Podcasts about Koan

A class given at Berkeley Zen Center on Thursday, June 4th 2026 by Shinshu Roberts.

Send us comments, suggestions and ideas here! In this week's episode we are joined once again by Julian Soloninka, better yet known as Julian the Philosopher to discuss his provocative insights into Cyberpunk Metaphysics; which we discuss in its germinal stages under the inspired headspace of Alan Watts, Alduous Huxley and Gregory Bateson. In the first half of the episode we discuss the impact Alan Watts and Gregory Bateson had on cyberpunk and its corresponding philosophies while investigating the role they played as secret agents each with respective ties to three letter agencies before asking ourselves if we were to meet them on Homerian or Platonic footing. In the extended side of the show we continue our discussion with Julian and discuss prominent author, philosopher and psychonaught, Alduous Huxley; his connection to Jiddu Krishnamurti, the Death of Cleopatra and what it all has to do with Philip K. Dick's theophany. Thank you and enjoy the show! Check out Julian the Philosopher's most recent work:https://medium.com/@jsoloninIn this week's episode we discuss:What is cyberpunk metaphysics?Allan WattsDiogenes Gregory Bateson Carl Jung's The SpyAleister CrowleyJiddu KrishnamurtiV for ApophisSecret Societies Making Our EntertainmentThe Power of The Koan and The Double Bind In the second half of this episode available at www.patreon.com/TheWholeRabbit we follow Julian the Philosopher further down the rabbithole and discuss:Philip K. Dick's TheophanyThe Platonic HeroThe MatrixCleopatraTheosophy, Lucifer and New-ThoughtThe Death of HypatiaAldous HuxleyMore next time….This week's episode was a freestyle Socratic seminar between Julian the Philosopher, Tim Hacker, Luke Madrid, Mari Sama and Heka Astra Where to find The Whole Rabbit:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0AnJZhmPzaby04afmEWOAVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_whole_rabbitTwitter: https://twitter.com/1WholeRabbitOrder Stickers: https://www.stickermule.com/thewholerabbitOther Merchandise: https://thewholerabbit.myspreadshop.com/Music By Spirit Travel Plaza:https://open.spotify.com/artist/30dW3WB1sYofnow7y3V0YoSupport the show

A class given at Berkeley Zen Center on Thursday, May 28th 2026 by Linda Galijan.

A class given at Berkeley Zen Center on Thursday, May 21st 2026 by Linda Galijan.

A class given at Berkeley Zen Center on Thursday, May 14th 2026 by Linda Galijan.

A class given at Berkeley Zen Center on Thursday, May 7th 2026 by Linda Galijan.

1282 ADZG Sunday Morning Shuso Talk about Zazen by Gerrie Griffin The post Shuso Talk 3: The Koan of Don't Know first appeared on Ancient Dragon Zen Gate.

Ven. Samu Sunim public talk on Hwadu Saturday July 16 1994 at the Chicago temple "How to raise the vital question that brings the light of wisdom and spiritual awakening"

Sesshin Day 3: Joshu's Dog. Working with the first Koan Mu by Ordinary Mind Zen School

Belle Gayer presents life from the perspective of a 75-year-old Jewish grandmother, 54 magnificent & terrible years with their beloved, including all the triumphs and tragedies, to host Vegas K Jarrow in this insightful episode. Her wisdom is packed into a single Koan-styled Question that should provoke as much as it inspires: Are Relationships For Suckers?

