Dharma Talks

What does it mean to say that our identities are “empty”? Anatta (no-self or beyond self) invites us to consider that identity is not fixed and essential. And yet identity really matters in our personal journeys, how we tend to human suffering, and where we feel a sense of safety and belonging.

As the Sangha welcomes the Twining Vines apprentices, Seido reflects on what truly nourishes. Growing food, sitting still, living in community and listening for the deep vow--these bring joy and beauty, and keep our hearts open to address the pain and suffering in and around us.

Seido tells the Buddha's birth and life story. We celebrate Wesak with this very human tale of seeking which also has a deep archetypal taproot.

Practice is rooted in the big questions: who am I? Do I have a purpose? How do I take my place in a disastrous world? Suzuki Roshi’s “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” offers two metaphors of encouragement, Mind Weeds and the Four Horses. Whatever unwanted plants spring up in the mind, however trainable this particular animal, whether Zen practitioner or apprentice farmer, let life spring from the big questions, and keep going.

The seven factors of awakening are wholesome mind states that we can cultivate: mindfulness, investigation, energy, tranquility, concentration, equanimity, and unconditional joy. Joy is important because we don’t last when practice is a grim chore. Really pay attention—reinhabit the body. Notice moments of everyday joy. This opens the heart, paving the way for an experience of joy that doesn’t depend on pleasure or circumstance. Unconditional joy may be simply an absence of t