Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

Recent episodes

1. Episode 320: Not Two! from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jul 30, 2026

   Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch says, “ one day a shopkeeper ordered a load of firewood brought to his store. After he took the delivery and paid me, I walked toward the door and met a customer reciting the Diamond Sutra out loud. As soon as I heard the words, my mind felt clear and awake, and I asked the man, ‘Where did you get this scripture you’re reciting?” And so began the journey of one of Zen’s most revered teachers.

2. Episode 319: Is Life a Problem To Solve? from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jul 27, 2026

   Attempting to be the problem solver is the source of anger.

3. Episode 318: The Middle Way from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jul 20, 2026

   The three principles of practicing the Middle Way.

4. Episode 317: The Zen Circle And The Path from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jul 12, 2026

   You have never lost it. Why are you seeking it?

5. Episode 316: A Wind Knot Tangle from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jul 9, 2026

   What causes the tangled messes we find ourselves in? How do you untangle the mess?

6. Episode 315: Practice Is Never Ending from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jun 29, 2026

   What keeps us coming back to our practice? Experienced practitioners respond to the question in this podcast.

7. Episode 314: Fathers Day - letting go of deluded views from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jun 22, 2026

   What is your original face before your father was born?

8. Episode 313: The Fish Are Happy from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jun 11, 2026

   Silence on a retreat and Kongans, what do they have in common?

9. Episode 312: Only Go Strait and Never Give UP from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

   Jun 7, 2026

   The immeasurable and the relative.

10. Episode 311: Getting To Know Self from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Jun 3, 2026

    Our practice is getting to know ourselves, which is forgetting the self, and being actualized by all dharmas.

11. Episode 310: Where is the OX? from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    May 28, 2026

    Here, our essential self is compared to an ox. We seek the ox, grasp it, tame it, and finally the self which has always been seeking becomes completely one with the ox. But this is also forgotten, so that we now simply carry on our ordinary lives.

12. Episode 309: The Eagle And The Mouse from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    May 10, 2026

    We all have mothers; motherhood and Buddhahood are not different, yet not not different.

13. Episode 308: The Three Treasures, where are they? from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    May 4, 2026

    The Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the three treasures. How to take refuge.

14. Episode 307: Nurturing the Buddha Seed Within from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Apr 28, 2026

    How is our practice center different from a Buddhist Temple?

15. Episode 306: Clean Your Ears – The WAY Is Then Heard from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Apr 20, 2026

    Communication, it's not what you think! Do you really know your mind?

16. Episode 305: Diversity from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Apr 5, 2026

    What is the thread that weaves through all of existence?

17. Episode 304: A Calm Mind from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Apr 2, 2026

    The secret to living the eight-fold path and ending suffering.

18. Episode 303: Only Go Straight from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Mar 15, 2026

    Why are there Buddhist Precepts?

19. Episode 302: The Seeking Mind and Uncertainty from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Mar 14, 2026

    Seeking leads to the rabbit hole of misinformation.

20. Episode 301: Habit Energy and Bearing Witness from Ordinary Zen Sangha - Dharma Talks

    Mar 9, 2026

    Why do we act like everything remains the same even as everything is always changing?