Podcasts about Dharma talk

It's been a surreal week. We must recognize that we are in a fundamentally altered reality. It's quite disorienting, so perhaps we can come together and begin to explore how to navigate it. Peg offers this Dharma talk: “What are we seeking?” It's an important inquiry, so we hope you will join us! Photo by Ben Syverson Chicago, July 16, 2026

In this dharma talk by Berry Crawford we will look at the practical ways that Zen allows us to deal with emotionally difficult situations in daily life. For more Zen interviews, dharma talks and online Zen training, visit: https://simplicityzen.com/ 

The New Moon invites you to set down your suffering, your stories (history), our ancestors stories. Then, practice staying in a state of internal harmony and happiness. rather than look to far back or to far foward...soften your gaze and open your heart to be present with all that is unfolding around you. During the entrance into this new lunar cycle, we are being given an opportunity let go of any and all suffering that has been in and around us over these past few days. Clearing out our entire system to be free of the burdens we have carried forward with us each day. Simply. Listen. Reflect.The New Moon reached full potency on Tuesday, July 14,  2026, From the traditional ways of the earth, these moments like the New MOON(s) are best met with silence and non-verbal listening. Contemplation:Are you ready to set down your stories?Are you ready to be in harmony with self and the world around you? Are you ready to practice being in a state of contentment, happiness...divine love?Weekly talks are an offering to assist you in diving deeper into a spiritual practice, exploring your inner landscape, and cultivating inner peace.Time Stamps: Dharma 0:00 | Meditation 21:00 | Sound :44 | Outro 1:21:00MusicRandom Rab  Up Coming Shows:‘Just Me' by Cadre Scott Sound Suzanne Toro Producer: Dante Marino Production brought to you by OmToro Wellness + MediaMind Training: 8 Limbs Yoga Session: Weekly Writings and Well BeingHumanity + Earth Friendly Goodies:SuperfeastLiving TeaKindSpringFormula FlawlessBalance + Focus Quick LinkOra CacoaBook: SunPlayHoney Bee Hippie

Joel shares reflections on Pema Chodran's book “How We Live is How We Die” and Tibetan Buddhists' work to live life to prepare for the transition from life to death. Joel also reads from Stephen Levine's book “A Year to Live.” We hear a reading from the chapter titled “Fear of Fear." Joel leads us in Levine's “soft belly meditation.”

What might it look like to live a life energized by something other than preference? Recently, while getting feedback on a decision the teachers were considering, Nate was challenged by a council member to consider if a life outside of preference is even possible. Nate thinks it is, though it's not easy to come by. In this talk, we explore possibilities together. The text of the Hsin Hsin Ming can be found in the Appamada chant book at https://appamada.org/study.

Recorded on June 20, 2026, at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY In this dharma talk, Charlie brings up BZC involvement with Pride Month and discusses the practice of conversation – being in conversation with others, with our experience, and with everything – as a basis of liberation from suffering. He suggests elements of accountability to keep in mind so that literal conversations can be mutually liberating and help to build a truly inclusive sangha. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Anne Sendo Osho gave this Dharma Talk during the third day of Summer Sesshin 2026 at Chobo-Ji. This talk explores the necessity of being mindful and transcending fear of our own death.

Kim gives a dharma talk on "Coleus in the Garden" and other koans.

Most of us have a favorite way of getting stuck. A particular dance we do — the old pattern in new clothes, the familiar mistake in a new context, the same persistent bad habit, again. Today, we look at stuckness not as a problem to be solved but as something we might actually need. The Buddha had something to say about this, as did Suzuki Roshi. And you'll get to find out which kind of horse you are.

For the last two Sundays, we investigated the ditches of comfort and striving. This week, we turn to what's between them, what some describe as effortless effort. Joko Beck describes this as pure activity: Pure activity is very rare. There's nearly always a shadow, a film over it. We may not be aware of that; we may just be aware of some tension. There's no tension in pure activity, beyond the physical contraction required to do the activity itself. This activity is something altogether different from our comfort-seeking and striving. It arises and unfolds. This Sunday, we explore it together.

