Four Noble Truths — a talk by Leland Shields (July 11, 2026)
Four Noble Truths Lee Shields, July 11, 2026 As the story goes, Buddha left a comfortable home when realizing the unavoidable fact of old age, sickness and death. He spent years in dedicated practice, alone and with others, at times dangerously denying himself food and water before choosing the middle way. Then taking a seat under the Bodhi tree, he remained, through all manner of delusions doing their best to unseat him. On the morning of the eighth day, the Venus star shattered the world he knew. Rising at last, he sought out his practice community and for the first time expressed what was...
Read MoreAll Beings by Nature are Buddha: A Talk by Madelon Bolling (May 10, 2026)
All beings by nature are Buddha A Talk by Madelon Bolling, May 10, 2026 In the Book of Serenity, Tozan Zenji teaches us: Don’t try to seek yourself. Don’t try to figure out who you are. The “you” found in that way is far from the real you; it is not you anymore. But when I go on my way, wherever I turn, I meet myself. [#49] The Huayan school says, “Inner reality is complete, words are partial; when words are born, inner reality is lost.” [Book of Serenity, #49] One of the first instructions I received from Korean Zen master Seung Sahn was to consider “What am I?” This...
Read MoreHeshan’s Knowing How to Beat the Drum — a talk by Leland Shields (April, 2026)
Blue Cliff Record Case Forty-Four: Heshan Beats the Drum Leland Shields, April 12, 2026 [Heshan] said, “Cultivating study is called listening, ending study is called nearness; going beyond these two is really going beyond.” A [practitioner] came up and asked, “What is real going beyond?” [Heshan] said, “Knowing how to beat a drum.” The [practitioner] then asked, “What is absolute truth?” [Heshan] said, “Knowing how to beat a drum.” [The practitioner] then asked, “I do not question ‘mind itself is Buddha’—what about ‘not mind, not Buddha’?” [Heshan] said, “Knowing how to beat a drum.” Then...
Read MoreTalks from the March, 2026 Sesshin
Talk 1 – The Crow called, “Ikkyū, Ikkyū, Ikkyū” – by Leland Shields Read the transcript Talk 2 – Life and Death Is a Great Matter – by Leland Shields Read the transcript Talk 3 – No Questions, No Answers – by Leland Shields Read the transcript
Read MoreNo Questions, No Answers — a talk by Leland Shields (March, 2026)
No Questions, No Answers Leland Shields, March 2026 Someone asked, “What is the fundamental teaching?” Master Yunmen said, “No question, no answer!” (section 30) App, Urs. Zen Master Yunmen: His Life and Essential Sayings (p. 46). Shambhala. Kindle Edition. This is taken from Urs App’s translation titled, Zen Master Yunmen: His Life and Essential Sayings. No question no answer. We can get lost in the simple statement, but it’s easier to rest in it when we’re not thinking of it as a general principle. It’s not a teaching or a command; it is a generous response to a sincere question. Yunmen’s...
Read MoreLife and Death Is a Great Matter — a talk by Leland Shields (March, 2026)
Life and Death Is a Great Matter Leland Shields, March 2026 I beg to urge you everyone Life and death is a great matter All things pass quickly away… Each of you must be completely alert Never neglectful, never indulgent. This is the encouragement that ends our retreat day, and I’ve been moved and encouraged by it for these many years. It is encouraging when the day ends with fatigue, and still so when the day ends with openness. But it is encouragement to what? In the phrase, “life and death is a great matter,” “life and death” opens the aperture of our attention to include the four...
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