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Zen Wisdom for Your Everyday Life

Health & Wellness Podcasts

A completely new perspective on living your life. There is a brand new way to look at problems which not only bring unexpected solutions, but allows us to enjoy whatever arises on the way. Based upon Zen wisdom and Zen koans, this new perspective puts an end to struggle, conflict and frustration on the spot. Instead we open new aspects of our being and realize that what we've been looking for is right here.

A completely new perspective on living your life. There is a brand new way to look at problems which not only bring unexpected solutions, but allows us to enjoy whatever arises on the way. Based upon Zen wisdom and Zen koans, this new perspective puts an end to struggle, conflict and frustration on the spot. Instead we open new aspects of our being and realize that what we've been looking for is right here.

Location:

United States

Description:

A completely new perspective on living your life. There is a brand new way to look at problems which not only bring unexpected solutions, but allows us to enjoy whatever arises on the way. Based upon Zen wisdom and Zen koans, this new perspective puts an end to struggle, conflict and frustration on the spot. Instead we open new aspects of our being and realize that what we've been looking for is right here.

Language:

English

Contact:

212-288-0028

Episodes

I'M NOT GETTING ANYWHERE

2/15/2021
We all have pre set visions of how our lives are supposed to turn out, where we're headed and what we're supposed to achieve. Much of our upset in life is due to the fact that the reality of how things go, do not match our images. Again and again we judge ourselves, discard activities and people that were important, sink into a sense of futility. Rather than focus upon what is actually here, rather than our images, we keep trying to get somewhere we imagine we have to go. Zen practice asks...

Duration:00:16:29

YOU'RE NEVER STUCK

2/8/2021
Many of us feel stuck in our lives these days, unable to move on and take the next steps. Then we become restless, frustrated or depressed. But in truth, it is impossible to be stuck. An experience is being given to us that is for our benefit, whether we realize it or not. Where we are at the moment is exactly where we belong. Believe it or not, it's the perfect place for us. Nothing in this world is out of place, or happens at the wrong time. When high tide comes, no matter how much we love...

Duration:00:17:33

IS ANYONE HOME? I'M HERE

2/2/2021
When we go to visit and knock on someone's door, we often call out, "Is Anyone Home?" How badly we want someone to be there, greet us, offer a smile, hug, a real connection. Not many want to walk into an empty house. Yet, how many are truly home, present and available? It may seem that we are, but so often our greetings and words are automatic, and our true mind and heart are elsewhere. The same is true when troubles begin in a relationship. We become furious with someone, or some...

Duration:00:18:03

DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY OTHERS

1/26/2021
Many of us are swimming in a sea of confusion, not knowing what to believe, what is right or wrong. Or, how to move on. The ground beneath us is shaking and we fear that wherever we put our foot down will turn into quicksand. In Zen practice we learn how to walk along even quicksand becomes steady and firm. When we see through delusion and imaginary happiness, nothing can shake our lives again. Then we appreciate right where we are and whatever seems to be happening. Wes take each step...

Duration:00:16:34

THE PERFECT OUTCOME

1/18/2021
We all want things to work out "perfectly", exactly as we hope and imagine. Much of our energy and attention goes to trying to control events, changing them, and exerting force to have outcomes meet our demands. We can become some obsessed with the "right" outcome, that we entirely miss the day. We can go on like this forever, and miss our relationships and lives as well. What we do not see is that every outcome is the "perfect outcome". An outcome lasts a moment, and then the next moment...

Duration:00:16:49

"LIFE IS ONE CONTINUOUS MISTAKE"

1/12/2021
We are all so upset at the prospect of making a mistake. We'll do anything to hide it up and pretend it never happened. Or punish ourselves or others for it endlessly. But mistakes are inevitable, the are natural and come to teach us how to live, what's important and what is not. Dogen Zenji goes even further, he says that "life is one continuous mistake". Rather than seeing what is right before us, most are caught in the grip of illusion, of memories, beliefs and demands that we cannot...

Duration:00:16:45

HOW DO I ENTER THE WAY? (Enter Through The Days)

1/5/2021
We all want to know how to live a life that is right and true. All through the centuries the question comes, "Where the Way is and how do I enter it. This question has been echoed in many forms, including what do I do now? How in the world can I proceed? Practices of all kinds have been established to answer that question and point to the way to live. Many of these practices reject life as we know it. Or they seek to transcend life or alter it radically to match a preconceived idea. But a...

Duration:00:17:28

DON'T BE CONFUSED BY YOUR CONFUSION (Mud is Just Mud)

12/30/2020
It's so easy to get lost in the whirl of confusing messages, thoughts, and beliefs. There's no end to the different ways we get stuck or lost not knowing what is or isn't so. However, Zen practice comes to put an end to this. As we stay with the simple facts of our lives, pay attention to them, and live them, we leave the ever twirling pitfalls of the thinking mind. When Buddha was enlightened, he could walk through mud without being disturbed. He realized Mud was Just Mud. He wasn't...

Duration:00:17:49

The False Promises of Samsara

12/27/2020
A great deal of our sorrow and disappointment are due to the false promises of Samsara, how we live for them, grip them, and are so shocked when they don't fulfill our needs. However, a deeper Zen teaching tells us that Samsara IS Nirvana, the joy and fulfillment we constantly seek. This podcast explores how to make every moment beautiful as it is.

