Bright Way Zen

In this episode Sangha member Mick leads that Sangha in a discussion surrounding the 8th Precept, Do Not Dwell On Past Mistakes.

All of our various Zen garments: the Wagesa, the Rakusu, and the Kesa, correspond with different (entirely optional) sets of vows that can shape our lives. Domyo talks about the origin, appearance and meaning behind these items. Soki, who is considering priest ordination in our tradition, comments on her journey. 

In our seventh week of the Precept Series, Sangha member Leah leads a class discussion on the Precept of not becoming intoxicated.

In this podcast Sangha member Tyler looks at the ways in which Zen practices are made to slow us down and how these practices have an affect on our brain that allows us to more fully enact our Buddhist ideals in our day to day life. 

Kyugen relates his personal story of how he came to Bright Way Zen, and shares what it was like for him to receive the precepts in our Jukai ceremony and enter the stream of teachings in order to realize the Buddha way.  He discusses the deep meaning behind this commitment to live and embody each of the precepts. A friendly conversation with Sangha members follows.

Four, long time Bright Way Zen Sangha members, take Zaike Tokudo. 

In this weeks discussion of the precepts Drew speaks to the Sangha and leads a discussion the precept "Do Not Speak Dishonestly."

Sōtō Zen, among religions, uniquely presents as a path of practice.  There are many different ways to manifest your Bodhisattva vows along this path at Bright Way Zen, which include: Jukai, Zaike Tokudo, Shuso, etc. This is, in a way, a koan of Sōtō Zen practice - if there is nothing to attain, and nothing to achieve, then why do there seem to be goals?

In this weeks precept discussion, Sangha member Gathel leads a discussion on the Precept of Not Misusing Sexuality. 

Domyo and Sangha continue the conversation about this fascinating Dōgen sutra, specifically section 2-2: East Mountains Walking in the Water. In the dream of Sansuikyo, what could be the meaning of "mountains", "walking", "sentient vs. insentient", or "incomprehensibility as a false notion"? 

In the foruth week of our annual precept study, Sangha member Dan leads a discussion on the Precept of Do Not Steal. Honour The Gift Not Yet Given. 

Mountains walking, a stone woman giving birth in the night...what could these things mean? This sutra might be best read as poetry, or like a dream.   Domyo and Sangha members continue reading from this fascicle and consider which passages resonate most for each of us.

In this episode our Sangha member Erica discusses the third precept in our precept study, Do Not Kill. Cultivate and Encourage Life. 

In the second week of our Precept Study our Sangha member Eric discusses the Three Pure Precepts.

Many Dōgen writings (as well as other Ch'an and Zen writings), although poetic, can seem vague and obscure.  However, they can communicate the truth deeply and be quite profound through study.  Domyo and Sangha members begin to read from and discuss this fascicle and its meaning.

Given the daunting volume and diversity of Buddhist texts available to read - where does one even begin? How does it all fit together and interrelate?  Our teacher gives an overview of the major Buddhist sects as illustrated in a complex and colorful lineage tree graphic, and by pointing out foundational sutras and key Soto Zen texts, to better orient and encourage us to study the Dharma.

This episode marks the first talk in our 12 week series on the precepts.  In this first talk is led by our senior student Coral as she guides us through the Precepts as practice in our lineage, the The refuges and the karma verse.  

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara/Kanzeon is beloved for their omniscient, compassionate awareness to the cries of the world. Keeping them in mind, Sangha members name aloud some of what we are bearing witness to in today's world. How do we remain aware and open-hearted to the state of things, while staying committed to our Bodhisattva vow to liberate all beings? How can we bear witness even though there may be nothing we can do?

Sangha As The Next Buddha

Particularly in Soto Zen, our central practice of Shikantaza - just sitting - the method of no-method - can be challenging.  How can we steer away from dullness, dreaminess, and scattered thoughts? Luckily there are many ways in which we can stay more engaged and wholehearted in our Zazen. Domyo and Sangha members share helpful thoughts, tips, and methods.

In this episode Domyo continues a discussion around Zen practice and our relationship to the natural world. 

