Wisehearted™

It is said that Buddha, right at the moment of his birth, took seven steps and said, "I alone am the world honoured one." In this free-ranging talk, Shiro works with cases 2 and 57 of the Blue Cliff Record, "Joshu's Supreme Way" and "Nondiscrimiation" to explore the concepts of picking and choosing, discrimination, narcissism, exactly which "I" we are talking about when we say "I&qu...

In this dharma talk from Dec 19th, 2021, Shiro talks about taking Zen home for the Holidays, often into non-Buddhist surroundings, traditions and ceremonies. Working line by line with the Meal Gatha, Shiro talks about holding Zen as a context for our lives rather than content to hold or to be sold. How do we work with and drop our expectations of what we think things will be or should be or could be, and instead, just be. Innumerab...

Shiro on the importance of nurturing the 300-year-old tree that is Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, our practice and our lives. Following Tenshin Roshi's talk on the passing of Baigaku Junyu Roshi, Shiro uses the koan "Obaku's Eaters of Dregs" to explore our role in carrying the dharma forward. Are there truly no teachers of Zen as expounded in the text? Or are they sitting right here in this room? What is our respon...

In this talk on the second day of the passing of Baigaku Junyu Osho (Maezumi Roshi's Brother), Tenshin Roshi discusses this benefactor's massive contributions to Zen Buddhism in the West, his unflagging support of Yokoji Zen Mountain Center throughout the years, and perhaps most importantly what it means to step up and live an enlightened life. How will you do it? Will you do it? Are you willing to be a target? Who among ...

Shiro and the Sangha discuss Case 62 of the Book of Equanimity, "Beiko's No Enlightenment." Can we, should we, could we chase down enlightenment? What exactly does that mean? In this talk and discussion we look at how art, music, accounting, teaching, anything is a perfect expression of our own true Self, and how we move fluidly every day between delusion and enlightenment. What role do Dharma talks play? Where does ...

Beginning with Case 86 in the Book of Equanimity, "Rinzai's Great Enlightenment," Shiro and the Sangha discuss the folly of chasing after enlightenment as something new to be acquired or attained. Who is the enlightened one? Where does she stand? What does she see, hear, touch, taste, smell? We also look at the merits of sustained and diligent practice, the role of forms and ceremony, and finally, engaged in a spirit...

What to do after Sesshin, or after any period of intense training or focus? Rest. In this episode, Shiro works with Case 23 of the Blue Cliff Record, "The Summit of Mystic Peak," and looks at how we move, work, live, play, laugh, love, cry and be effective in a chaotic modern world. How to be Buddha now. How to be heard. Exploring the questions of appropriate action, holding fast and letting go, and how to simply go on va...

In this week's episode, Prajna Heart Zen Center co-founder Lauri Akasha Burrier talks about words, the power of words, and how we can use them (or not) to free ourselves from the shackles of our minds, from forces both internally and externally imposed. Inspired by Bob Marley's Redemption Song, this talks engages the PHZC sangha in how we engage--with our Zen practice, with our lives, with the world around us as it exists...

In this talk, delivered on the second day of the Fall 2021 Beginner's Mind Sesshin at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, Shiro talks about the fundamental point of Zazen, linking basic breath practice and counting of the breath to the Four Noble Truths and the end of suffering in our lives. How do we start freeing ourselves from the shackles of our thoughts? How do we not become a tool of our thinking mind and emotions? Zazen. Starti...