Zencare Podcast

“How are you cultivating that space of no separation in each moment?”   Koshin Paley Ellison delivers a talk on the importance of commitment in relationship, whether it be commitment in how you show up for others in your community or the steadiness you display in a teacher–student engagement. He discusses the Zen ancestor Guishan […] The post The Glowing Ember of Sangha | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

What are the ingredients that go into your decisions today?   Sensei Chodo delivers a vulnerable dharma talk on a koan in which you find yourself trapped in an impossible situation and asks: “How can you get out?” Though koan practice is unusual in the Sōtō Zen sect, they are practiced and taught in the […] The post The Stone Grave You Find Yourself In | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Big mind, then, is not a matter of meditation on some vast floating spatial dimension. It is the practice of entirely devoting your life to each and everything that you encounter, no matter what it might be.” As the New York Zen Center continues in its 90 day ango (practice period), Sensei Chodo Robert Campbell […] The post How Do We Embody Big Mind? | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

For more than a decade, NYZC’s Foundations in Contemplative Care has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and caregiving. In this info session (recorded on February 28th, 2022), guiding teachers, Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Robert Campbell, as well as staff […] The post Answering Your Questions about Foundations in Contemplative Care | February 2022 appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“How can you embody being settled into the Way?”   In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison cites our Zen ancestor, Dōgen Zenji, who, in his various guides explains that those who hold positions within sanghas are monks “settled in the Way”. Koshin sensei examines what it means to be settled as such and how […] The post Showing Up For Your Life | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“It is not valid to equate a fact, as real as it may seem to be, with the truth. It is just self deception. We deceive ourselves by believing a fact that exists in our mind is an absolute truth” —Kōshō Uchiyama   In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley Ellison draws from lessons learned during […] The post In Harmony With The Three Treasures | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“What I would encourage you to do is to reflect on: how you how you’ve deceived yourself this past year, how you’ve made excuses, and how can you take responsibility.”   On the eve of the new year, Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Robert Campbell deliver dharma talks on self-deception, taking responsibility, and setting intentions. Chodo […] The post How Will You Be In Time? | New Year’s Eve Dharma Talks & 108 Bell Ringing appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“If you just surrender your life to the dharma, then you no longer have to worry what the future will bring. You will bring forth the future out of your surrender. Just drink tea and the dharma will come to you. You don’t have to chase it. It is chasing you.” —Sandra Jishu Holmes Roshi […] The post Stop Chasing! Our Cultural Belief in Choice | Dai En Friedman appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“I’ve been practicing for twenty years and it’s so wonderful that I’m still not sure what practice is.” Sensei Shinzan Palma joins the NYZC sangha to deliver a dharma talk on the varying dimensions of practice. He shares his own journey in understanding what zazen means to him, navigating past delusions of his younger years. […] The post Grounding In Your Practice & Supporting Sangha | Jose Shinzan Palma appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Maintaining the sangha and showing up to serve the Buddhadharma is something beyond us, beyond ‘me’.”   Sensei Koshin delivers a dharma talk on perseverance and dedication to practice. He shares the story of Parsha, the 10th ancestor of Shakyamuni Buddha and a venerable monk born at the ripe age of 60 years old. With […] The post The Arc of Practice | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Can you find the steadiness of your practice even when you don’t want to? Can you show up even when you’re not feeling well in your body-mind?”   During the last practice period and in the midst of a full day Zazenkai, Koshin Paley Ellison delivers a dharma talk on finding your breath and practice […] The post The Entire Universe is One Bright Pearl | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Many of us use spiritual practice as a transaction. We say to ourselves, ‘if I log in enough hours, I will get something.’”   In this dharma talk, Koshin Paley […] The post Practice and Realization Are Not Two Things | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“When we give to others, we give without expectation or reward. We give without attachment to the gift or the recipient.”   —Shakyamuni Buddha   On the day of the […] The post This Generosity Comes in Unexpected Ways | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“If I can practice having tenderness and compassion for my own experience, it’s like having a couple of extra windows in your house. You can then see what other people […] The post Waking Up to the Hidden Parts of Ourselves | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Zazen has nothing whatsoever to do with whether you’re sitting upright or lying down.”   Examining one of this year’s Commit to Sit practice texts, Koshin Paley Ellison reflects on […] The post For Zazen, A Quiet Room is Best | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“How do you experience the sound of raindrops as they land on the surface of the water? The breeze against your face if you’re flying in the sky? Or are […] The post 51 Years Later, Still Fighting | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“All people throughout the world are, without a doubt, equally imprinted with Buddha nature.”—Eihei Dogen   As the Zen Center begins to slowly open its doors for in-person sits, Koshin […] The post The Acupuncture Needle of Zazen | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Part of our practice is to educate ourselves about history but also about how we work with our rage; how we work with our feelings of difference.”   On May […] The post How Do You Stop the Fighting Across the River? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“What do you do in the face of horror, the face of fear, the face of the unknown? How do we give each other the courage to dig into curiosity […] The post No Beginning and No End: What Do You Do in the Face of Fear? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“How can my actions today foster and nourish other people’s spiritual lives?”   Drawing upon Case 33 of The Book of Equanimity, Koshin details the interaction between Sanshô and Seppô, […] The post What is Skillful Means? | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.