Podcasts about great doubt

Del cofre selecto con las joyas musicales del año siguen saliendo álbumes en un tercer volúmen con todas estas referencias. Playlist:Helado Negro - I Just Want To Wake Up With You ('PHASOR')Brittany Howard - Red Flags ('What Now')Julia Holter - Spinning ('Something in the Room She Moves')Cassandra Jenkins - Delphinium Blue ('My Light, My Destroyer')Fabiana Palladino, Jai Paul - I Care ('Fabiana Palladino')Clairo - Slow Dance ('Charm')Astrid Sonne - Give my all ('Great Doubt')Kendrick Lamar, SZA - luther ('GNX')Kali Uchis, Peso Pluma - Igual Que Un Ángel ('Orquideas')Ezra Collective, Olivia Dean - No One's Watching Me ('Dance, No One's Watching')Kamasi Washington, BJ The Chicago Kid - Together ('Fearless Movement')Michael Kiwanuka - One And Only ('Small Changes')Tyler, The Creator - Judge Judy ('Chromakopia')Escuchar audio

Today we look at the work of Keiji Nishitani. We examine Nihilism in a deeper way than we've ever covered on the podcast before. We talk about The Great Doubt. Zen Buddhism. Sunyata. The self as similar to structural linguistics. Hope you enjoy it! :) Sponsors: Lumen: https://www.lumen.me/PT Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help.  Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis  Social: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

This dharma talk was given by Shonin, Dharma Holder at Great Vow Zen Monastery on October 13th, 2024 during Ancient Way Sesshin. In this talk Shonin discusses the Genjo Koan and how it expresses Dogen Zenji's Great Doubt or investigation. ★ Support this podcast ★

Every time you consider the past, you put yourself in that same memory of the past. How was Moses able to overcome all he faced while leading the children of Isreal out? His focus was on God. Focus is a function of sight of the mind. A state of avoiding any distraction. Heb 11:27 NIV says: By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.   What you give attention, to will rule your life. You become what/who you behold --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-lights-house/message

Bright on Buddhism Episode 81 - What is "the great doubt" in Buddhism? How does one cultivate it? Why ought one cultivate it? Resources: Berzin, Alexander (2006), Primary Minds and the 51 Mental Factors; Guenther, Herbert V. & Leslie S. Kawamura (1975), Mind in Buddhist Psychology: A Translation of Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan's "The Necklace of Clear Understanding" Dharma Publishing. Kindle Edition.; Kunsang, Erik Pema (translator) (2004). Gateway to Knowledge, Vol. 1. North Atlantic Books.; Nina van Gorkom (2010), Cetasikas, Zolag; https://terebess.hu/zen/great_doubt.pdf; https://tricycle.org/magazine/great-faith-great-doubt-great-determination/; Abe, Masao (1989), Zen and Western Thought, translated by William R. LeFleur, University of Hawaii Press; Abe, Masao; Heine, Steven (1996), Zen and Comparative Studies, University of Hawaii Press; Addiss, Stephen; Loori, John Daido, The Zen Art Book: The Art of Enlightenment; D.T. Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series (1927), Second Series (1933), Third Series (1934); Lu K'uan Yu (Charles Luk), Ch'an and Zen Teachings, 3 vols (1960, 1971, 1974), The Transmission of the Mind: Outside the Teaching (1974); Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957); Philip Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen (1966); Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970); Katsuki Sekida, Zen Training: Methods & Philosophy (1975); Heine, Steven (2007), "A Critical Survey of Works on Zen since Yampolsky" (PDF), Philosophy East & West, 57 (4): 577–592, doi:10.1353/pew.2007.0047, S2CID 170450246; McRae, John (2004), The Sutra of Queen Śrīmālā of the Lion's Roar and the Vimalakīrti Sutra (PDF), Berkeley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, ISBN 1886439311, archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2014; Welter, Albert (2000), "Mahakasyapa's smile. Silent Transmission and the Kung-an (Koan) Tradition", in Steven Heine; Dale S. Wright (eds.), The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, Oxford: Oxford University Press; Schlütter, Morten (2008), How Zen became Zen. The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, ISBN 978-0-8248-3508-8; Bodiford, William M. (1993), Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 0-8248-1482-7 Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu! Credits: Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

