San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks

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Public lectures given at San Francisco Zen Center

San Francisco Zen Center


    • Jul 6, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 39m AVG DURATION
    • 756 EPISODES

    4.3 from 153 ratings Listeners of San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks that love the show mention: buddha, zen, dharma, thank, suzuki roshi.


    Ivy Insights

    The San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks podcast is a valuable resource for those interested in deepening their understanding and practice of Zen Buddhism. This podcast offers a collection of Dharma talks from various Buddhist teachers, providing listeners with different perspectives and insights into the Zen tradition. The talks serve as a reminder of why one practices Zen and how it can help them be more connected to their humanity. They offer guidance on mindfulness, meditation, and living a compassionate life.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is the diverse range of teachings that are presented. Each talk brings something unique, allowing listeners to explore different aspects of Zen philosophy and practice. The speakers are knowledgeable and experienced in their field, offering valuable wisdom and guidance to those on the spiritual path. The talks also provide practical advice for incorporating Zen principles into everyday life, helping listeners find peace and clarity amidst the challenges they may face.

    Another positive aspect of this podcast is its accessibility. For those who prefer listening over reading, this podcast provides a convenient way to engage with Zen teachings. With limited resources available in audio format on the topic of Zen, this podcast fills a gap by offering talks that can be enjoyed on-the-go or during moments when reading may not be feasible.

    However, one potential downside of this podcast is that it may not cater to everyone's specific interests or needs. While the diverse range of teachings is a strength, it also means that certain episodes may resonate more strongly with some listeners than others. Additionally, as with any spiritual teachings, personal preferences and beliefs may vary, so not all episodes may align perfectly with an individual's worldview or understanding.

    In conclusion, The San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks podcast is a valuable resource for anyone interested in deepening their understanding and practice of Zen Buddhism. With its diverse range of teachings and accessible format, this podcast provides valuable insights into Zen philosophy and offers practical guidance for incorporating its principles into daily life. Despite some episodes potentially not resonating with all listeners, the overall quality and richness of the talks make this podcast a worthwhile listen for those interested in Zen Buddhism.



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    Latest episodes from San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks

    Chanting the Name of Kanzeon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2025 41:24


    07/06/2025, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Zoketsu Norman Fischer discusses a forthcoming book by the Japanese Zen Master Kosho Uchiyama about his experience practicing chanting the name of Kanzeon Bodhisattva.

    compassion zen buddhism loving kindness chanting kanzeon green gulch farm zoketsu norman fischer
    How To Be Of Service: Breathe, Smile, Live

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2025 27:31


    07/05/2025, Mark Lesser, dharma talk at City Center. Marc Lesser discusses a teaching from Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh: Breathing, smiling and living are three ways to practice.

    Caught in a Net, Together

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2025 32:27


    07/02/2025, Doshin Dan Gudgel, dharma talk at City Center. Doshin Dan Gudgel explores the image of Indra's Net and how it relates to life in this complicated, messy modern world.

    What is Dharma Transmission in Zen?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2025 44:04


    06/29/2025, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Kokyo Henkel explores what is really transmitted from teacher to student, and some classic Zen stories about Dharma transmission.

    Harmony Within and Beyond

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2025 38:30


    This talk was given at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Zenshinji) by Gendo Lucy Xiao 玄道. Lucy reflects on different aspects of harmony. Recorded on June 28, 2025.

    Not Disregarding A Single Thing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2025 52:40


    06/22/2025, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. As senior dharma teacher Linda Ruth Cutts prepares to move from Green Gulch and SFZC residency after 54 years she brings up the practice of being upright in the midst of great change.

    A Larger Bowl

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2025 26:01


    06/21/2025, Chikudo Catherine Spaeth, dharma talk at Tassajara.

    In This Body, In This Lifetime

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2025 42:04


    06/21/2025, Esho Sudan, dharma talk at City Center. Esho Sudan explores the life-story and great legacy of Sozen Nagasawa Roshi, a Soto Zen abbess and teacher, founder of the only women's training monastery in WW2-era Japan.

    Responding to the Cries of Our World

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2025 27:37


    06/18/2025, Jisan Tova Green, dharma talk at City Center. Jisan Tova Green shares how Zen practice has influenced her long engagement with peace and justice issues, and draws from the words and actions of three of her mentors, Joanna Macy, Maylie Scott, and Alan Senauke.

    The Color of True Practice: Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2025 39:58


    06/14/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the final section of the Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon by Dogen Zenji.

    Awakening Bodhi Mind: Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 40:01


    06/13/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the second section of the Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon by Dogen Zenji.

    Hearing the True Dharma: Eihei Koso Hotsugonmon, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 41:19


    06/12/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the opening paragraphs of the Eihei Koso Hotsugonmon by Dogen Zenji.

    Silent Illumination: Unlearning Suffering

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 40:18


    06/11/2025, Rebecca Li, dharma talk at City Center. Dr. Rebecca Li explains how the practice of Silent Illumination is to actualize the Buddha's teachings to be free from suffering.

