Living Zen

This talk was given on April 7 — the day before Hanamatsuri, the traditional celebration of the Buddha's birthday. I'd been sharing a video that week of newborn lambs at the ecovillage where I live, jumping around within minutes of being born. Nearly everyone said the same thing: it's amazing how much they can do right away. People don't do that. Except — maybe we do. The story of the Buddha's birth says that after he was born, he stood up immediately, took seven steps, pointed one hand to heaven and one to the earth, and declared: "Under the heavens and on the earth, I alone am the world honored one." My teacher always said that was a refined translation. The original was simpler: the cry. The first cry any life makes when it arrives. This talk explores what that declaration is actually pointing to — not a claim of separation or specialness, but the opposite: the recognition of a fundamental nature that belongs to all beings, all tables, all blades of grass. Not something to acquire. Not an edge to gain over others. A ground to be realized. The teaching of pratītyasamutpāda — interdependent co-arising — explains why: this whole cosmos arises together, the way all the waves of an ocean rise together. A wave comparing itself to other waves, trying to take more water from its neighbors — it's absurd. They're all ocean. And at the close: the declaration offered as a koan. Something to walk with. The Living Zen Podcast arises from my teaching work with Zenwest Buddhist Society , a Zen practice community on Vancouver Island. If you love these talks and want to hear them without the ads, come join us on Red Mountain Way on Patreon . Members get every episode ad-free, plus additional teachings and reflections. I'd love to have you there. Another meaningful way to support is simply sharing — passing an episode to someone who needs it. For those seeking one-to-one Zen support, information about my Zen Mentorship work is available through Monarch Trancework. Thank you for listening. Thank you for practicing.

There were daffodils on the altar when I gave this talk — narcissus, named after the figure who fell in love with his own reflection in the pond. It turned out to be exactly the right image for what the practice is. The central metaphor is one I return to often: imagine yourself sitting on the bank of a river. As the body settles, things begin to flow past — thoughts, memories, to-do lists, feelings you didn't know were there. Sometimes a gentle leaf. Sometimes something much harder. The first real work of practice is simply learning to hold your seat. Not grabbing what comes (figuring this out, fixing this, engaging with this). Not running from what's too hard to face. Just sitting here. Watching. What develops through this practice, over time, is spaciousness. A gap between what happens and how we respond. It follows us out of the zendo — into conversations where we'd normally snap back, into moments where we'd normally be swept along by old patterns. Suddenly there's a beat more time. A moment to notice. A moment to choose. I also talk honestly about what the tradition sometimes calls revulsion — that particular agony of watching yourself, with full awareness, do the thing you swore you weren't going to do again. As painful as that is, it's actually what gives birth to real change. The awareness alone isn't enough. It's the accumulated weight of witnessing yourself that finally generates the energy to step outside the pattern. And the daffodil: rooted, head bent toward the water below. A good model. The Living Zen Podcast arises from my teaching work with Zenwest Buddhist Society , a Zen practice community on Vancouver Island. If you love these talks and want to hear them without the ads, come join us on Red Mountain Way on Patreon . Members get every episode ad-free, plus additional teachings and reflections. I'd love to have you there. Another meaningful way to support is simply sharing — passing an episode to someone who needs it. For those seeking one-to-one Zen support, information about my Zen Mentorship work is available through Monarch Trancework. Thank you for listening. Thank you for practicing.

Life keeps getting harder to afford — in time, in money, in simple presence. And yet here you are. This talk moves through the Three Treasures — Buddha, Dharma, Sangha — not as a Buddhism 101 survey, but as a question about how we actually live. Buddha: not just the historical man, but the principle of awakening itself — a pattern that repeats across human history — and at its deepest, our own nature. Not something to acquire. Something to recognize. The teaching is not that something is missing. The teaching is that we've been walking around thinking something is missing. Dharma: not just the recorded teachings, but the living transmission happening right now, in every form, every practice. When the Dharma eye is open, there is no circumstance — no situation, no relationship, no difficulty — that is not the teaching. And then Sangha. The one I'll be honest with you about: the one I've personally found the most difficult. Sangha is community — but not a drop-in class or a service you attend. The moment you walk through the door, you're already part of it. What you carry comes with you. Whatever awareness you've cultivated, whatever weight you're bringing — it's in the room, shared by everyone in it. It's an energetic potluck. And at the deepest level, Sangha reveals something we've never actually escaped: we were in community before we were born. There is no outside to return from. The practice of taking refuge is the practice of remembering that. The Living Zen Podcast arises from my teaching work with Zenwest Buddhist Society , a Zen practice community on Vancouver Island. If this work resonates, I share additional teachings through Red Mountain Way on Patreon . Becoming a member helps sustain this work — and I'd love to have you there. Another meaningful way to support is simply sharing — passing an episode to someone who needs it. For those seeking one-to-one Zen support, information about my Zen Mentorship work is available through Monarch Trancework. Thank you for listening. Thank you for practicing.

