The Buddha taught that if we want to understand life and death, we need to deeply study our own mind. “The last frontier,” Daido Roshi says, “is not space. It is human consciousness.”

The koan in this talk is “Daowu’s Place of No Birth and No Death,” Case 251 from the True Dharma Eye. It was given at ZMM in February 2002.

We come to practice looking for something, and inevitably, we have an idea of what that will be. Whether it’s ultimate independence or a special state of mind, if we’re really practicing, we’re not going to find it. Ryushin Sensei talks about discovering what we already have, and about offering deeply in return.

The koan in this talk is “Layman Pang’s Good Snowflakes,” Case 42 from the Blue Cliff Record. It was given at ZMM on July 3, 2011.

Our challenge as practitioners is to live in accord with the dharma, the nameless truth that is always present. But how do we do this? Drawing on teachings Master Linji offered just before he died, Shugen Sensei encourages us to leap free of what hinders us and become completely alive.

The koan in this talk is “Linji’s Blind Ass,” Case 13 from the Book of Serenity. It was given at ZMM on June 24, 2011.

The simple practice of zazen, when taken up sincerely and consistently, has the power to transform our lives. In this talk, Daido Roshi dispels some common misunderstandings about zazen and offers helpful guidance. From working through our baggage to truly letting go, he encourages us to surrender our ego trip and  trust the process.

The koan in this talk is “Nanyue Polishes a Tile,” Case 8 from the True Dharma Eye. It was given at ZMM on May 26, 2007.

Most of us spend a great deal of energy staying oriented in our lives, investing in our stories about who we are and where we are headed and measuring our progress according to our goals. Yet, since ancient times, wise ones have held up the practice of aimless wandering. Why? What happens when we throw away the maps and guidebooks?

The koan in this talk is “Changsha Wandering in the Mountains,” Case 36 from the Blue Cliff Record. It was given at ZMM on May 25, 2011.

The Buddha’s journey took him to the extremes of worldly power and renunciation, but in his enlightenment, he discovered that samsara and nirvana are one reality. Although our conventional view suggests we need to escape this worldly realm, in fact the Way is already here. How can we see this for ourselves?

The koan in this talk is “Kan-feng’s One Way,” Case 48 from the Gateless Gate. It was given at ZCNYC on August 14, 2011.

A great miracle is present any time we take a meal: to eat is to receive life and merge with the universe. In a very real way, what nourishes us–whether it’s food for our body or food for our heart and mind–has the potential to nourish others. When wisdom and compassion fill our body and mind, then this is what we offer to all beings.

The koan in this talk is “Xinyang’s Sweet Melons,” from Koans of the Way of Reality. It was given at ZMM on June 3, 2007.

Ryushin Sensei offered this talk shortly after the passing of Robert Aitken Roshi, and in it he cites Aitken Roshi’s teaching that Zen is about the “perfection of character.” How do we become spiritually mature human beings, authentic in our humanity? We can’t just live out some idealized version of ourselves, but need to fearlessly address our pain and unresolved karma.

The koan in this talk is “Paichang and the Fox,” Case 2 from the Gateless Gate. It was given at Zen Mountain Monastery on August 15, 2010.

Practice begins with clearly seeing the turbulence and anxiety that color our lives. Although we may try to escape our discomfort, the Buddha taught that only by becoming intimately familiar with it can we truly find our way through it. When we bring a non-judging awareness and attention to what’s really going on within, we begin to loosen our hold on the struggle and to experience the natural harmony of things.

The koan in this talk is “Ordinary Mind is the Way,” Case 19 from the True Dharma Eye. It was given at the Zen Center of New York City on June 18, 2011.

Work is what we spend most of our lives doing. It’s not usually the place we would think to look for the sacred. But if we can be awake to that aspect of our working lives, then all activity becomes a realized activity, a true expression of the dharma.

The koan in this talk is “Baizhang’s Zen Work Ethic” from Koans of the Way of Reality, an in-house collection compiled by Daido Roshi. It was given at ZMM in August 2005.