I'm a big Matt Ruby fan and this is his third time on the show! I have to say—this was pretty funny—comedian Matt and I got high together and went some places I don't think we would have gotten to—for one thing—I said the way he described his dad was hot. I also check in with him about what Claude AI said when I asked:"What would be good advice to comedian matt ruby from a therapist?" We talk about a lot of stuff. Matt describes his parents—a free-spirited woman from Manhattan and his dad, a lawyer, a prosecutor. They were introduced by his grandma and fell in love right away, His father loved comedy which was obv a huge influence on Matt. We also go down a rabbit hole about the ego and the way ego can affect one's own creativity. There's so much in here—and SO MUCH laughing! Sponsored by KOAN pocket elixers. More about Matt Ruby: Website: mattrubycomedy Instagram: @mattrubycomedy Rubesletter Latest Special: Bolo BIO: Matt Ruby is a comedian from New York City. His smart and dark brand of standup is "button-pushing" and "funny" according to the NY Times. His comedy has been filmed by Comedy Central, MTV, NBC/Seeso, and FOX. His newsletters (The Rubesletter and Funny How) have over 17,000 subscribers combined. He also hosts the podcast Kind of a Lot with Matt Ruby. His latest standup special is BOLO. Standupworld on BOLO: “Matt's a New York comedy beast. He's sharp, dark, and funny. BOLO is his awesome special on YouTube and it's something truly worth checking out. It's Matt at his best: raw, real, and ripping into life's absurdities with a signature edge the New York Times called ‘button-pushing' and ‘funny.' His style's a mix of cerebral gut-punches and pitch-black humor. We're diving deep into how he crafted this one, what it's like to sling jokes in today's world, and why he's one of the smartest voices in standup right now.” Previously: In his comedy doc/special Substance, he performs 4 sets on 4 nights (1 high, 1 drunk, 1 sober, and 1 on shrooms). His previous special, Feels Like Matt Ruby is available on YouTube. His comedy albums (including Feels Like Matt Ruby and Hot Flashes,) are in regular rotation on Sirius and went top 10 on the iTunes Comedy charts. He's also been featured on CNN, The Huffington Post, New York magazine, Time Out, and more.  He's a regular at the legendary Comedy Cellar and co-produces Hot Soup there (Tuesdays), one of NYC's longest running independently produced comedy shows, and Good Eggs (Mondays and Wednesdays) at NY Comedy Club. He tours around the country and internationally too. Misguided Meditation is his one-man show about mindfulness, psychedelics, therapy, and death.

Bernd Bender, Dharma-Vortrag am 22. März 2026, Zen-Tag im Akazienzendo, BerlinBernd verbindet das Koan „Nánquáns Pfingstrose wie in einem Traum“ (z.B. Buch der Gelassenheit Fall 91, siehe unten) mit dem Praxisansatz der Yogacara-Schule („Einfach nur Geist“), wie sie u.a. von Vasubandhu im Indien des 4. Jahrhunderts entwickelt wurde. Diesem Ansatz zufolge spaltet das Bewusstsein Selbst und Welt auf. Das „Außen“ erscheint uns dann abgetrennt von uns selbst, während wir diesem Außen gegenüberstehen. In dem Koan taucht das Bild einer Gans auf, die gefangen in einer Flasche aufgewachsen ist. Die Außenwelt sieht sie nur durch milchiges Glas. Indem wir mit dem aufspaltenden Bewusstsein vertraut werden, können wir erleben, dass es sich bei der Abgetrenntheit von der Welt nicht um eine Wahrheit, sondern eine Konstruktion handelt. Zur Konstruktion aufzuwachen bedeutet, dass sie ihre Macht verliert. Anstatt einer Zweiteilung können wir dann sehen, dass Selbst und Welt nicht unabhängig voneinander existieren, sondern in einem Verhältnis, in dem sich beide gegenseitig unaufhörlich hervorbringen.Nánquáns „Pfingstrose“FallDer Beamte Lu Geng sagte zu Nánquán:„Der Lehrmeister Zhao war wahrhaft außergewöhnlich: Er vermochte zu sagen:‚Himmel und Erde haben dieselbe Wurzel, die zehntausend Dinge sind ein einziger Leib.‘“Nánquán zeigte auf eine Pfingstrose im Garten und sagte:„Die Menschen von heute sehen diese Blume wie im Traum.“KommentarLu Geng aus der Tang-Dynastie war Mitglied des obersten Gerichtshofes.Einst fragte er Nánquán:„Ich habe eine Gans in einer Flasche aufgezogen. Allmählich wurde sie zu groß, um wieder herauszukommen.Wie kann man sie nun herausbekommen, ohne die Flasche zu beschädigen oder die Gans zu verletzen?“Nánquán rief: „Herr!“Lu Geng antwortete: „Ja?“Nánquán sagte: „Sie ist draußen.“Bei diesen Worten erwachte Lu Geng.Support the show