Recorded on May 16, 2026 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. Please enjoy this dharma talk by BZC teacher Sarah Dōjin Emerson. Sarah explores the teachings of Zen master and author Norma Wong about the wisdom of community and collective leading; and the teachings of Paula Arai on ceremonies of healing. Sarah's talk includes Norma Wong Roshi's chanting practice of calling in aloha through collective chanting, and shares Wong Roshi's connection between the indigenous Hawaiian meaning of aloha, and her Zen teacher's understanding of aloha as compassion manifested. Sarah reads briefly from Norma Wong's latest book, Who We Are Becoming Matters. Sarah also mentioned the podcast episode "Reverence for Death," with Prentis Hemphill and Alua Arthur, from the Becoming the People podcast. https://becomingthepeople.buzzsprout.com/1108100/episodes/19167987-reverence-for-death-with-alua-arthur Some information about the authors mentioned: Norma Wong (Norma Ryūkō Kawelokū Wong Roshi) is an 86th generation Zen master and a Native Hawaiian and Hakka Chinese life-long resident of Hawai'i. She is the author of the books Who We Are Becoming Matters: The Courage, Wisdom, and Aloha We Need in a Timeplace of Collapse (2026), and When No Thing Works: A Zen and Indigenous Perspective on Resilience, Shared Purpose, and Leadership in the Timeplace of Collapse (2024). https://www.normawong.com/ Dr. Paula Arai is a Sōtō Zen practitioner, Chair of Women and Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies at UC Berkeley, and faculty at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Her focus of study is the practices of Japanese Sōtō Zen laywomen. Her latest book is The Little Book of Zen Healing: Japanese Rituals for Beauty, Harmony, and Love (2023). https://www.zenhealing.org/

"Not Picking Up What I'm Putting Down" Is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the difference between carrying something and controlling it, why the mind clings to burdens that no longer serve us, and how the Buddha's teachings point toward a deep form of relief found through through wisdom, discernment, and learning what can finally be set down. I hope you find it useful! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

Last week we sat with the cost of comfort. Today, we turn to comfort's restless cousin: striving. Most of us have a complicated relationship with achievement — driven by it, exhausted by it, quietly convinced that enough effort will finally get us somewhere. Dogen had thoughts. He opens the fascicle Bendowa with a puzzle: "This Dharma is abundantly present in each human being, but if we do not practice it, it does not manifest itself, and if we do not experience it, it cannot be realized." Not a permission slip for striving, nor a dismissal of it either, Dogen points to something stranger: the Dharma is already fully here — and yet it requires us. What kind of effort is that? And what does it mean for those of us who arrive on the cushion with an internal scoreboard already running? We explore together today.

How comfortable have you gotten? Is the room the perfect temperature? Does Alexa/Siri/Gemini answer all of your questions instantly? Is that difficult conversation still scheduled for someday later? Dogen's teacher, Tendō Nyojō, carried his cushion in his sleeve. He sat until he ached. At sixty-five he still didn't claim to understand zazen, yet still hadn't missed a day in decades. Nate offers a dharma talk on what comfort costs us. Dōgen called the alternative gyoji. We explore it together.

"Holding the Middle Way - Learning to Use Who We Are," Dharma Talk by Rev. Ginger

"Something Has Changed" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation offered at MindfulnessVR on the subtle and often surprising nature of genuine happiness. Sometimes transformation appears in a simple moment where we suddenly realize, “I think I'm actually okay.” This talk explores contentment, healing, friendship, gratitude, emotional resilience, and the gradual rewiring of the heart through practice. And, crucially, it's about paying attention so that we notice when it happens! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