In this talk, I reflect on form as a living, embodied Zen practicioner. Drawing on Rinzai Zen forms — gassho, sasshu, posture, breath, walking, and bowing — I explore how Zen is practiced through the body itself. The forms of practice are not symbolic gestures or rules to get right; they are precise, lived expressions of activity, receptivity, and stillness. This talk explores: plus, minus, and zero as lived experiences of movement, rest, and sitting how posture and mudra help call us back when attention drifts breath as a continuous expression of birth and death walking, chanting, and bowing as embodied Dharma activity how practice meets collapse, fatigue, distraction, and return — without judgment From the meditation hall, the reflection widens into life itself: how we are born and die many times over the course of a single lifetime, how identities fall apart and reform, and how practice supports us in learning — again and again — how to inhabit the world. Nothing here is about doing practice "correctly." The invitation is simply to notice what is happening — in the body, in the breath, in this moment — and to come back. About this podcast The Living Zen Podcast arises from my teaching work with the Zenwest Buddhist Society , a Zen practice community based on Vancouver Island. You can listen at https://livingzen.libsyn.com, or find Living Zen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to support this work more directly, I share additional teachings and reflections through Red Mountain Way on Patreon. Becoming a member there helps sustain this teaching work. Another meaningful way to support the podcast is by sharing it — telling friends, passing along episodes, or sharing on social media. Comments, likes, and shares are always appreciated. I do read them, and they help others find their way into practice and community. For those seeking one-to-one Zen support, information about my work is available through Monarch Trancework . Thank you for listening, and for practicing together.

Animacy in Zen In this episode of Living Zen , I reflect on Zen form — not as something merely procedural or symbolic, but as something alive . This talk explores how breath, movement, sound, chanting, bells, incense, and shared attention all participate in the life of practice. Rather than treating form as a set of rules to perform correctly, the talk invites listeners to notice how the practice itself is already active, relational, and responsive. Drawing directly from lived experience in the Zendo, this reflection looks at Zen ritual as something animated and participatory — a field we step into together — long before we "get to" sitting. It's a grounded, embodied inquiry into what is actually happening while we practice. Living Zen is a podcast about Zen practice as it's lived — sincere, embodied, and woven into real human lives. Links & Resources: Zenwest — the Zen practice community where these talks arise https://www.zenwest.ca The Red Mountain Way (Patreon) — ongoing teachings, reflections, and recordings https://www.patreon.com/redmountainway Monarch Trancework — one-to-one guidance, mentorship, and practice support https://www.monarchtrancework.com If you find Living Zen meaningful, one of the simplest ways to support the podcast is by liking, subscribing, or sharing it. These small, cost-free actions help the podcast grow and reach people who may not yet know about it. Wherever you're listening from, thank you for your time, your attention, and your practice.

This talk was recorded during our first sit of 2026 at the University of Victoria's Multifaith Centre. It's a reflection on Zen practice, play, and seriousness—and how we meet the great matter of life and death without becoming rigid or grim. Beginning again, again and again, is at the heart of practice. Living Zen is a podcast about Zen as it's lived: sincere, embodied, and woven into real human lives. Learn more about the Zenwest sangha, teachings, and practice community: https://www.zenwest.ca Support the podcast and ongoing teachings on Patreon — The Red Mountain Way : https://www.patreon.com/redmountainway Explore individual, one-to-one guidance and support at Monarch Trancework : https://www.monarchtrancework.com If you find Living Zen meaningful, liking, subscribing, or sharing the podcast is a simple way to help it grow and reach others who may be looking for this kind of practice.

In this episode, I explore one of the most treasured teachings in the Rinzai Zen tradition: Kōzen Daitō Kokushi Yuikai , the "Final Instruction" of National Teacher Daitō, founder of Daitoku-ji. This chant has accompanied my practice since 1995, and over the years its meaning has deepened in ways that continue to surprise me. Together we look at the stories surrounding Daitō's life, the clarity and fierceness of his teaching, and the very human habits that distract us from the heart of practice — chasing benefits, clinging to forms, or imagining that poverty or ornamentation have anything to do with awakening. Again and again, the Yuikai returns us to this simple truth: nothing is missing, and diligence is the willingness to return to the Way in every moment. To learn more about our community and practice opportunities, visit www.zenwest.ca . If you'd like to support the teachings and access additional content, you can join me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/redmountainway .

In this talk, we explore one of the Buddha's most enduring teachings — the musician Sona and the image of practice as a stringed instrument. Too tight, the strings snap. Too loose, there's no sound. Somewhere between effort and ease, discipline and kindness, we find the middle way. Drawing on this metaphor, we look at how our lives constantly shift the tuning of our practice: relationships, work, fatigue, weather, emotions. Form helps, but it isn't the music itself. The music is the living activity of the cosmos flowing through the instrument of your life — and learning to hear it requires honesty, compassion, and continuous adjustment. If you'd like to learn more about Zen training or the community behind these teachings, you can visit www.zenwest.ca . To support the teaching stream or access additional reflections, early releases, and behind-the-scenes practice notes, you're welcome to join me at www.patreon.com/redmountainway .

