagher. Polly explores how deeply-rooted habits can block our ability to appreciate the blessings of practice. Drawing from Rinpoche's book Diligence and teachings from the 2023 Shedra, Polly discusses the four key factors shaping positive and negative habits. She explains their fluid and dynamic nature and our power to c…

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Way Seeking Mind 49:26

2M ago49:26

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, longtime resident and novice priest Jimon Lorene Flaming tenderly offers her long and winding path to practice in her way-seeking mind talk. Inspired by overseas medical service […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Ep. 149 - The Whole World Is Gold To Me: Tantra and Generosity 47:54

2M ago47:54

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(This episode of The Road Home is dedicated to the memory of Joanna Macy—founder of the Eco-Dharma and Deep Ecology Movements—who passed this weekend at the age of 96) On this episode, a follow-up to episode 148, Ethan explores wealth and generosity from a tantric perspective. If you could take the view, for just one moment, that you, your percepti…

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Discovering the Reality of the Five Remembrances 39:13

2M ago39:13

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Dainin shares deeply personal stories of accompanying her father and Roshi Joan through life-threatening medical crises, revealing how the Buddhist Five Remembrances transformed from abstract teachings […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Ep. 148 - No More Billionaires - Wealth, Livelihood and Generosity in the Hinayana and Mahayana 56:54

2M ago56:54

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What is generosity (“dana” in the Buddhist languages), and how does it relate to our experience of wealth, our consumption, our labor, and our shared values as a society? How can we work with our craving for always have more like one of those a metal claw machines in a video game arcade, leaving us unable to live in the practice of Dana, or "fluid …

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The Vajrayana Art of Joie de Vivre (Link #765) 1:33:29

2M ago1:33:29

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Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. In this LINK, originally given on February 5, 2017 from Crestone, Colorado, Rinpoche explains how we can cultivate happiness though the practice of bodhicitta and serving others.By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

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To Be a Peacemaker 46:40

3M ago46:40

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In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Monshin explores what it means to be a peacemaker in our complicated world. Recalling a creative renaming of the 4th of July as “Interdependence Day,” Monshin […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Awareness In Action: Homeboys with Father Gregory Boyle (Part 7 – June) 1:22:45

3M ago1:22:45

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In this session of Upaya’s Awareness in Action series, Father Gregory Boyle—Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries—offers a profound reflection on kinship, healing, and radical compassion. Father Boyle brings humor, depth, and […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Where Is My Home? (Link #764) 1:02:32

3M ago1:02:32

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Speaker: Scott Gallagher. Scott describes how he accommodates the powerful imagery and energy of a space like Tara Dzong, where he was recently in retreat. He shares how he normally thinks of himself as a solitary being on the path with a small view, but his experiences have revealed a much larger world that is available to him. In retreat, Scott r…

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Buddha Meets Buddha: Teacher / No Teacher in Zen 38:27

3M ago38:27

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In this informative Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei Zenshin Florence Caplow explores the meaning of “Buddha meets Buddha” in the context of how we might skillfully navigate our relationships with spiritual teachers. Zenshin […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Planting Life 2025: Corn And Culture (Part 4B) 1:19:07

3M ago1:19:07

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This is the 2nd half of the session on Planting Life, where participants explore indigenous food ways and decolonization through cultivated ancient wisdoms. Artist and cultural preservationist Roxanne Swentzell shares her […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Planting Life 2025: Corn And Culture (Part 4A) 1:09:08

3M ago1:09:08

1:09:08

This is the 1st half of the session on Planting Life, where participants explore indigenous food ways and decolonization through cultivated ancient wisdoms. Artist and cultural preservationist Roxanne Swentzell shares her […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Planting Life 2025: Three Sisters Garden Planting Ceremony (Part 3) 1:12:43

3M ago1:12:43

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In this session of Planting Life, we participate in the sacred planting ceremony that honors indigenous wisdom through the cultivation of ancestral crops—corn, beans, and squash—known as the Three Sisters. Led by […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Planting Life 2025: Corn, Cosmos, and the Sacred Architecture of Time (Part 2) 1:35:02

3M ago1:35:02

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In this session of Planting Life, Mayan archaeoastronomer Alonso Méndez reveals the profound astronomical knowledge embedded in ancient Mesoamerican civilization. Drawing from his decades of research at Palenque, Méndez traces how corn […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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Planting Life 2025 Kinship with the Earth: Bridging Worlds (Part 1) 1:13:11

3M ago1:13:11

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In this session, Roshi Joan Halifax, Troy Keido Fernandez, Sensei Wendy Johnson, and Alonso Mendez open the annual Planting Life program at Upaya Zen Center. Roshi welcomes in-person and online participants to this sacred gathering that […]By Joan Halifax | Zen Buddhist Teacher Upaya Abbot

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The Bodhisattva Vow: A Daily Practice (Link #763) 1:02:37

3M ago1:02:37

1:02:37

Speaker: Jennifer Shippee. Jennifer expounds on how all sentient beings, without exception, are connected in their desire to be happy and to avoid the pain of suffering. Jennifer invites us to contemplate equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy on a daily basis. By establishing a deep familiarity with the bodhisattva vow and th…

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Ep. 147 - Don’t Stop Believing - Faith and Awareness in The Six Bardos of Collapse and Rebirth 1:00:22

3M ago1:00:22

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How we work with our minds in the spaces between collapse and rebirth (those uncomfortable gaps in life as well as the huge “gap” after death) hold the key to creating futures that do not replicate the stuckness and suffering of our past. This is true both personally and collectively. As always, with recent world events in mind, we discuss the six …