Social relationships can be very challenging to our practice.  It's common for people to feel a sense of lack, rejection or inadequacy.  How can we stay connected to one another and feel mutual acceptance and belonging? It starts with realizing everyone around you is suffering, and meeting them where they are - acknowledging their own inherent goodness and value, with a sense of responsibility and compassion for them as if they were our only child. When we adopt the attitudes of a Buddha, we transform ourselves and the world.

In this class discussion Domyo leads the class through exercises to help us re-imagine our relationship to the natural world focusing on excerpts from David Hinton's writing "Wild Mind, Wild Earth: Our Place in the Sixth Extinction" as well as images and metaphors taken from Dogen's Mountains and Waters Sutra.  

This chant is recited daily in Soto Zen monasteries and temples around the world - there are only a handful of Buddhist scriptures we honor in that way. Our teacher clarifies its meaning, line by line. Why is it so important? How does it relate to our Bodhisattva Vows? This teaching is about how relative and absolute aspects of reality aren't really separate.

Based on finding a potential new Zendo property, plus the recently successful fundraising effort, Domyo describes our shared vision and the role of trust through the eyes of Dharma. Sangha members express their feelings of community support, connection and gratitude as we navigate toward owning a place where we can go - "where everybody knows your name."

Pamela Ayo Yetunde writes in Casting Indra's Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community: "Mobbery is a process that centers on anger, energy, and power—it is the aggregation of personal anger into a collective anger that develops a power far beyond that of individuals. Mobbery entails using the energy of anger to find people who are angry about the same things you're angry about, then together harnessing this anger in ways that place blame on others. By taking no responsibility for soothing one's own anger and projecting blame collectively onto groups identified as "other," a new shared reality is created and allowed to harden. The more that angry people gather and strengthen one another, the more their sense of power intensifies. Those identified as others are vilified and attacked, and this is repeated over and over again. This dynamic builds momentum while demonstrating how the power of anger can be exerted on others and how such acts can be interpreted as victories."

In a Koan from Hongzhi's Book of Serenity, two Dharma brothers engage in a conversation. As one sweeps the ground, the other challenges him, observing: "Too Busy!" This feeling of "busyness" is a state that is relatable to many of us. In this talk, Sangha members share what characterizes busyness, and also what characterizes activity without a sense of busyness.  How can we be still even in the midst of all of our commitments, activities, and challenges?

Humans evolved to look out for our own interests but also developed the capacity for completely selfless action when we closely identify with a group. When we feel as much concern for another's wellbeing as we do for our own, you might call this a sense of "kinship." The Buddha taught us to practice extending Metta, or loving-kindness – just as a mother would feel for her only child – to all living beings without discrimination. We will discuss the evolutionary psychology perspective on human altruism, ways that our sense of kinship gets activated, and the implications for the way we operate in the world.

Our teacher reads from Thich Nhat Hahn's book "Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm" the conviction that transforming fear into fearlessness is possible through deeply acknowledging one's fears and their sources. Domyo invites Sangha members to openly express what they are most afraid of, and then share what ideas and practices help ground them and give them strength. A generous and courageous discussion follows.

Buddhist practice is wonderfully liberating because it empowers you to let go of your suffering regardless of your circumstances. However, we can also get stuck in the fallacy that conditions don't matter, thereby making it seem like helping beings (including ourselves) experience things like safety, health, freedom, justice, prosperity, and love are outside of the realm of Buddhist concern. Are we only interested in "spiritual" well-being, as if that can be separated entirely from conditions? Or do we work for the happiness of beings without worrying about distinctions like "material" or "spiritual?" You might also see this is a tension between "internal" and "external" practice. How do we balance internal work with working to make conditions more supportive and life-affirming for ourselves and others?

Mick shares his challenges to keeping a committed and confident practice at home, and reads from the Shobogenzo Zuimonki. Are we "vessels of the Dharma" even in our perceived inadequacies or difficulties? Is the big "E" attainable even if we feel too small for it?  Dōgen's radical idea is that practice and enlightenment are not separate. It's when we return to this place, here and now, and simply do our practice that we can find that thing that we're looking for.