Duration:00:33:09

THE PERFECT DEWDROP

12/21/2020
There was a man who searched constantly for the perfect dewdrop, feeling that when he found it, his life would be complete. However, no matter how many dewdrops he stared at, there was always something missing. None matched the image he held in his mind. He rejected so many dewdrops. Like him, we search and search for that which will make our lives complete, rejecting or judging most of what we see. Yet, as we engage in Zen practice, little by little we come to realize, that each dewdrop,...

Duration:00:17:18

THE SCENERY OF YOUR LIFE

12/15/2020
Uchiyama Roshi has said we are like travelers on a train, who get caught by the scenery again and again. Rather than be able to take the trip in peace and gratitude, we become embroiled by all kinds of scenes that pass by. Often we, even get pulled off the train and forget where we were head. Lost among the passing scenery, it can be hard to move along. This is also a wonderful description of practice. Yet, as we learn a new way to take the journey, to stay rooted on the train and allow all...

Duration:00:17:05

BECOMING WHOLE

11/30/2020
Although so many of us feel separated, and disconnected during this holiday season, the practice of Zazen tells us that this is not so. Even when we cannot see those we care for, even when we cannot go to a familiar place, the sense of oneness, connection and deep wholeness is available every moment of the day. As we practice, we discover that when we do not reject any moment or experience that arises, when we become one with it, that sense of wholeness and unity takes us to the reality that...

Duration:00:17:57

EVERYDAY IS A GOO DAY

11/24/2020
The best way to give thanks is to experience and share the Goodness, Value and Beauty of every day that is given to us. But how to do this in the midst of pain, fear and anguish? What makes a day like that Good? Ummon, great Zen Master, tells us that "When there are no unnecessary thoughts in your mind, Everyday Is A Good Day". The thoughts we have about what happens, the anger or catastrophic expectations acts as a filter to what is truly here, moment by moment. As we do not chase after or...

Duration:00:18:21

PAUSING THE WHEEL OF TIME

11/16/2020
The Wheel of Time is relentless, turning constantly. It seems that it cannot be stopped as it turns relentlessly. No matter how much we want to do something over, or control what comes next, the wheel of time, laughs at us, just turning without stop. It pushes us from day to day, era to era, taking over our lives. But there is a way to take back our time, to enter our lives and live differently. Once we discover the Great Pause, the wheel of time becomes powerless to shove us around anymore.

Duration:00:17:50

WHO'S LIFE ARE YOU LIVING?

11/9/2020
There are so many ideas, memories, beliefs and people who want to live our life. They can take over at any moment, over ride what is true for us, and push us into all kinds of actions and beliefs. They shove us around mercilessly, until it is easy to forget who we really are. Or, we can cling to something in the past, keep trying to fix it or relive it, and that can live our life now. But each moment is unique, fresh and altogether free and beautiful. As we practice zazen, we become more and...

Duration:00:17:28

BECOME A BEHOLDER

11/2/2020
When we are flooded with all kinds of events, news, hopes and fears, it is easy to get lost. Desperate to understand what is happening, and make things right, we jump into the confusion and flail around. Adding confusion t confusion only makes matters worse. However, there is another way. Stop, sit still in the middle of all appearances, and become a Beholder of whatever arises, within and without. Then true clarity, equanimity, compassion and wisdom appears. Zazen is the practice of...

Duration:00:16:22

GARBAGE TURNS TO FLOWERS

10/27/2020
"The Whole World Is Medicine, What Is The Illness?" is a Zen Koan for today's world. There is so much suffering, fear, and conflict that can be solved easily. We do not see that the pain we feel is due to the way we are responding to the never ending cycle of change. We do not see we are clinging to suffering, making it stronger, and that this can be easily changed. This Podcast is the basis of my new course, Sacred Psychology Counseling. Come listen to the podcast and find out more.

Duration:00:14:47

WHO IS THE OBEDIENT ONE?

10/21/2020
Everyone wants to be themselves and not have to obey another. There's a sense we must fight, rebel and say No to life as it is. But all the time we are not aware that we are still being obedient. We are automatically obeying our feelings, impulses, thoughts and repetetive patterns. Then we feel stuck and frozen, not knowing why. As we truly explore what it means to be Obedient, we find a strong power within. We find that we can open our hearts and mind to what life as it unfolds, and instead...

Duration:00:17:34

DON'T MISS THE BOAT

10/13/2020
These days we sail in choppy waters. Life changes on a dime and it seems as though there is no place to anchor our lives, or the boat we sail in. Many lose hope and feel out of control, not knowing where they are headed or what to count on. However, there is a way to go through the sea of life, no matter how turbulent and be planted in a boat that is safe and secure. In this voyage, we do not fight the wild ocean, but learn how to stay planted and centered and be befriend whatever comes...

Duration:00:16:55

DON'T SEARCH FOR THE ANSWER

10/6/2020
Whatever comes to us we turn into a problem and have to find the "answer" to it. One question about our situation comes after another. These questions take us away from our lives, tangle us up in conjecture, thinking, doubting predicting, trying to control all outcomes. And, all the while, the true wisdom we seek is right in front of our eyes. We don't pay attention to it, though, caught as we are in figuring life out. However, as we leave the quagmire of our thoughts and settle in life as...

Duration:00:18:26

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