    Messy Zen: Honoring Our Women Ancestors

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2025 40:54


    06/07/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the stories of our early women ancestors, Mahapajapati and Yasodhara.

    A Mind that Abides Nowhere

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 43:25


    06/04/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the life of Huineng and living a life of vow, in this talk from the summer 2025 practice intensive at Beginner's Mind Temple.

    Being Completely Yourself

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2025 37:40


    06/01/2025, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler takes up the theme of “Becoming Yourself,” the title of a new book of talks by Suzuki Roshi, by reflecting on two lines from the book.

    zen bodhisattva suzuki roshi green gulch farm becoming yourself
    Not Knowing Is Most Intimate

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2025 39:50


    05/31/2025, Teah Strozer, dharma talk at City Center. Teah Strozer explores the ways that our assumptions and fixed ideas about people or situations can blind us to change and to what's actually in front of us.

    An Oath We Take, A Vow We Make

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2025 41:57


    05/25/2025, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Shosan Victoria Austin examines the Memorial Day holiday through a Buddhist lens, particularly looking at the ethical dilemmas in the oaths taken in our society.

    Two Zen Stories: Sanctuary and Compassion

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2025 41:26


    05/24/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the twin themes of refuge and compassion in Cases 4 and 54 of the Book of Serenity.

    Finding True Refuge

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 53:14


    05/21/2025, Monitsu Pamela Weiss, dharma talk at City Center. Monitsu Pamela Weiss explores the theme of True Refuge as reorientation and wholehearted dedication to awakening, truth and love.

    The Heart Sutra and Suffering

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 37:35


    This talk was given at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Zenshinji) by Shoren Heather Iarusso. Shoren discusses how we get stuck in concepts and cause our own suffering. Recorded on May 21, 2025.

    Living in Relationality

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2025 37:53


    05/17/2025, Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi, dharma talk at City Center. Former Abbot Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi discusses lessons from a life of practice, and from close observation of Shunryu Suzuki's life and teachings.

    The Bodhisattva Way

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 27:01


    05/14/2025, Myogen Kathryn Stark, dharma talk at Tassajara. In this talk, Myogen Kathryn Stark talks about Shantideva, his work on the Way of the Bodhisattva, and how we apply this to our own lives.

    How Views Shape the World

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 29:10


    05/14/2025, Tatsudo Nicole Baden, dharma talk at City Center. Tatsudo Nicole Baden explores two foundational Buddhist perspectives: that everything changes (impermanence) and that everything is interconnected (interdependence).

    Innate Love, Innate Wonder

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2025 44:48


    05/11/2025, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, drawing on Suzuki Roshi's teachings, points to Zen practice as fundamentally about opening to the innate love and innate wonder that is our basic nature as human beings.

    What Is The Most Important Thing?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2025 29:31


    05/10/2025, Jisho Lisa Hoffman, dharma talk at Tassajara. In this talk, Jisho Lisa Hoffman reflects on Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, and her teacher Darlene Cohen.

    What Do You Call the World?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2025 47:46


    Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at City Center. Central Abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman takes up Case 12 from the Book of Serenity, titled ‘Dizang Planting the Fields', which touches upon a number of key practice questions that can be beneficial to consider as we encounter and navigate the distressing state of the world.

    Darlene Cohen's Practice of Vow

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 38:36


    05/07/2025, Ryotan Cynthia Kear, dharma talk at Tassajara. During a study week devoted to her teachings, Cynthia shares her memories of her teacher, Darlene Cohen.

    Is Anything Sacred?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 34:15


    05/07/2025, Kim Kōgen Daihō Hart, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk Kim explores where we find the sacred. She considers the foundational Buddhist teaching of the Three Marks of Existence and considers how they might influence what we hold as sacred.

    The Precepts As the Way of Our Life

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2025 43:06


    05/04/2025, Myles Cowherd, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Myles Cowherd outlines core Zen Buddhist teachings and practices, emphasizing the discovery of inherent Buddha-nature, a guided meditation for presence and compassion, and a positive reframing of the precepts as a guide for life.

    Understanding and Appreciation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2025 26:35


    05/03/2025, Peter van der Sterre, dharma talk at Tassajara. In this talk, given at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Zenshinnji), Peter van der Sterre reflects on his years of practice at Zen Center, the people who particularly inspired him, and the value of sitting in community.

    Finding Your True Self

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2025 45:10


    05/03/2025, Yogetsu Akasaka, dharma talk at City Center. Yogetsu Akasaka discusses ikigai, a Japanese concept that refers to having a purpose in life.

    Calling the Earth to Witness

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2025 35:44


    04/27/2025, Myoju Erin Merk, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Myoju Erin Merk reflects on the yogic power of simplicity in Zen practice, emphasizing how grounding ourselves in the present moment can restore steadiness and wholeness amid overwhelm.

    Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Practice

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2025 41:44


    04/26/2025, Sozan Miglioli, dharma talk at City Center. Sozan Miglioli explores the vertical and horizontal dimensions of practice. Understanding this balance between depth and breadth, between going deep and going wide, is key. In today's world, we often lean too far toward one at the expense of the other.