In Fall 211 des Shūmon Kattōshū fragte ein Mönch: »Was ist Zen?« Touzi Datong antwortete: »Zen.« Der Mönch fragte weiter: »Was ist, wenn der Mond noch nicht voll ist?« Touzi sagte: »Ich schlucke drei oder vier Zehntel.« Gerade am Anfang erhofft man sich von seinem Zen-Lehrer Antworten auf die vielen Fragen, die man hat. Doch meist fallen diese eher einsilbig aus. Auch die Koan erscheinen uns je nach Lebenslage tiefgründig oder unverständlich, hilfreich oder abwegig. Beide zielen darauf ab, uns zu ermutigen, uns selbst zu erforschen, statt Antworten zu erwarten. Mit zunehmender Praxis wandelt sich das Verhältnis: Nicht mehr »wir üben Zen«, sondern »Zen übt mit uns« und wird zu einer lebendigen, lebenslangen Begleitung. Zen lehrt, dem Natürlichen zu folgen: weder zu erzwingen noch zu vermeiden, sondern das Leben in all seinen Formen anzunehmen – auch Beziehungen, Begehren und alltägliche Schwierigkeiten. Leben und Zen sind eins. Um für junge Erwachsene den Aufenthalt im ToGenJi zu ermöglichen, bitten wir um eine Spende: Sie finden die Kontodaten/Paypal auf unserer Website https://choka-sangha.de/spenden/ Herzlichen Dank

Sesshin day 4. Teisho by Sangen Salo sensei during the February 5-day sesshin 2025 at Sanneji Zen Temple in Karjaa, Finland.

Sesshin day 3. Teisho by Sangen Salo sensei during the February 5-day sesshin 2025 at Sanneji Zen Temple in Karjaa, Finland.

Sesshin day 2. Teisho by Sangen Salo sensei during the February 5-day sesshin 2025 at Sanneji Zen Temple in Karjaa, Finland.

In diesem Teisho über das Erwachen im Alltäglichen bezieht sich Christoph Rei Ho Hatlapa auf Koan 175 des Kattōshū. Darin möchte der Gelehrte Jushū Ryōsui von Meister Majoko belehrt werden. Doch statt mit ihm zu sprechen, beginnt Majoko wortlos, im Garten Unkraut zu jäten. Am nächsten Tag weist Majoko ihn erneut ab und fragt ihn schließlich durch die geschlossene Tür: »Wer ist da?« In diesem Moment erfährt Ryōsui eine tiefe Verwirklichung – er erkennt sein wahres Wesen. Wie Dogen es beschreibt, war er nach eingehender Selbsterforschung in der Lage, sich selbst zu vergessen. Er durchschaute sämtliche Identifikationen als Trugbilder und nahm das Selbstähnliche in allen Wesen wahr. Das ist ein großer Augenblick. Im Japanischen spricht man in diesem Zusammenhang von Kenshō. Was Ryōsui dorthin geführt hat, war kein Gespräch, sondern unmittelbares Erleben. Mayoku hat es ihm vorgemacht, wie man dem Buddha begegnet. Nämlich indem er Unkraut jätete. Im aktiven Samadhi strahlte er das Wesentliche aus. Und das tun wir auch, wenn wir voll konzentriert bei der Sache sind. Wenn wir die alltäglichen Dinge wirklich erleben, reicht das vollkommen aus, um die grundlegende Güte dessen, wer wir sind, anzunehmen. Dazu gehören auch die schattigen Seiten, die wir an uns haben und durchdringen können. Doch wenn wir nicht der Buddha sind, dann ist niemand der Buddha. Um für junge Erwachsene den Aufenthalt im ToGenJi zu ermöglichen, bitten wir um eine Spende: Sie finden die Kontodaten/Paypal auf unserer Website https://choka-sangha.de/spenden/ Herzlichen Dank

