Zen Community of Oregon Dharma Talks Before The Tightening - Hogen, Roshi
Jan 1, 2026
Dive into the essence of awareness before thoughts confine us. Explore the fleeting nature of moments and the importance of grounding Dharma in experience. Hogen Roshi offers practical methods to silence the inner critic and introduces simple practices like stopping, rocking, and breathing. Discover how curiosity fuels practice and the concept of engaging the mind without judgment. He also highlights the importance of finding stillness amidst life’s chaos and encourages an exploration of silence and the mystery of thought.
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Practice Outvalues Conceptual Knowing
- Experience beats conceptual understanding; tasting the mango matters more than ideas about it.
- Hogen Roshi says direct practice seeds true faith and grounds teaching in lived experience.
Disarm The Inner Critic
- Calm or bypass the inner critical voice when it arises during practice or daily life.
- Use tools like writing, reframing, or stepping beyond the critic to continue practice effectively.
Three Ways To Touch Deep Silence
- Enter deep silence by stopping, dropping like a rock, or working with the breath (koan Mu).
- Practice these methods to access stillness beneath ordinary quiet and stabilize the mind.