We have been in a passage of detours. Some unexpected and others understood. As we enter this new lunar cycle, it is an opportunity to honor any delays with a deeper awareness that this is divine timing. Coupled with a willingness to sync up with our true organic nature of spiraling out and adhering with the natural cycels that surround you where you are currently living. SIMPLY put. Throw out the bankers calender for the majority of your day to day living. Start syncing up to your relationship with your ecosystem internally and externally.During this lunar cycle we are being given an opportunity to take a detour with wonderment and awareness. Then, when you have deep knowing you will be ready to transfer your highest and best in every moment for the benefit of all. As inspired, keep your eyes open and prepare to transfer her what is needed.Simply. Listen. Reflect and then gently move into forward motion.The New Moon reached full potency on Saturday, May 16, 2026, From the traditional ways of the earth, these moments like the New MOON(s) are best met with silence and non-verbal listening. It is an opportunity to shed which no longer serves.Contemplation: What detour have you just traveresed? Do you understand what you want to ‘share with others'? How do you want to support other's well being and yours in the process?Weekly talks are an offering to assist you in diving deeper into a spiritual practice, exploring your inner landscape, and cultivating inner peace.Time Stamps: Dharma 0:00 | Meditation 55:00 | Sound 1:15 | Outro 1:35:00MusicRandom Rab  Up Coming Shows:‘Just Me' by Cadre Scott Sound Suzanne Toro Producer: Dante Marino Production brought to you by OmToro Wellness + MediaMind Training: 8 Limbs Yoga Session: Weekly Writings and Well BeingHumanity + Earth Friendly Goodies:SuperfeastLiving TeaKindSpringFormula FlawlessBalance + Focus Quick LinkOra CacoaBook: SunPlayHoney Bee Hippie

"Another Chapter" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the topics of change, impermanence, and letting go. This talk was inspired by my favorite social book tracker app shutting down. It's been my favorite place for over a year, and it's closing up shop. This made me think of the MindfulnessVR community (where this talk was given) and all the changes we have encountered, grieved, and survived. It seems only natural to offer a talk that might help another community through their own suffering of loss like this. I hope someone will find it helpful!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

In this Disciple's Dharma Talk given on December 12, 2025, Reverend Kensei speaks to the necessity and power that comes from becoming intimate with what is "Thusness", asking for help, and fervent prayer. If you would like to learn more about the Buddhist Temple of Toledo or to make a donation in support of this podcast please visit buddhisttempleoftoledo.org.

Recorded on April 25, 2026, at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY This dharma talk by BZC teacher Charlie Korin Pokorny describes the closing ceremony for the Ancestral Heart Monastery, in Millerton, NY, which took place on April 18, 2026, and offers guidance in how Zen practice addresses loss and grieving. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Reflection question: How have you been shaped or formed by your primary or first relationships?

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is the engine of missing out. The reaching is the leaving. Building on the intensive teachings of Peg, Joel, and Flint, Nate offers a dharma talk on encounter — what it is, why we keep missing it, and what the craving mind is actually building while it's busy looking elsewhere. There is a poem by Mary Oliver (below). There is a koan or two. There is a story about a youth soccer game that went poorly for a vocal subset of parents, the dharma teacher in attendance, and every available adult on the sideline— though notably not for the seven-year-olds. Except from Mary Oliver's poem, "At the River Clarion": 1. I don't know who God is exactly. But I'll tell you this. I was sitting in the river named Clarion, on a water splashed stone and all afternoon I listened to the voices of the river talking. Whenever the water struck a stone it had something to say, and the water itself, and even the mosses trailing under the water. And slowly, very slowly, it became clear to me what they were saying. Said the river I am part of holiness. And I too, said the stone. And I too, whispered the moss beneath the water. I'd been to the river before, a few times. Don't blame the river that nothing happened quickly. You don't hear such voices in an hour or a day. You don't hear them at all if selfhood has stuffed your ears. And it's difficult to hear anything anyway, through all the traffic, the ambition.

(Gaia House) The Buddha called the noble eightfold path the middle way. The middle way stands for a basic principle that can be applied to many areas of our life. Our relationship to sense pleasures, energy, emotions, social responsibilities and hope vs. fear. It means not getting caught in dualities or polarities, not fixating on any extreme, but finding creative ways to deal with the complexities and ambiguities of human life.

(Gaia House) The Buddha called the noble eightfold path the middle way. The middle way stands for a basic principle that can be applied to many areas of our life. Our relationship to sense pleasures, energy, emotions, social responsibilities and hope vs. fear. It means not getting caught in dualities or polarities, not fixating on any extreme, but finding creative ways to deal with the complexities and ambiguities of human life.

