Ocean Mind Sangha

The trouble of suffering always emerges from ignorance. But ignorance of what exactly?

When things happen that we cannot control, we can always choose how to respond. This is the path to liberation.

How we create our own karma.

A talk on the kind of faith needed to practice Zen

Jukai ceremony at Ocean Mind Sangha. Listen and join in as OMS students formally commit to lives guided by the ethical teachings of Buddhism with their teacher Zuisei and the sangha

A teaching on the eight worldly winds: all the ways we chase and run away and the antidotes to this endless cycle.

What happens when we turn the mind around to look at itself?

How to make practice intimate and personal, from intention to dedication, one precious and perfect whole.

The contemplative life as a gate to liberation

The power of karma to affect both our past and present actions

How do we realize and express the next buddha as sangha? How do we help each other wake up?

How to take responsibility for our harmful actions, consistently and with compassion.

In Fusatsu, renewal of vows ceremony grounded in the moral and ethical teachings of Buddhism, we take refuge in the Three Treasures. Not to seek shelter from the world, nor to measure it in

Based on OMS’s study of Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method by Rebecca Li, Zuisei traces the origins of “just sitting”

Five stages to apply to formal dharma practice and to all living

Why must we counter today’s tendency towards isolation? Zuisei sheds light on a way back to ourselves and each other

A talk on the joy of growing into who you’ve alway been—awe, terror and a kind of ignorance included.

Clear beginner’s instruction for shikantaza, guidance on how to work with obstacles specific to it, and the inspiration to just dive in

A talk on what it takes to feel truly fulfilled in this life

A talk on the power of loving-kindness in the face of difficulty and uncertainty

A talk—given on the heels of the US election—on the importance of staying grounded and clear in the face of difficulty

A talk on Thich Nhat Hanh's The Miracle of Mindfulness. “When I love you, I maintain my freedom, I respect my freedom”

On the significance of ango, or "peaceful dwelling," and the role of the shuso or chief disciple in Zen Buddhism. Zuisei touches on themes of empowerment, self worth, and trust in ourselves and our practice

A talk on the eight ways of cultivatingloving-kindness

A talk on the practice of metta or loving-kindness—includes a guided meditation

A talk on the power of taking refuge and giving generously—one of the virtues of practicing in community and being one another’s support.

Why do we do what we do? Is there another way to answer this question than with the word “because”…?

Traditional teachings on zazen (silent meditation) and the jhanas, and an inspiring, gentle reminder to return to your cushion

The Second Bodhisattva Vow, aka the Buddhist go-to guide to a rich and fulfilling life.

Keep your spiritual practice alive and strong—to vow is a powerful daily practice, and it is essential for lay Zen practitioners.

On the first bodhisattva vow—sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them or what it means to love, even when it is difficult to do so

On the fourth bodhisattva vow—the buddha way is unattainable, I vow to attain it, and its relationship to the three doors of karma

The third bodhisattva vow—the dharmas are boundless, I vow to master them —speaks of the importance of letting everything in our lives teach us.

Sloth and torpor is a subtle turning away of our vows, but we can always return and re-engage with what is most important to us.

Restlessness and worry roil the mind like the wind roils water, robbing it of its calm. The antidote? Mindfulness.

A live, spontaneous engagement of the dharma between teacher and students

When we’re at peace within ourselves, unshakeable determination flourishes.

Simplicity is a quality of being—a type of generosity (the Eight Grave Precept). A powerful tool, simplicity is a way for us to wake up to reality as it is.

Using gratitude and mindfulness of breathing to work with conflict.

Seeing the perfection in others (the Sixth Grave Precept) as an entry point into the ethical teachings of the Buddha.

When we see clearly, we reveal the sacredness of the world we inhabit, and we see what is needed. A practical, sustainable, and awe-inspired Buddhist approach to climate change.

How does emptiness become love embodied? Taking a close look at the Heart Sutra

Listen to the Ango Opening Ceremony at Ocean Mind Sangha. An open heart welcomes the painful and often unexpected, with curiosity and love. Luckily, there are many practices available to guide us on this path.

Receiving the precepts (jukai) is a significant aspect of Zen training where a student, surrounded and supported by their teacher and sangha, commits to a life guided by the ethical teachings of Buddhism. The ceremony of jukai itself includes the taking of refuge in the Three Treasures, the Three Pure Precepts, and the Ten Grave Precepts. Listen to and join in as Zuisei guides, and the Ocean Mind Sangha supports, Alexandra Brown, Norm F. Christian, and Adam Green in receiving the precepts.

In our practice the refuge of home is limitless and all encompassing. We are never outside of it. So when it feels as if we are shut out, why is this, and what can we do to return?

When your spiritual practice feels dull or remote and it’s difficult to remember its living, breathing power, here are eight ways to re-engage—find the one that speaks to you now. This dharma talk begins with the Student Entering Ceremony of Eric Geist.

In this last study session on Pema Chödrön’s No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva, Zuisei takes up the practices of offering (dedicating the merits of our practice) and letting go (acknowledge, surrender, and grieve). This talk draws on the teachings of Shantideva and Pema Chödrön, the experience of ultramarathon runner Jenn Hughes, and more.

Explore the practice of prayer—learn how we as Buddhists can engage this powerful tool in the service of ending distraction and reclaiming love and liberation.

Explore the practice of faith and the ways it sparks, sustains, and guides us on our path.