Beyond Words — a talk by Leland Shields (November 9, 2025)
Beyond Words Leland Shields, November 9, 2025 I’ll begin with the first part of verse 14 of the Taoteching, translated by Red Pine. We look but don’t see it and call it indistinct we listen but don’t hear it and call [it] faint we reach but don’t grasp it and call it ethereal three failed means to knowledge I weave into one … Lao Tzu. Lao-tzu’s Taoteching: With Selected Commentaries from the Past 2,000 Years (p. 28). Copper Canyon Press. Kindle Edition. There is an inherent challenge in a Zen talk for the writer, the presenter and the listener. The words are what’s most apparent...
Read MoreMarch 2026 Sesshin (6-Day Meditation Retreat)
Three Treasures Sangha typically holds two, seven-day sesshin each year. Residential Sesshin with Jack Duffy and Lee Shields, March 8-14, 2026 These retreats are rigorous and quite demanding, consisting of about 10 hours of zazen (sitting meditation) per day. They are silent except for the teacher’s daily teisho (dharma talk), and for dokusan (practice-related interview with the teacher). Online and part time attendance are welcome. See the Sesshin page for more information.
Read MoreThe Dragon King’s Daughter Pays Homage to the Buddha – a Talk by Carlos Abusaid Elias (October 12, 2025)
The master instructed the assembly saying, “The Dragon King’s daughter paid her personal homage to the Buddha from her heart. It was a completely natural act.” A monk asked, “If it was natural, why was there any ‘paying homage’?” The master said, “If there was no paying homage, how could it be natural?” Note: The full text transcript will be posted soon Listen to the talk
Read MoreTalks from the September, 2025 Sesshin
Talk 1 – “No Body” Breaks a Toe – by Leland Shields Read the transcript Listen to the talk Talk 2 – Buddha-nature – by Madelon Bolling Read the transcript Talk 3 – Nothing in The World – by Leland Shields Read the transcript Listen to the talk Talk 4 – How is Buddhism Being Maintained Here? – by Leland Shields Read the transcript Listen to the Talk Talk 5 – Roaming the Mountains, Blue Cliff Record 36 – by Leland Shields Read the transcript Listen to the talk Talk 6 – The Way...
Read MoreThe Way Has to Flow Without Obstruction— a talk by Leland Shields (September 19, 2025)
Listen to the talk …The Way has to flow without obstruction. Why would you block it? The Way flows freely when the mind doesn’t dwell on anything. Once it dwells on something, it is imprisoned… Pine, Red. Three Zen Sutras: The Heart, The Diamond, and The Platform Sutras (Counterpoints Book 7) (pp. 81-82). Catapult. Kindle Edition. This passage was taken from a paragraph in Huineng’s Platform Sutra. It’s the first sentences that draw me in and stop me in my tracks. …The Way has to flow without obstruction. Why would you block it? The Way flows freely when the mind doesn’t dwell on anything…...
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