Si lees las letras que Astrid Sonne ha escrito para su álbum 'Great Doubt' te parecerá que este es el disco de una cantautora clásica: profundas, introspectivas, directas y, efectivamente, llenas de dudas. Al escucharlo, vas a encontrar un disco experimental en el que los sintetizadores y el sonido de una viola se intercalan para construir piezas profundamente emotivas. Playlist:Sega Bodega - Deer TeethCaroline Polachek - BillionsShygirl - Crush (feat. Erika de Casier)Erika de Casier - LuckyJamila Woods - StillHiatus Kaiyote - Everything's Beautiful1999 WRITE THE FUTURE - silence STArEs me down (feat. Cuco)Astrid Sonne - Staying hereSaya Gray - ANNIE, PICK A FLOWER (MY HOUSE)Tourist - ValentineSwimming Paul - SkrtDisclosure - Higher Than Ever Before (Barry Can't Swim remix)STRFKR - ArmatronOmni - INTL WatersSquid - Fugue (Bin Song)Water From Your Eyes - BarleyEscuchar audio

Dharma talk by Melissa Myozen Blacker, Rōshi, on November 7, 2023

1. A Great Doubt-2. A Gracious Command-3. A Good Confesssion

Can we see the extraordinary in the ordinary? How can we discover the sacred in the mundane? In this talk, Tetsugan Tom Baker examines how we can come to realize that we already have everything we need to experience the sacred in our lives. He looks at the common desire for transcendence that underlies most spiritual pursuits, whether Bhakti yoga or Zen practice. Both are deeply rooted in sangha and employ a chanting practice. Bhakti is an exuberant expression of devotion, reciting the names of God;  whereas Zen is to settle the mind, focusing on emptiness and our interconnectedness.   He examines the three conditions for following Zen: Great Faith - not an unquestioning belief, but rather the confidence that arises from practice. Great Doubt - not the paralyzing kind, but an understanding that there is no one "right way."Great Determination - Zen meditation involves no agenda or goal or belief that something extraordinary should happen, which may require years to fully embrace. ______________Tetsugen Tom Baker is a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi. He was ordained by Shinki Mark Lancaster at Dragon's Leap Temple in 2017. He practices in the “Marketplace Priest” tradition. Long active in the Meditation in Recovery group, he was a founder of the off-shoot monthly Zen Men in 2015.Tom works in the Geriatrics Division at UCSF and specializes in Palliative Care and end-of-life issues. He married his husband Gary Dexter in November 2021. Support the show______________ To participate live and be notified of upcoming speakers in advance, please Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaybuddhistfellowship) or visit https://gaybuddhist.org/calendar/ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit www.GayBuddhist.org.There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Dharma Talk by Rev. Dr. Todd Grant Yonkman at Boundless Way Temple 1 December 2022

Patrick Yunen Kelly, Senior Lay Student - Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 08/07/2022 - In this talk, Yunen explores Dogen's teachings on zazen through his Fukanzazengi. One of Dogen's central questions was "If all beings possess the Buddha nature, then what is the need for vigorous practice?" Yunen interweaves an account of Dogen's life with an inquiry into how he practiced this Great Doubt.

Julie Nelson speaks about "Great Doubt." The texts mentioned are on pp. 18 and 57 of the GBZC Sutra Book (2019 Edition). (March 12, 2022)

