by Gwen Juvenal (Shoka Itsuro) Welcome to the celebration! For something vital, something extraordinary is happening right here and now. And its fragrance fills this room. Perhaps you noticed it during meditation. Perhaps you’ve noticed it before and simply called it by another name. This fragrance is here now. Not reserved for after we finally…
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The Whole of the Way
by Rio Branham Intro A phrase that we sometimes say here is that Spiritual Friendships are the whole of the way. I want to dive a little bit deeper into it and what it means to me and why we say it. We usually ask to see who is here for the first time. But…
It’s the Hope That Kills You
by Kelly Branan I want to begin by naming something that may already be in the room today. Many of us are tired. Not just physically tired, but existentially tired. Tired of carrying uncertainty. Tired of waiting for things to improve. Tired of hoping and being disappointed. For some of us, the word hope itself…
Everyday Mind as the Pure Land
by Kelly Branan When we hear the words Pure Land, many of us imagine somewhere else. A distant realm. A peaceful afterlife. A place free from conflict, free from grief, free from the messiness of human life. And if we’re honest, there’s a part of us that really wants that. A place untouched by disappointment….
Recognizing Our Clinging
by Kelly Branan Today I want to talk about clinging, not as an abstract Buddhist idea, but as something intimate, ordinary, and deeply human. Because most of us do not walk around thinking: “Ah yes, today I am participating in attachment and craving.” Clinging rarely announces itself directly. It disguises itself as: caring planning protecting…
This Is Water: Waking Up from Autopilot
By Laura Rose Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here today. I want to begin this talk with a story– a parable that has stayed with me since I first heard it in high school, and one I still come back to often. It goes like this: There are these two young fish swimming…
Interbeing with the Earth / The Earth in Us, and Us in Each Other
Laura Bennett Let’s begin by settling into our bodies, into the present moment. I know we already did this a bit at the beginning of the ritual but it’s always relevant, and I want to put it in the context of the Earth. Breathing in, breathing out. I become aware of the whole sangha breathing…
Namu Amida Butsu in Our Tradition and in Everyday Life
By Laura Bennett I want to begin with a poem by Mary Oliver: “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about…
Already Held: The Journey of Self-Compassion
By Laura Bennett Lately, I’ve been on a journey to be more compassionate towards myself. For me, this has meant learning to offer more compassion towards the thoughts, sensations, emotions, perceptions, and habitual patterns that arise. This journey has also naturally lent itself toward learning how to truly receive compassion. When I say compassion here,…
The Human Condition
by Kimmy Sensei When we are newborns, one of the first pieces of information to get logged into ourmedical record is a diagnosis code. The most commonly received code in America is “Z-3-8”, this is the diagnosis code that describes being born. Being born is a condition. Being human is a condition. One that we…
