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.”

Koan Summer—Kyogen Is Up in a Tree

Case 5 from the Mumonkan offers a corrective to those of us who’d prefer to hang out on the cozy cushion of samadhi, saying nothing. With its two equally untenable opposites, we’re invited to let go of ordinary speech that deflects, hides, or performs and open to the unknown. Trust in the fall.

3 days ago