The Buddha famously said, "Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love, this is an old rule." How do we really manifest this, even when standing in opposition to what we think is wrong? Can we see through our own sense of self-righteousness? Jonathan Haidt writes in The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion: "This book explained why people are divided by politics and religion. The answer is not, as Manichaeans would have it, because some people are good and others are evil. Instead, the explanation is that our minds were designed for groupish righteousness. We are deeply intuitive creatures whose gut feelings drive our strategic reasoning. This makes it difficult—but not impossible—to connect with those who live in other matrices, which are often built on different configurations of the available moral foundations."

Self-care can be defined as regenerative activity, free from a sense of entitlement, that supports healthy functioning. In this context, does Zazen qualify as "self-care"? What can Zazen do for us, and what is its true purpose? 

David Hinton makes the following argument in his book "China Root: On Taoism, Ch'an, and Original Zen" - that when Buddhism arrived in China from India, it was fundamentally reinterpreted and reshaped by Taoist thought, and then the resulting amalgam of Ch'an, or Zen, is so transformed by Taoism that it is scarcely recognizable as Buddhism at all.  Our guiding teacher explores this idea in the context of how original Buddhist teachings combined with Mahayana features such as inherent Buddha nature, interdependence, thusness, "sudden" realization, and radical nondualism to manifest as the Ch'an or Zen that we recognize. A lively discussion follows.

Join us for a ten-week journey as we ask ourselves how to manifest our Zen ethics and precepts beyond the personal realm. Traditionally, Buddhism and Zen have focused on individual practice aimed at relief of individual suffering. However, there are many teachings that point us beyond our small selves toward our relationships: We should care for all beings without distinction, practice generosity without limit, actively work for the welfare of others, and accord with the truth of Interbeing – that we aren't fundamentally separate from anything. In the first week of this 10 week discussion series, Rev. Domyo Burk leads the Sangha through a discussion of excerpts from David Loy's A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World.

In this episode Rev. Domyo Burk discusses with the sangha the fifth field in the teaching of her Ten Fields of Zen, The Precepts.  Domyo speaks about the The Precepts as our moral guidlines in Zen and how they play a large role in our practice.

As Rohatsu Sesshin begins for many Zen Buddhists all over the world, Rev. Domyo Burk discusses Sesshin (a silent multi-day residential retreat), addressing the challenges, and describing why it is important and central to Zen practice

In this episode "Dharma Study: Wrestling with the Teachings," Rev. Domyo Burk discusses field 4 in the series on her Ten Fields of Zen - the role that Dharma study and engaging critically with the teachings plays in our practice.

In her third field Rev. Domyo Burk discusses the important role of Mindfulness in our Zen practice.

During this class discussion, Rev. Domyo Burk discusses the second field, Zazen, and its role in our practice as Soto Zen Buddhists. This is the third episode in the ongoing series of Domyo Burk's Ten Fields of Zen.

This Dharma talk, inspired by the regretful story of a dedicated monk who carried significant trauma, but was then instructed by his teacher to "snap out of it –  you know how to meditate!", Domyo advises that Zazen and formal Buddhist practices can't completely heal every wound, nor address all different kinds of psychological challenges alone. Three types are outlined, (trauma, attachment wounding, and narcissistic wounding) and we discuss aspects of our practice which can help create a Sangha environment of mutual awareness and care.

In this episode, Rev. Domyo Burk continues to lead her Sangha through a fall series of the Ten Fields of Zen, taken from her upcoming book "The Ten Fields of Zen: A Primer for Practitioners". In her first field, she discusses Bodhicitta: The Mind That Seeks The Way - focusing on the practical aspects of how to go about exploring the first field in our everyday lives. 

In this class discussion, Rev. Domyo Burke introcuces her Ten Fields of Zen. Over the next ten weeks she will guide the Sangha through discussions around each of her Ten Fields. Have you ever wanted to be sure you are covering all the essential aspects of Zen practice? Domyo created the Ten Fields of Zen to give you a sense of the potential breadth of your practice and help you envision the many different ways it can manifest: Bodhicitta, Zazen, Mindfulness, Dharma Study, Precepts, Opening Your Heart, Learning the Self, Realization, Bodhisattva Activity, and Connecting with the Ineffable. As we work our way through Domyo's new book The Ten Fields of Zen: A Primer for Practitioners, the emphasis will be very practical: How do you go about exploring this field, and making it part of your life? We'll hear from other Sangha members as well as Domyo.