Extensive recordof Master Dogen's Zen mindand still not enough* * *In the introduction to Dogen's Extensive Record, Eihei Koroku, my copy a gift from Shohaku Okurmura, who collaborated in translating with the American Zen Priest Taigen Dan Leighton, Leighton reminds us that “…Dogen's intent is not to present doctrines of philosophical positions, but to encourage deepening religious practice.” By which, of course Master Dogen means primarily zazen, but also to study these teachings from Buddhism thoroughly in practice, reflecting upon the more obscure or arcane lessons from Buddha on down through the Chinese masters in light of our own experience on the cushion. With the caveat that we are not to assume that a cursory or superficial examination of that experience is dependable. We have to sit still enough, for long enough, for any insight to transpire. How still is still enough? And how long is long enough? Only you can know for sure. If there is any doubt about this in your mind, it is not enough. Doubt itself has to sharpen into Great Doubt, it is said.Shortly afterwards, in the same section, “Using Eihei Koroku as a Practice Tool,” after pointing out that practically 100% of Dogen's teachings are oriented to the practice of zazen, he quotes Bob Dylan as reflecting the same spirit of inquiry in song: “A question in your nerves is lit, yet you know that there is no answer fit to satisfy, ensure you not to quit, to keep it in your mind and not forget, that it is not he or she or them or it that you belong to.” Quintessentially American, the creativity in Dylan is more than matched by that of Dogen, in inspiring this essentially scientific, and yet poetic, approach to Zen.Owing to the exhaustive and extensive, encyclopedic nature of this collection of Dogen's teachings, 645 pages not including appendices, with most of the recorded live teachings being brief enough to fit more than one to a page, it is not possible to deal with in any comprehensive fashion here. Instead, I will offer the tiniest tip of the iceberg, quoting Dharma Hall Discourse number 431. This is not exactly an arbitrary choice on my part, as it is about where I am in the full re-reading of the text, cover-to-cover. This one is fairly typical in its length, as well as Master Dogen's spontaneous approach to expounding upon well-known (at that time) historical events and classical teachings from Chinese Buddhism. It also touches on what I feel is one of the most compelling events in the history of Zen Buddhism, the first meeting and exchange of the Sixth Ancestor in China, commonly referred to as Huineng, with his teacher, the Fifth Ancestor Daman Hongren. It also resonates, in my opinion, with a contemporary issue of considerable concern, friction and frustration, that of immigration. [Brackets are by the translators.] Southern Buddha Nature431. Dharma Hall DiscourseI can remember, lay practitioner Lu [later the sixth ancestor, Dajian Huineng] visited the fifth ancestor [Daman Hongren].The [fifth] ancestor asked, “Where are you from?”Lu replied, “I am from Lingnan in the south.”The ancestor asked, “What is it you are seeking?”Lu said, “I seek to become a buddha.”The ancestor said, “People from the south have no Buddha nature.”Lu said, “People have south or north; the Buddha nature does not have south or north.”The ancestor realized that this person was a vessel [of Dharma], and allowed him to enter the hall for lay postulants.Although the fifth ancestor and sixth ancestor spoke like this, I, their descendant Eiheiji, have a bit more to say. Great assembly, would you like to understand this clearly? Although [Lu] picked up a single blade of grass, he had not yet offered five flowers.The footnotes, which are another asset of this volume, are quite extensive in themselves, filling in the blanks for those readers who are not especially scholarly, such as myself. Here they explain that “Lingnan is a large section of Canton, in south China. People from Lingnan were considered provincial and ignorant.” This is where I find the resonance with the contemporary contempt, expressed in certain circles, for our neighbors to the south, in Mexico and beyond. But buddha-nature, much like human nature, cannot be consigned to only those who are like us. It's either all or nothing, no exceptions.Note that he starts by saying “I can remember,” which he does frequently. I think this may be equivalent to the traditional “Thus have I heard” introducing teachings attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha, as a way of authenticating them. Here, Dogen's memory must be of an anecdote he has studied in writing, or one that his teachers had quoted. Nowadays of course we have the more labor-intensive requirement to thoroughly and accurately attribute any quote to its proximate source, usually in print format, but more and more from online search engines and live or recorded audio-video sources, such as this podcast. The Internet has at one and the same time made this infinitely more doable, and infinitely more complex. We literally have whole libraries at our fingertips, as opposed to scrolls of rice paper.Also in Fukanzazengi, Master Dogen urges us to “…give up even the idea of becoming a buddha” when we begin zazen, after “stopping the function of your mind” to engage in judgmental discourse. Huineng's declaration that this is indeed his purpose would thus normally be taken as the unenlightened view of the novice, but he had had some definitively profound experience leading up to this meeting, when overhearing a monk reciting the Diamond Cutter Sutra, a line defining the true nature of Mind had hit him like a ton of bricks. He had made his way to Hongren's monastery to clarify the Great Matter, without having had any training in, or study of, buddha-dharma. He was said to be illiterate, at least in the context of his times, and was a relatively young man, somewhere in his mid-twenties. This also happens to be the age that our founder, Matsuoka Roshi, came to America, and my age when I met him in the 1960s in Chicago.Hongren's teasing statement that southerners have no buddha-nature is similar to what my fellow Zen students in Chicago said, when I announced that I was moving to Atlanta, in part to bring Zen to the South. They retorted, “Southerners do not do Zen!” I responded, “That's the point!” So now we are the Southern School of Sudden enlightenment, as Huineng's sect was later known. Actually, of course, the binary of sudden and gradual cannot be separated anymore than hot and cold, light and dark. We are suddenly awakened in the moment, or moment-after-moment, but it took the whole of history of the universe to get here. Lung-ya's “Those who in the past were not enlightened will now be enlightened.”Note that Hongren allowed Huineng to “enter the hall for lay postulants.” This tells us that by that time, lay practice was recognized, and perhaps “separate but equal” to that for monastics. Just as Master Dogen had respected the hierarchy in the Chinese monastery of his teacher Rujing, with himself as an outlander at the bottom of the totem pole, apparently the distinction between bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, versus lay men and women, had survived from Buddha's India down to the 600s of the common era.The “five flowers,” as another footnote informs us, “…may refer to the five houses of Ch'an that derived from Huineng's influence. But Dogen's statement implies the need to see multiplicity as well as the oneness of Buddha nature.” Again, contemporary perspectives on ideology reflected in ancient wisdom. The current term of art would be “diversity” rather than multiplicity, perhaps, but the implication is the same. The oneness is seen in the “single blade of grass,” an image that is frequently used in Zen literature to indicate the wholeness in the particular, the many reflected in the one. As Dogen says in Fukanzazengi, “The buddha-way is leaping clear of the many and the one…” The reality is that both things are true at the same time. Simultaneity takes precedence over linearity.Dogen closes with his boilerplate signoff, including a claim to be descended from the old guys whom he remembers having this run-in, and follows with a clarification that is only clarifying if you already have a clue as to what he is talking about. This amounts to the tip of the tip of the iceberg — that part that may be brushed off by the wing of an eagle flying by once a year — to steal from an old metaphor for immeasurability. I hope it has been enough to dig deeper into this early genius of Zen, the founder of our Soto practice, in Japan's medieval time. You could do worse than to at least read the Shobogenzo if you want more than cursory glimpse of Japan's greatest thinker — one who taught the art of nonthinking.* * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Kyōsaku Jon Mitchell

