On Oct 11th, we listened to a recorded talk by Rev. Shinsu Roberts titled “Hungry Ghosts.” She uses hungry ghosts, who are always hungry but find food that turns to pus or fire, as a metaphor for our delusions. We often chase what we believe will bring happiness, but it leads to suffering instead. Through zazen, we can recognize these patterns.

On Sept 13th, we listened to an episode from The Zen Studies Podcast by Rev. Domyo Burk, in which she invites us to take a compassionate look at one of the most familiar challenges in meditation: the wandering mind. Rather than seeing a busy mind as a problem to overcome, she encourages us to examine our understanding of a “quiet mind.”

On Aug 9th, we listened to a recorded talk by Ajahn Amaro. In this Dharma talk, the teacher explains how true non-attachment — letting go of self-centered striving and craving, can free us to engage with our lives, our practice, and the world with greater clarity, compassion, and wisdom.

On June 14th, we listened to a recorded talk by Ven. Thubten Chodron. In this Dharma talk, the Venerable examines the Buddhist understanding of consciousness, focusing on the distinction between conceptual and non-conceptual consciousness and how these different ways of knowing shape our experience of reality.