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

This is a teisho – like a cross between a Dharma Talk and guided meditation. Teisho are sometimes called "encouragement talks," and they are meant to help listeners connect with the Dharma in the spaciousness and silence of zazen. Teisho are not about explanations or the imparting of information, and they generally are not recorded. They are offered spontaneously, just for the moment, just for those listening. Although you may not be sitting zazen while you listen to this episode, I thought I would offer you a teisho as if you are.

(Gaia House) Right or wise intention is the second path factor in the noble eightfold path and it comprises the three qualities of renunciation, non-ill will and non-cruelty. They are wholesome qualities that lead to our own welfare and the welfare of others. The talk discusses the discourse MN 19 in which the Buddha describes how he came to this understanding and how they can be cultivated.

(Gaia House) Right or wise intention is the second path factor in the noble eightfold path and it comprises the three qualities of renunciation, non-ill will and non-cruelty. They are wholesome qualities that lead to our own welfare and the welfare of others. The talk discusses the discourse MN 19 in which the Buddha describes how he came to this understanding and how they can be cultivated.

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

2026-04-26 | Dharma Talk | No Gaining Mind | Ellen Hippard by Appamada

Dharma Talk by Ven. Kanji Argetsinger.  Automated Transcript The post Living in the Grass Hut appeared first on Rochester Zen Center.

Instructions for small group activity: Divide into groups of 3. Groups of 2 are ok. Take 2 minutes for each role. Each person will have an opportunity to share, be heard, and bear witness. Person 1 will share what they like in what they see/hear/experience about Person 2. Person 3 will listen, hold the space, and notice. They will then share their observations with person 1 & 2. Person 2 can reflect about what they have heard and what it means to them to be noticed in that way, Then change roles and repeat. Additional discussion question: what would you need to change to bring out the qualities in yourself that you see in others?

"Living Fully Through Understanding Life and Death," Dharma Talk by Rev. Jieun

Recorded on April 4, 2026 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. Please enjoy this dharma talk by BZC teacher Sarah Dōjin Emerson, which explores allowing the principle of care to guide our interactions in all settings and relationships. Sarah Sensei refers to the following online sources: “Care is a Lifeforce,” episode of the podcast “Becoming the People with Prentis Hemphill,” with guest Ai-jin Poo. https://becomingthepeople.buzzsprout.com/1108100/episodes/18866180-care-is-a-lifeforce-with-ai-jen-poo “Moving Toward the Horizon of Love Together,” episode of the podcast “How to Survive the End of the World,” adrienne maree brown in conversation with Sonya Renee Taylor. https://endoftheworldshow.org/episodes/moving-toward-the-horizon-of-love-together-with-sonya-renee-taylor “Awareness Alone Is Not a Strategy,” post on Adrianna DiFazio's Substack newsletter, “Radical Change.” https://open.substack.com/pub/adrianadifazio/p/awareness-alone-is-not-a-strategy?r=1kh014&utm_medium=ios The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

References: "Nothing Holy About It," by Tim Burkett Hsin Hsin Ming, Appamada chant book (https://appamada.org/s/Appamada-Chant-Book.pdf) "The Wakeful Body," Willa Baker

(Uncontrived)

Two Paths to Freedom from Adversity - Dharma Talk by Rev. Yoo

Stand on Our Own: Cultivating Self-Power, Dharma Talk by Ginger

This talk was given by Mikey Noechel at the Imperfect, Impersonal, Impermanent Meditation Retreat on Jan. 28th - Feb. 1st, 2026 in Sewanee, TN. This is the first evening dharma talk. Enjoy! Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.orgDONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donateFollow Us on Socials!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation

From the Sunday mentoring group. Consider joining us: https://www.davesmithdharma.com/mentoring/     https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing.

(Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community) Dharma Talk: Stillness helps us to see patterns of the mind and heart so that we can work wisely with them. This talk explores how to meet unpleasant, pleasant, and neither strongly unpleasant or pleasant experiences with wisdom with the intention to support peace.