Let us talk about God, shall we? What else? This is how GP Walsh and I kick off this special edition of Decide to Transform. GP joins me for two shows each month as Executive Contributor, providing you the listener with unique opportunities to hear the thoughts and experience of a master spiritual teacher. Join us as we consider God--nothing more, nothing less. Somewhere along the way, the Ineffable became a power figure, and remains so to this day in societies throughout the world. Rather than an experience that knows itself, God became a fact, a thing. GP describes for us the importance of Self-Inquiry in knowing who we truly are, and sitting in the "Great Doubt" as described in Eastern spiritual traditions, i.e. questioning everything and being willing to have Truth revealed as you, not just to you. The Great Doubt is the doorway.  Are you ready to sit in it? --- GP Walsh has spent a lifetime studying various world spiritual traditions, and is a student of Non-Dual Self Inquiry master Sri Mooji. GP teaches on a variety of subjects, and is the creator of the programs The Yoga of Allowing and Inner Reconciliation. GP's teachings are deep, relatable, and compassionate, and they present esoteric concepts in an easy-to-understand format.  For more information about GP and his retreats, certification courses, and classes, visit gpwalsh.com. ---

Nothing to attain!Oh, what a relief it is —this no-attainment* * *The third section of the Heart Sutra begins with the declaration that, although we speak of the difficulty of achieving the spiritual awakening of the Buddha, it finally cannot be an attainment:With nothing to attain, a bodhisattva relies on prajna paramitaSo what is this “prajna paramita” upon which the bodhisattva relies, in the absence of any such attainment? First we should recall that “bodhisattva” means “being,” the sattva part, and “awakening” or “enlightening,” the bodhi part. Presumably a human being, as other sentient beings are not considered capable of this process, owing to causes and conditions of their level of awareness; and awakening preferable to enlightenment, as it is a gerund form of noun, meaning it functions as a verb, an ongoing process. A bodhisattva is then anyone on the path to awakening, as was Buddha before his profound insight. You and I, all human beings, are on this path, whether we know it or not. Those who admit to it are bodhisattvas, no matter the degree or depth of insight they may evince at present.“Prajna paramita” is often translated as “perfection of wisdom,” for which, again, and for similar reasons, “perfecting” is preferable, indicating an ongoing process rather than a state of existence. And wisdom is recognized as a result of practicing or perfecting the other five paramitas — namely generosity or charity, precepts (ethics or morality), patience or forbearance, effort or energy, and lastly concentration or contemplation (we usually call meditation) — rather than regarding wisdom as an isolate that can be developed separately, or gained by sudden insight, a change of perspective. Would it were that easy.So this emphasis on process, rather than attainment, is intrinsic to the open-ended, long-term nature of Buddhism’s worldview and the practice of Zen, particularly its meditation. We practice zazen in the midst of the chaos of our everyday world without the additional burden of any expectation that we will attain some special, out-of-the-ordinary reward, called “enlightenment.” We are all enlightened, in that we have recognized the Dharma and are focusing our attention on it. That we are practicing Zen Buddhism at all is proof positive of this prosaic meaning — even though it is not yet Buddha’s awakening — much like the common cultural meme of enlightened self-interest. This distinction is necessary to embrace the idea that awakening itself is not something that we can do intentionally, but the natural result of a process that can come to fruition.The sutra goes on to clarify:and thus the mind is without hindrance — without hindrance, there is no fearAlong with setting aside the hindrance of the idea of attainment, all such expectations of something positive — and their doppelgängers, fear of negative developments — are cleared from the mind. This is the monkey mind of fame, the mind that imagined expectations of something to gain, or attain, in the first place.As with most Buddhist teachings, the traditional view of what constitutes a hindrance to the clear mind organizes them into a set, and enumerates them as a mnemonic for purposes of memorization. Remember, these teaching were not written down, but only spoken, for the first four centuries or so of their propagation. The classic hindrances, like the skandhas, are five in number: sensory desire or pursuit of pleasure; ill will toward others, sloth, or torpor, particularly in the pursuit of one’s meditation practice; restlessness or worry, which today we call anxiety; and doubt, particularly insidious doubt directed toward the Buddhist teachings themselves.Because fear finds its provenance in doubt, the sutra assures us that we will become fearless, especially in pursuit of awakening, and in the face of the circumstances of our daily lives, even when elevated to klaxon levels of pandemic and resulting panic. Worst case scenarios include panic attack, which often has no identifiable proximate cause, but feels life-threatening nonetheless.But we should keep in mind that doubt is not a bad thing in Zen. In fact, keeping one’s doubt at a keen edge is one of the ancient admonitions in Zen. Like sharpening the sword of Manjusri, in order to cut through all delusion, relatively petty doubts, such as regards our own understanding of this difficult teaching, are nurtured, and allowed to grow, until they accumulate to the level of Great Doubt, in which our entire existence is called into question. The universe becomes just one big question-mark. Then, the resolution of this koan of reality will be commensurate in scale. All minor doubts can be resolved only if and when the central, fundamental doubt of not-knowing is embraced and transcended.far beyond all inverted views, one realizes nirvanaFurther, the sutra assures us, this resolution clarifies all of our views up till now to be inverted, or in the charming phrase of the original translation I learned, “topsy-turvy.”The jargon term, “nirvana,” here is not capitalized, which helps to normalize it, as simply the worldview that one develops through this process of embracing the ambiguity of an attainment in which nothing is really attained. Getting beyond what is between us and the clarity of Zen’s take on reality is a matter of seeing this nothing that is to be attained, revealing the true source of our anxieties, doubts, hindrances and fears, and learning to live with them. Buddhism is not about avoiding suffering. Zen is about embracing it. Zazen is what to do about it. Sit with it. It is your best friend, and means you no harm.The next bit is a bit like the “Thus have I heard” intro to all sutras. The messenger wants to assure us of the validity and historicity of the message to follow. We are not making this up:All buddhas of past present and future rely on prajna paramitaAny so-called buddha worthy of the name emerges from the swamp of human existence by virtue of their reliance on the perfecting of wisdom, and no other process will result in the same, authentic credentialing. This cannot be gotten at through learning, intelligence, erudition or scholarship, and is not something you can glean from the leavings of others. Everyone climbing the Zen mountain has to climb all the way from the bottom to the top. And more difficult, perhaps, all the way back down. Otherwise, without re-entering the fray, all of that effort was for naught. In the beginning, the middle, and the end, the bodhisattva relies on perfecting the process of practice leading to wisdom, and the buddha, the awakened one, is at one and the same time the manifestation and the continuation of this same process. There is no end to it, and actually, there was never any beginning. It is buddha seeking buddha from womb to tomb and beyond, from time immemorial and endlessly into the fog of the future.This section closes with a seeming contradiction:and thereby attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenmentSo, now you tell me! What is attained in unattainment is unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment — in Sanskrit anuttara samyak sambodhi — another jargon term bandied about, as if we cognoscenti know what it means, and you hoi polloi don’t. Don’t be fooled. Even Buddha did not know the entire meaning of his experience. But that did not stop him from attempting to share it with others. Notoriously, there were those in his times that did not get it, refused to listen, insisted on arguing, even tried to assassinate him, if you believe the story. But I think we are left with this ambiguity, that while this is no attainment — nothing to see here, just keep moving along — at the same time, it is the only worthwhile thing to aspire to, in spite of the slings and arrows, disparagement and disrespect from others, that pursuit of awakening may bring down upon our heads. Throw the words away, and pay attention to the reality to which they are pointing. Then all will be well with you. Let nothing stop you, because nothing but yourself can stop you.* * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Kyōsaku Jon Mitchell

