Talks from 3-Day Zenkai (July 7-9, 2023)
Practicing together with suffering – the cold kills you A talk be Lee Shields (Text available to members and participants by email request to ttssangha@gmail.com) Failure is a Friend: A talk by Madelon Bolling Read talk
Read MoreOn Dealing With “Self” When There Is No Such Thing – A Talk by Madelon Bolling (June 11, 2023)
A monk asked, “How should one act during every hour of the day such that the ancestors are not betrayed?” Yunmen said, “Give up your effort.” The monk said, “How should I give up my effort?” Yunmen said, “Give up the words you just uttered.” (Ferguson, p. 287) Today I want to explore a little more about living and working with thoughts. Thinking is a defining feature of our life, and one that’s often experienced by Zen students as the bane of our existence. In the presence of these thoughts, then, “How should one act during...
Read MoreLoneliness without separation – bare mountains and fallen leaves (A talk by Lee Shields)
Text available to members and participants by email request to ttssangha@gmail.com).
Read MoreTalks from 7-Day Retreat (April, 2023)
Everyone we meet is our teacher – True World imposes on us A talk be Lee Shields (Text available to members and participants by email request to ttssangha@gmail.com) The form of Zen in relationship – attention, attention, attention A talk be Lee Shields (Text available to members and participants by email request to ttssangha@gmail.com) Sesshin, Distractions, and Turning Away A talk be Lee Shields (Text available to members and participants by...
Read MoreLonliness – a talk by Madelon Bolling (April, 2023)
This week we’ve been exploring relationship: various ways of relating with one another, with our practice, with ourselves, with the world in general and in all its amazing particulars. Seeing that we are interrelated in so many respects, I wondered at the plague of loneliness that sweeps through traumatized people whether from a pandemic or from dangers of other sorts – shooters on the loose for instance, railroad accidents, war, or uncontrollable weather events. How are we to deal with these realities and their effect on us? In the last forty of his 120 years, starting in 857 CE,...
Read MoreWhy Does It Come to That? – A Talk by Madelon Bolling
One time when the Master was washing his bowls, he saw two birds contending over a frog. A monk who also saw this asked, “Why does it come to that?” The Master replied, “It’s only for your benefit, Acarya.” (Record of Tung-shan, case 98) As descendants of generations of colonizers here in this country, we are slowly coming to terms with our deep, personal, and inextricable connections with the natural world. The quality of life we have, the luxury of our...
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