Dharma Talks

Debra Seido Martin is Zen West's Guiding Teacher. She was transmitted in 2009 by Kyogen Carlson, late Abbott of Dharma Rain Zen Center. Seido is an organic farmer and psychotherapist devoted to the wild and giving space of practice and grace of the land. She carries forward her teacher’s directive to “ordain into your life.”

Tozan’s Five Seasons: Two—Surrender

What is whole-heartedness in practice? As beginners, we often practice for the sake of the self and its suffering. Tozan’s second Cycle of Merit poem (Kokun Goi) invites us into the season of practicing for others. We realize it is not just about the self, but that we are part of a larger flow of practice. Let us go further into the jumbled peaks.

Oct 15

Oxherding Picture 6: Riding the Ox Home

What does it mean to ride the ox, to lose the distance between you and practice, you and life? The boundaries become clear but there is...

Apr 16

Oxherding Pictures: Overview

The Oxherding Pictures tell a quintessentially Zen story of how we awaken to our own Buddha nature. They speak of seeking, struggle,...

Mar 12