WARNING - Sudden loud sounds in this podcast. In this episode, we explore the heart of embodied practice — how a single moment of presence can cut through all the noise and return us to the immediacy of our own lives. Zen form, the shout, the bow, the subtle choreography of entering the Zendo… each of these is a doorway back into awakening as a lived, physical reality. If you'd like to dive more deeply into practice, teachings, and community, you're warmly invited to visit www.z enwest.ca , where you'll find information about training, membership, and ways to participate. And if you'd like to support this teaching stream or receive early access to new reflections and talks, you can join me on Patreon at www. patreon.com/redmountainway .

In this episode of Living Zen , Eshū reflects on two guiding phrases: the Zen teaching "To study the self is to forget the self…" and the Gàidhlig seanfhacal "Cuimhnich air na daoine às an tàinig thu" — remember the people you came from. As he returns to regular practice at Zenwest, Eshū speaks candidly about the pitfalls of spiritual bypassing, the power of ritual technologies like zazen and chanting, and the importance of community as a container for awakening. He explores how our practice is rooted not in escaping the past, but in embracing it — recognizing that our lives, our questions, and even our suffering arise from deep interwoven relationships, both ancestral and present. This talk invites us to turn toward our conditioning with compassion, to see practice as relational, and to remember those who brought us here — not just in blood, but in all the "selves" that shaped us along the way. Resources mentioned in this episode: Free Orientation to Zen course: zenwest.ca Support Eshū's work and access more teachings: patreon.com/redmountainway Personalized mentorship and Zen training: monarchtrancework.com

This week there's no Dharma talk from the Zendo — UVic was cleaning the carpets on Sunday, so our usual sit was cancelled. But I didn't want to leave the Sangha hungry. Instead, I'm sharing this reflection on how Zen was "de-animated" when it came west — and how we might begin to re-animate it, in relationship with land, ancestors, and the many seen and unseen beings who share our world. It's not doctrine; it's just some thoughts I found worth writing down. May they serve you in some way. If this resonates (or even troubles you), I'd love to hear how. Zen has always been about companionship on the Way. Zenwest Buddhist Society: www.zenwest.ca — a living Zen community on Vancouver Island Monarch Trancework: monarchtrancework.com — for Zen orientation, mentorship, and integration work Support this work on Patreon: patreon.com/redmountainway

In this episode, we explore the long arc of practice — how insight and awakening might come suddenly, but true transformation takes slow, organic time. Like digestion or composting, it can't be rushed. We reflect on moments of birth and death, on coming back to practice after seasons away, and on learning to pace ourselves at the endless feast of awakening. Whether you're tasting your first bites or returning after time away, the Buddha's buffet is always open. It's good to be here together. I'm Eshū, Abbot of Zenwest Buddhist Society , where we make Zen come alive in contemporary community. At Zenwest we offer a fully online Free Orientation to Zen program here https://app.kit.com/landing_pages/77458?v=7 If you'd like support building a foundation for practice, I offer one-on-one Orientation to Zen Support here: https://monarchtrancework.com/orientation-to-zen-support For deeper mentoring and one-on-one guidance, you'll find my Zen Mentorship & Training program here: https://monarchtrancework.com/zen-mentorship-training You can also join me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/redmountainway , where I share reflections, Zen resources, and more to support your path. If this talk nourishes you, please help others find it by rating, reviewing, or sharing. It makes a real difference — especially for those practicing far from a Zen centre.

In this talk, I explore how practice invites us to return again and again — to breath, posture, intention — dissolving fear and self-criticism, and opening to the quiet miracle of simply being here. When we give ourselves fully to this moment — to a bow, a breath, a meal, a conversation — life itself becomes the miraculous medicine this world so deeply needs. Thank you for listening, and for walking this path alongside me. • Support this work & get early access as a Patron: patreon.com/redmountainway • Free Orientation to Zen program: zenwest.ca • Orientation to Zen Support with Eshū: https://monarchtrancework.com/orientation-to-zen-support • Zen Mentorship & Training with Eshū: https://monarchtrancework.com/zen-mentorship-training With gratitude, Eshū

"The Dharma is being preached in everything." This Dharma talk, offered just after summer solstice, reflects on the rhythms of breath, season, and spirit. It explores the natural arising and dissolving that moves through our practice, our emotions, and our path — and invites us to rest in the still point between. Recorded in the Zenwest zendo and shared here on Living Zen – Red Mountain Way . Support this work and access more teachings at The Red Mountain Way on Patreon . If this offering supports you, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast platform. It really helps others find the path. Thanks for listening!

This episode is a quiet invitation to long-time listeners and new friends alike. After years of practice, storytelling, and podcasting, Eshū speaks directly to those who've walked this path with him—often at a distance—and shares the next steps in the journey, including a return to leadership at Zenwest and the weaving of many streams through Red Mountain Way. Join the Sangha. Join the kinship. The path is wide enough for all of us. ➤ Become a member of Zenwest: zenwest.ca/join-zenwest ➤ Support Red Mountain Way: patreon.com/redmountainway