    Like Spring Arising In Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 28:24


    04/16/2025, Shundo David Haye, dharma talk at City Center. Shundo David Haye reflects on the upcoming lay ordination ceremony at Beginner's Mind Temple, and talks about how a teacher sees a student: both how they are right now, and the potential of who they will become through practice.

    Freedom from Spring and Autumn

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2025 47:26


    04/13/2025, Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler reflects on comments from Suzuki Roshi's talks on Case #36 of the Blue Cliff Record, exploring lines like “Buddhists resign from the world of suffering in order to live in the world of perpetual joy” and “human beings prefer the unreal to the real.”

    Wisdom Stories of Tibet

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 28:31


    04/12/2025, Ryuko Laura Burges, dharma talk at City Center. Ryuko Laura Burges, a lay entrusted teacher, talks about the timeless power of story and shares her recent book, Wisdom Stories of Tibet: Tales of Magic, Adventure, and Bravery.

    Like a Fool, Like an Idiot

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 69:11


    04/06/2025, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Kokyo Henkel concludes sesshin and a 6-week study of Zen Ancestor Dongshan's "Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi.”

    song fool idiots zen buddhism zazen sesshin green gulch farm kokyo henkel
    The Art of Just This

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 32:40


    04/02/2025, So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson, dharma talk at City Center. So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson examines the rich intersection between Zen practice and artistic expression—not as a pursuit of perfection, but as a way to return to our true nature.

    The End of the World

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2025 38:30


    03/30/2025, Fu Schroeder, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Senior Dharma Teacher Fu Schroeder uses one of the Jataka Tales to illustrate the Mind Only teachings of the Yogacara tradition—one of the two major schools underlying what came to be called Zen.

    Nothing in the Entire Universe Is Hidden

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2025 40:54


    03/29/2025, Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel, dharma talk at City Center. Abiding Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel explores how the spirit of Dogen's “Tenzo Kyokun” extends beyond sesshin, inviting us to discover how zazen mind manifests in our homes and workplaces.

    Be a Caretaker

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 34:00


    03/28/2025, Doshin Dan Gudgel, dharma talk at City Center. Doshin Dan Gudgel explores the idea of a ‘caretaker' as it relates to the Parental Mind that Dogen encourages in his Tenzo Kyokun text.

    The Dharma Between the Stimulus and the Response

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2025 38:25


    03/23/2025, Gil Fronsdal, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Gil Fronsdal explores the profound importance of pausing between stimulus and response.

    What is the Shape of My Mind?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2025 41:53


    03/22/2025, Onryu Mary Stares, dharma talk at City Center. Onryu Mary Stares speaks about Eihei Dogen Zenji's text “Tenzo Kyokun (Instruction to the Cook)” as part of the March 2025 intensive focus on kitchen practice.

    Rolling Up Your Sleeves

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2025 30:24


    03/19/2025, Judith Keenan, dharma talk at City Center. Judith Keenan explores the relationship between temple kitchen work and other types of work practice, and presents a short video interview with Sojun Mel Weitsman.

    You Are Not It, In Truth It Is You

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2025 58:10


    03/16/2025, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Stories of our Chinese Zen Ancestor Dongshan, and his poem about nonduality: our life is like facing a jewel mirror - form and reflection behold each other. Both our sense of subjectivity and sense of objectivity are merely changing reflections on the unchanging mirror of buddha-nature.

    stories zen buddhism zazen green gulch farm kokyo henkel
    We Are Always Cooking

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 39:03


    03/15/2025, Sozan Michael McCord, dharma talk at City Center. Sozan Michael McCord looks at Zen kitchen practice and work practice generally, connecting to the joy of activity, learning to care and venerate all things, and how to have a broad vast mind for holding what arises.

    Here is the Mystic Peak

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2025 45:30


    03/09/2025, Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Abbot Jiryu Rutschman-Byler explores the practice of seeing the present moment, just as it is, as “the mystic peak” of spiritual fulfillment, with reference to Suzuki Roshi's comments on case #23 of the Blue Cliff Record.

    Dogen in the Western Zen Kitchen

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2025 51:26


    03/08/2025, Zenki Mary Mocine, dharma talk at City Center. Zenki Mary Mocine speaks about Eihei Dogen Zenji's text “Tenzo Kyokun (Instruction to the Cook)” as part of the March 2025 intensive focus on kitchen practice.

    Dogen's Kitchen

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 27:39


    03/05/2025, Teah Strozer, dharma talk at City Center. Teah Strozer speaks about Eihei Dogen Zenji's text “Tenzo Kyokun (Instruction to the Cook)” as part of the March 2025 intensive focus on kitchen practice.

    Jewel Mirror Samadhi

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2025 43:49


    03/02/2025, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. An introduction to this ancient Zen poem that is often recited at SF Zen Center and Soto Zen temples around the world. The metaphor of a mirror and its reflections to clarify buddha-nature and the world of experience is offered by the Buddha in various sutras, and by many Zen ancestors as well.

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