Rich countries and drug firms act selfishly the COVID pandemic. Selfishness is natural, but we can strengthen our universal goodwill through training.

These Unreliable United States

Nov 10th, 2020 19m 8s

The United States as we know it will someday come to an end. It's shocking to see how vulnerable our democracy is, but as Buddhists we aren't surprised: Buddha told us that nothing lasts, and we can't rely on anything except the truth revealed

American Religion in America's Time of Crisis

Nov 10th, 2020 24m 37s

Buddhists must respond to the current political crisis, just as abolitionists like Frederick Douglass did in the 19th Century. A talk at the Village Zendo, September 3, 2020.

Who Can You Trust?

May 16th, 2020 19m 56s

Our leaders are plainly untrustworthy. And when we hear about toilet paper hoarders, or protestors storming the Michigan governor's office, or covidiots crowding together on beaches, we stop trusting each other, too. But there is someone we can

How Buddhism Survived The Japanese Internment

Apr 13th, 2020 28m 13s

Japanese Americans founded our practice, and they preserved and adapted it to life in the internment camps during WWII. Today we must adapt our practice in a crisis, are we up to the challenge?

How Not To Panic

Feb 15th, 2020 33m 1s

Panic obliterates the self. We need a strong self to face fear in meditation and all of life. Dharma at the Village Zendo, February 23, 2020. Photo: Sam Bald https://www.flickr.com/photos/28931095@N03/3115110964

You Look So Zen

Jan 3rd, 2020 22m 37s

On a visit to some Buddhists incarcerated on a jail barge, I had to improvise how to practice Zen, just like we always have to improvise our practice.

When The Buddha Met A Murderer

Dec 16th, 2019 27m 30s

Everyone deserves a place where we can practice together. Everyone deserves the opportunity for redemption. A talk I gave at the Village Zendo on December 5, 2019.

Five Ways to Establish a Rock-Solid Meditation Habit

Oct 23rd, 2019 34m 40s

Meditation can transform your life, but it only works if you sit regularly. You can establish a strong, serious practice following these five methods. Recorded October 3, 2019, and the Village Zendo.

How To Dissolve The Self

Oct 9th, 2019 29m 5s

When you do something with attention, your self merges with your activity. Watch how the self shifts and moves, and you'll start to see through the illusion of ego.

How To Be Free From Greed

Aug 1st, 2019 27m 52s

We waste our lives chasing temporary, superficial things, and our disappointment leads to grief. Here’s a practice that loosens greed’s grip on our minds, and frees us to appreciate this moment.

Are the Six Senses True Reality, Or Not?

May 24th, 2019 27m 24s

When we practice mindfulness of what we're experiencing here and now, we can be at peace and free of worry. But we can go much deeper than that. Buddha taught that we can see through our greedy, self-centered delusions and clearly comprehend th

Meaningless Striving

Jan 31st, 2019 23m 14s

Each new year, Americans resolve to work harder and be more austere, for no reason. Let's stop torturing ourselves.

The Day That Yunmen Broke His Foot

Dec 11th, 2018 23m 25s

The old stories all have the same punchline: the monk was suddenly enlightened. What really happens when we have an experience of insight? Transcript: https://emptysqua.re/blog/the-day-yunmen-broke-his-foot/

Rules for Hyenas

Dec 11th, 2018 24m 21s

If we treat the Zen precepts as a set of rules to obey, that's just conformity. Let's use them instead as a tool for busting the hierarchy! Transcript: https://emptysqua.re/blog/rules-for-hyenas/

The Meteor

Aug 28th, 2018 20m 53s

What if you knew you had 30 minutes to live? Would you want to be awakened?

Why Did Master Rinzai Slap Jo?

Apr 15th, 2018 22m 49s

In the Blue Cliff Record, Case 32, a monk named Jo asks Master Rinzai, "What is the essence of Buddhism?" In response, Rinzai grabs the monk and slaps him. Why? In this talk I explain what all this hitting and slapping is about in Zen. There's

The Real Shit Stick

Jan 27th, 2018 26m 20s

A monk asked Unmon, "What is Buddha?" Unmon replied, "A dry shit stick." Why? Where is Buddha in this regular, shitty, unsatisfactory experience? I've heard a thousand times that ordinary mind is Buddha. Here, I try to explain how to actually p

Running in Circles

Dec 26th, 2017 21m 17s

Running a half marathon, serving a prison term, practicing Zen for a lifetime: I'm trying to learn how people make friends with time, and how to appreciate each moment within an eon.

Why Generosity Turns To Rage, And What To Do About It

Nov 4th, 2017 31m 42s

So often, I find myself lashing out at someone I intended to help. The expectation that my generosity would require only a certain amount of effort, and would lead to a predictable payoff, is the culprit. How can I practice a Beginner's Mind th

Living While Dying is Tasty

Aug 1st, 2017 26m 10s

My mother plans to die at 85. What will that final year be like?

Your Nerve Plant

Jul 7th, 2017 26m 29s

To focus the mind, you first have to understand and accept the mechanism of mind-wandering.

Memorial Day

May 29th, 2017 21m 35s

My father-in-law is a soldier and my mother is a peace activist. On Memorial Day weekend, 2017, I describe how Buddha's Middle Way allows us both to honor veterans and to oppose war.