One of the last days of the 6 month Precepts course. Following chanting the Heart Sutra, five students present on the five ethical values of the course, and then Michael discusses three ways of thinking about ethics. And how to look at a flower and smile. Recorded on April 7, 2011. This episode is an excerpt from Michael's online course, "Embodying Ethics & Vows in Modern Life," which transforms Buddhist and yogic ethics into practical guidelines for aligning your actions with your values. If you're interested in taking the full course, visit: https://edu-michaelstone.com/product/embodying-ethics-vows-in-modern-life/

This talk was given by Nikki Mirghafori on 2026.02.16 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Dharma talk by Alan Richardson Sensei, on February 8, 2026

When Joko Beck broke away from the White Plum Asanga to form her own sangha which she named the Ordinary Mind Zen School, she also stopped wearing a robe and also dropped the Koan curriculum and the Jukai ceremony. Barry Magid reintroduced the Jukai ceremony (minus the Buddhist names) and also reintroduced the study of koans. Barry reintroduced the study of koans in the spirit of Soto Zen – using the koans as teaching stories to illuminate different aspects of Zen practice and not as a form of meditation practice aimed at inducing a special spiritual experience. However, more than that, I think one of Barry's major innovations to contemporary Zen has been to interpret the old koan stories from the perspective of western psychotherapy, thereby instigating a unique sub-genre of utilising koans. In this talk I am going to apply Barry's style of koan interpretation to Case 94, from the collection of Koans known as The Book of Serenity.

02/01/2026, Thiemo Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Thiemo Blank guides us towards awakening to "the one who is not busy" in everyday activity.

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for topics.Subscribe to my newsletter, Customer Experience Patterns - I publish a new edition with each episode of the podcast.My LinkedIn Learning courses: Customer Experience: 6 Essential Foundations For Lasting Loyalty, How To Create Great Customer Experiences & Build A Customer-Centric Culture. In-depth video series that teach you how to create great experiences, and build customer-centric cultuers.Thanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast Audio: The post Talk by Ryugin, “A Doctor and a Clown Walk Into a Koan” first appeared on The Village Zendo.

“She said, ‘This isn't the koan you wanted.' And I thought about that. What do you do with a koan you don't want? Usually, if it's a koan, you didn't want it.” - Resa Alboher   Long time sangha stalwart and dear friend Resa Alboher brings us the epic adventure of what brought her to ACZC across continents, decades of earth shaking world events, and moments of life altering personal ones as well. What do we with the koan we didn't want? How do we sit still when lying down is all we can actually manage? And just what was the Buddhist scene in Moscow like at the fall of the USSR?? Find out here!

In this conversation from our archive, Australian writer and Zen roshi Susan Murphy immerses us in the ancient tradition of koan and the power of the “not-knowing mind” to open a treasury of resources for meeting the climate crisis. Sharing several koans from Zen masters that push at the boundaries of our consciousness, she speaks to the way they can draw us deeper into kinship and reminds us that the Earth Herself is a koan waiting to be known.  Read the transcript. Photo by Warren Summers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Kisei Sensei explores Koan 25, Nyozin's Pale Moon of Dawn, and Koan 33, Bodhidharma's Flesh, examining how Zen teaching passes through time, poetry, and the body. She reflects on Chyono's poem about the pale moon and the bucket, showing how our sense of self can be patched together and then fall away in practice. Drawing connections to Bodhidharma's transmission to his students, she emphasizes how awakening is both a lived, embodied experience and a study of ancestral teachings. Listeners are invited to reflect on the moon, their own practice, and the questions of body, awakening, and interconnection that these koans present.This talk was given during Kisei's online Tuesday night program. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this Teisho, given on August 24th, 2025, Rinzan Osho examines case 79 of the Hekiganroku: Tosu's Every Voice is the Buddha's Voice. If all is Buddha, does that mean discrimination lies outside it?

