Upaya Zen Center's Dharma Podcast

In this unique Wednesday Night Dharma Talk before the upcoming Love and Death program, Roshi Joan Halifax and Frank Ostaseski engage in an open dialogue on Life, Death, and Freedom. Departing from scripted teachings, the evening unfolds […]

Wendy Lau, a Zen teacher and physician, delves into the transformative power of the Bodhisattva vow. She discusses her journey of compassion and its evolution from a fixed trait to a cultivated practice. Wendy emphasizes the urgent need for compassionate action in today’s world, sharing insights from her GRACE training. She illustrates the importance of non-transactional service through heartwarming stories from the Nomads Clinic, reminding us that amid conflict, we can rehumanize ourselves and others.

In this session of Upaya’s Awareness in Action series, writer and activist Rebecca Solnit joins Roshi Joan Halifax to explore how stories shape reality, the nature of human behavior in crisis, and the discipline of hope […]

In this Wednesday Night Dharma Talk, Sensei James Fushin explores vulnerability as a profound gateway to awakening. Drawing from the Vimalakirti Sutra and physicist Brian Cox’s question—”How do we live a finite, fragile life in […]

Guo Gu, a Zen teacher known for guiding the embodiment of silent illumination, leads listeners through a transformative experience focusing on posture and presence. He takes participants on a guided meditation that enhances body awareness and relaxation techniques, emphasizing the importance of mindful sitting. The conversation explores self-massage as a way to deepen mindfulness and grounding in the moment. Guo Gu shares gratitude for community and the Bodhisattva vows, fostering a sense of connection within the practice.

In this session of Awareness in Action, Roshi Joan Halifax and Terry Tempest Williams guide participants to witness the world with care, presence, and courage. Roshi Joan opens with the Zen koan—“A monk asked Joshu, […]

In this closing session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, faculty and participants reflect on how ancient teachings become living transmission through courage, friendship, and practice. Roshi Joan reminds us that discovery emerges not through […]

In the seventh session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, Sensei Genzan explores Dogen’s Eight Awakenings of Great Beings (Hachi Dainin Gaku), weaving scholarship with lived experience to reveal how Zen practice addresses the paradoxes of daily […]

In the sixth session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, the faculty engage in a rich exploration of Dogen’s use of language, paradox, and poetry as spiritual communication. Heine highlights how paradox functions as […]

In this fifth session of Upaya’s Dogen Seminar, Norman and Kathie Fischer explore Dogen’s Four Methods of Guidance (Bodaisatta Shishobo), one of the most accessible and transformative fascicles of the Shobogenzo. Building on reflections about paradox in Zen, […]