Zen invites us not to simply answer the questions, but to question the answers. Jonathan Prescott explores how to use the open mind of Great Doubt to foster awe, wonder, humility, and connection.

Pushing on an unlocked door that opens towards us -- getting beyond the self/other split Main source: Shattering the Great Doubt: the Chan Practice of Huado by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Some of the different forms our doubt may take. Main source: Shattering the Great Doubt: the Chan Practice of Huado by Chan Master Sheng Yen

The nature of Great Doubt and its origin in our sense of alienation Main source: Shattering the Great Doubt: the Chan Practice of Huado by Chan Master Sheng Yen

What is the point of practice if so few experience deep awakening? Practice as a process of tenderising. St Francis and the wolf of Gubbio. Main source: Shattering the Great Doubt: the Chan Practice of Huado by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Genjo Marinello Osho gave this informal Dharma talk Sunday evening, May 24, 2020, after zazen at Chobo-Ji. This talk examines the ingredients needed for a strong practice

Special thanks to Jonah Mancino, who edits this podcast and is part of the merry-making machine.Inscrutable riddles (Buddhist koans)The sound of one hand clapping (The air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow)Robin Williams had it (Lewy Body Dementia)Life is sacred but it’s not gonna get better (Hospice and Palliative Care)Whiskers versus Nando (iRobot Roomba vacuum - use this link!)Mrs. Filholm is a little Bah, Humbug (A new word for the quiver: FAFF)John and Merlin: People suck (The podcast on which our show is kinda modeled)

The nature of questioning Text quoted: The Faith to Doubt by Stephen Batchelor

Zazen as a way of dissolving the mirage of ego Text quoted: Silent Illumination by Master Sheng Yen and John Crook

Great Faith, Great Doubt, Great Determination.  Trying to practice without all three of these present is like having a table that's missing a leg. 

In this Dharma talk, given on July 20th 2018, Rinzan Pechovnik Osho examines Case #1 from the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate): Joshu's Mu. When we restrain our habit energy and inhabit Great Doubt (inquiry), we then tap into a resource that restores and fulfills us, and we can see beyond our critical and judgmental mind and open to what is beyond thought and beyond causes and conditions.

Great Doubt is one of the Three Essentials of Zen practice — wherein doubt is not flaky nor pessimistic, but rather a commitment to an ongoing investigation of: what's really going on here? In this dharma talk, Zuisei explores doubt and how the cultivation of this quality leads us to a deeper understanding of the way things are.

1 Potential causes. 2 Potential combatants.

Some basic instruction on working on one's first koan. Text cited: What is This Tricycle Article by Martine Batchelor and Shattering the Great Doubt by Master Sheng Yen.

"Is Everyday a Good Day?" is Tetsugan's Sunday Open Zen talk from November 13, 2016. In the light of the recent election, she invites us to take up the koan, "Everyday is a Good Day" by arousing Great Doubt and sitting down in the midst of our experience.

Stephen Batchelor is a former monk in the Tibetan and Korean Zen traditions with a humanistic, non-dogmatic approach to Buddhism. He is the author of the book Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and the Sounds True audio learning program Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. In this episode, Stephen speaks with Tami Simon about the importance of doubt in spiritual practice, lessons from the historical life of the Buddha, and how he is exploring the Buddha's teachings in a postmodern world. (64 minutes)

Overview - The Great Doubt. Matthew 11: 1-6. We focused today on the great John the Baptist. In this section of scripture, John was in prison and sends his disciples to come to Jesus with a question. "Are you the coming one, or do we look for another"? This question shows us that John the Baptist, doubted Jesus being the Christ. How could John the Baptist doubt, with the knowledge he had of Christ? Come find out. Enjoy. God bless you! - Pastor Ed http://gospelsavingchurch.com

Padmavajra delivers some crazy stuff as we hit koan country! Today’s FBA Podcast titled “Great Doubt” is the seventh in an excellent 8-talk sequence by Padmavajra on Zen Buddhism. The series is full of colourful stories and challenging insights from the lives of the great Masters of China and Japan. A fascinating look at doubt in spiritual life in general, and in the lives of some of the most celebrated practitioners of Zen. Uncompromising stuff towards a more profound level of awareness – steer to the deep! Talk given at Padmaloka Retreat Centre, 2004 This talk is part of the series Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.

Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte, and#8220;Doubt from Faith,and#8221; takes us into some crazy stuff as we hit koan country! In this track, Padmavajra explores materialist versus religious world views, spiritual life without God and the dialectic between Great Faith and Great Doubt. Uncompromising stuff towards a more profound level of awareness and#8211; steer to the deep! FBA Dharmabyte from the full talk, and#8220;Great Doubt,and#8221;, featured in this Saturdayand#8217;s full podcast.

There are times in this Practice when any of us may feel some powerful doubt. Perhaps a Buddha is beyond each and every doubt ... but some say that even he, at times in his life, was given to some doubt. To doubt is human, and faith or trust might be needed to carry us through. And there are times in this Practice which are beyond all doubt. It is sometimes said, 'Great Doubt, Great Awakening'. But I say 'Great Awakening, Great Doubt'. "Great doubt leads to Great Awakening in which the is No Doubt" ... but also "Great Doubt and No Doubt" can come at various times in life, at various moments in a single Zazen sitting ... and truly piercing the meaning of that is Great Awakening! Today’s Sit-A-Long video follows at this link. Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 15 to 35 minutes is recommended. Please visit the forum thread here!

Tami Simon speaks with Stephen Batchelor a former monk in the Tibetan and Koran Zen traditions with a humanistic, non-dogmatic approach to Buddhism. He is the author of the new book Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and the Sounds True audio learning program Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. Stephen speaks about the importance of doubt in spiritual practice, lessons from the historical life of the Buddha, and how he is exploring the Buddha's teachings in a post-modern world. (61 minutes)

Spiritual teaching of Shunyamurti recorded on Tuesday Morning (April 21, 2009) at the Sat Yoga Institute in Costa Rica. Student Questions: 1. A student commented that she was confused about the dual nature of certainty and doubt. Does this dual nature inevitably arise throughout our daily life regardless of selfless efforts? 2. In my life I have always strived to be of service for the planet and friends and family. Yet I feel my efforts and the response I receive from others are never enough and my joy becomes disillusioned and ends up in pain. So my question is this, is life always supposed to be lived with this anomaly between giving and suffering?