This Teisho was given by the Rev. Do'on Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on September 4, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi discusses the 1st case from the Blue Cliff Record known as The Highest Meaning of the Holy Truths.   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.    Part of Rev. Do'on Roshi's Teisho on the Blue Cliff Record series.

Amala speaks here on the fifth Paramita, of Meditative Absorption. This talk was given as part of Part of the series A Koan for Our Times, a series of lectures given by The College of Public Preceptors, 2024. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967  

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - ZCNYC - 9/14/25 - In this talk, Hojin Sensei offers a full recitation of the Genjo Koan by Zen Master Eihei Dogen—keeping his living relics warm within our hearts. Before beginning, she pauses to recall how Buddhism first flowed through oral tradition, carried mind to mind, committed to memory. She invites us to take up this same practice: to steep ourselves in the Dharma by reading quietly or aloud, by copying, by chanting, and by listening.

In this Teisho, given on August 10th, 2025, Rinzan Osho examines Lingzhao's Helping from The Hidden Lamp. Koan's ask us to explore depths not accessible by normal modes of thinking. In this context, this koan asks us to explore what is it to be of help beyond seeking a particular outcome.

A talk by Jamie Howell. This talk was given on July 23rd, 2025.

In this Teisho, given on July 27th, 2025, Rinzan Osho examines case 78 of theHekiganroku: "Bodhisattvas in the Bath." The principles of Zazen (Zen meditation) is to melt into the senses to sense beyond the senses.

 This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on July 10, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi revisists the 1st case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Joshu's Dog.   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

08/16/2025, Tenzen David Zimmerman, dharma talk at City Center. Central Abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman unpacks what it might mean to become yourself through the simple but challenging practice of shikantaza (just sitting), referencing Suzuki Roshi's teachings and two Zen koans.

Roshi Genjo Marinello presented this Teisho during the Aug. 3, 2025 Zazenkai held at No Rank Zendo in Portland. This talk investigates how to explore the inconceivable essence of ourselves and the universe via the experience of Great Death.

 This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on July 3rd, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi revisits case 1 from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Joshu's Dog.   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

08/13/2025, Anshi Zachary Smith, dharma talk at City Center. Anshi Zachary Smith examines case 96 from the Blue Cliff Record which holds suggestions about how to frame one's practice and warnings about the many ways we can get it wrong.

In this Teisho, given on July 5th, 2025, Rinzan Osho examines case 72 of theHekiganroku: Ungan's, "Do You Have Them or Not?." Sometimes, all the artifice and investigation must be put aside. At such a time as this, time to walk the dog.

 This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on June 19, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi discusses the 48th case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Kempo's One Way.   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on June 12, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi discusses the 47th case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Tosotsu's Three Barriers.   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on May 29, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi discusses the 46th case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Stepping Forward from the Top of a Pole.   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on May 22, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi discusses the 45th case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as ‘Who is That One?'   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

In this Teisho, given on June 29th, 2025, Rinzan Osho examines case 71 of theHekiganroku: Goho's, "Shut Up." In Zen training, we learn to travel the pathways beneath our personality construct. What is it? Who are we then? The essential question in Zen is how ill you arise from it?

In this Teisho, given on June 23rd, 2025, at Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Ji's Summer Sesshin, Rinzan Osho examines case 70 of the Hekiganroku: Isan's, "I Would Ask You To Say It." How do we find harmony in a world full of dischord? How does Zen training help us to open our ears to listen?

This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on May 1, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi discusses the 44th case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Basho and a Stick.   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.   Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.

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.

 This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on April 3, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi finishes her discussion on the 43rd case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Shushan's Short Bamboo Staff.   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.

A koan is a paradoxical statement that tries to make sense of ambiguity. Sort of like, "The Best of Car Talk". Hear one of our favorite mechanics' koan all the way from Alabama on this episode.Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy