Zencare Podcast

“The best way to observe precepts is just to be you yourself—and then the precepts are always with you.”

What does it mean to “be yourself” in Zen, not as self-improvement, but as a direct, embodied intimacy with life as it is?

We were honored to recently host Jiryu Rutschman-Byler, co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center, at our zendo in New York for this moving dharma talk on the newly released collection of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s teachings, Becoming Yourself, that Jiryu and the late Sojun Mel Weitsman wer...

“Settling down is a protest against a society that values speed.”

We share this opening talk from our last Commit to Sit in honor of our upcoming 90-day program starting this January.

In it, Koshin sensei invites us into studying Shakyamuni Buddha's final teaching on becoming a great person, explored through Dogen Zenji's commentary and Uchiyama Roshi's wisdom.

Through powerful stories of the Buddha stopping Angulimala mid-chase, Ryokan wishing he could give away the moonlight, a student rubbing fire sticks until they see flame, Kosh...

“They will not ask me why I wasn't Moses. They will ask, ‘why weren't you Zosia? Why weren't you more yourself?’”

On the 82nd day of our recent Commit to Sit, Koshin Paley Ellison delivered this dharma talk on the Buddha's final teaching about useless and frivolous discussion.

Drawing from Dogen's commentaries and the Buddha's last instructions, Koshin asks how much of our day we spend entertaining confusion versus actually practicing presence.

Through humor and honesty, this talk illuminates how our tight grip on wanting...

“The truth had never been expounded before because the time to do so had not yet come. Now is the time to drop the story about what should have happened.”

What if your practice wasn’t about self-improvement, but about opening the door of Buddha wisdom for all beings?

Drawing on Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra, Koshin Sensei speaks about skillful means, our wildly different capacities, and the confusion we create when we cling to comfort or try to please everyone.

He introduces the fi...

“There is no enemy except our delusion, and even that, when bound to the path, becomes a place of support.”

In this talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on the ancient figure of Fudo Myo-o, the “Immovable Wisdom King”, and the role of the abbot as one who stands on the stone mountain in the midst of fire.

Drawing on the Lotus Sutra’s parable of the burning house, he invites us to bind everything to the path: our fears, our demons, our need to control the future, even our suffering storylines...

“A good teacher will take the mask off your face.”

In this recent drama talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on the first two chapters of the Lotus Sutra.

There is a crowd gathering to hear the Buddha teach, millions of beings of all kinds. One of the Buddha's disciples is repeatedly imploring the Buddha to speak and the Buddha finally agrees.

Just as he is about to address the crowd, five thousand monks stand up, bow, and leave.

Koshin reflects on w...

“The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable... and that door is difficult to understand and difficult to enter when we believe our stories.”

In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on becoming an “assistant gardener” whose job is to sit zazen with the plants, learning to practice not just for ourselves, but with all beings.

Drawing from the opening chapters of the Lotus Sutra, Koshin explores what it means to sit in the middle of life without excluding anything or anybody, even in the face of termi...

“When I forget who I am, I return to the Buddha. When I’m lost in confusion, I return to the Dharma. When I feel alone, I return to the Sangha.”

In this tender and luminous talk, Chodo Sensei reflects on the Three Refuges of Buddhism—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—through the lens of impermanence, community, and compassion.

With stories of accompanying his dear friend Rande in her final days, and reflections on awakening amid global unrest, Chodo reminds us that refuge is not found in escape, but in presence.<...

“I love birthdays because they remind us: I was born, and I’m going to die. This is my one shot.”

In this talk from his birthday this past Sunday, Koshin Sensei reflects on the gift of being alive and the simplicity of a nourishing life.

Drawing on the teachings of Bodhidharma (who, legend has it, share's Koshin Sensei's birthday), he explores the four all-inclusive practices: suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and practicing the Dharma.

Through humor, tenderness, and vivid stories—childhood friends r...

“The true way is not something bestowed by others... it is found in the depths of your own heart-mind.”

On the 68th day of our recent Commit to Sit, Koshin Sensei reflects on teachings from Shakyamuni Buddha, Dogen Zenji, and Uchiyama Roshi, reminding us that practice never ends—not even for the great teachers.

Through stories both profound and playful (including an unexpected giant Labubu doll appearing in the zendo), he challenges us to see failure not as weakness but as the essence of practice.

How...

“The discipline of zazen is the refusal to be manipulated by your own mind.”

In this talk, Koshin Sensei reflects on the liberating power of discipline, the courage to make effort, and the serenity that comes not from outer conditions but from the clarity of mind itself.

Drawing on the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, Dōgen Zenji, and Uchiyama Roshi, he explores how daily reverence for concentration allows the Dharma (wisdom) to flourish in our lives.

From the story of Dōgen meeting the tenzo...

"A boat without a rudder drifts with the current, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but always away from the true shore."

In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to reflect deeply on what it means to “not lose sight of true dharma.”

Drawing from Shakyamuni Buddha’s final teachings and Dogen Zenji’s commentary, Koshin reminds us that vigilance and effort are not punishments but the armor and encampment that protect us from distraction, defensiveness, and the pull of the senses.

With humor and tend...

“The challenge is not sustaining the silence (on retreat), but bringing the silence with you when you leave.”

In this dharma talk from the final day of our recent summer silent retreat, Chodo sensei explores what it means to practice without seeking reward.

Through the powerful story of 13th-century nun Mugai Nyodai, whose awakening came when the bottom fell out of her water bucket, and a poem by Marie Howe about a dog transfixed by moonlight, this talk explores mushotoku: the art of gaining nothing.

Thr...

“Sangha (community) is not a retreat from suffering but a mirror to it.”

In this lively and direct dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to explore what it truly means to cultivate serenity and quietude; not as an escape from life’s messiness, but as a way of meeting it fully.

Drawing on a Jataka (lives of the historical Buddha) tale of a hollow tree, teachings from our Zen ancestors, Dogen Zenji and Uchiyama Roshi, and reflections on the challenges and beauty of Sangha life, Koshin reminds us that imperm...

In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei shares a day of stark contrasts: one meeting filled with praise — “You’re awesome, the best teacher” — followed by another with harsh criticism — “You’re the worst, no good, unhelpful.”

How do we meet the swings between feeling wonderful and feeling terrible? How do we strive to “be on the right side of history” in a world that is both brutal and beautiful?

Koshin invites us into Uchiyama Roshi’s teaching of Having Few Desires, exploring what it means to rest with dissatisfaction rather than trying to fi...

“Zen is not interested in making us feel good. It is about being real. Sometimes this feels good. Sometimes this feels awful.”

In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei celebrates the graduates of our Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, reflects on the teachings of Dogen guiding our current ango period (Commit to Sit), and invites us to ask: What are the roots of goodness?

It’s a question that feels both timely and timeless. Koshin reminds us that goodness means taking responsibility for who we are and how we live. We atone for ou...

“How can I arouse the spirit of reconciliation and harmony right now?”



In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to reflect on what it means to truly grow up and live with wisdom.

Quoting Uchiyama Roshi, the author of this summer Commit to Sit's guiding text, he reminds us that while we may look like adults, our hearts and our behavior often remain immature.

Koshin also reflects on how, even in times of conflict and pain, we can choose harmony over division.

Duration: 00:26:27

When illness and loss touch our community, how can we transform uncertainty into deeper practice?

In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei explores how life's fragility can awaken rather than paralyze us. Drawing from Shakyamuni Buddha's third awareness, he reveals how we trap ourselves in narrow self-concepts and offers practice as the antidote.

“Let the forms of the practice dismantle your self-image,” he guides, echoing Uchiyama Roshi's wisdom to “let go of the small self to realize the vastness of life itself.”

Discover how to break...

“What would it be like to realize that you're not missing anything, that the brightness is not somewhere else and it's not someone else.”

We share one final excerpt from last winter's Commit to Sit as the next 90-day summer practice period starts this Wednesday!

In this talk, Koshin Sensei captures the essence of Zen practice through the lens of lineage and transmission. Speaking on the 90th day, he weaves together ancient wisdom stories with intimate personal reflections from his time training in Japan earlier this year.

Duration: 00:45:17

“It’s one of the challenges of our school: to be prepared, and then to drop it.”

What can a 13th-century Zen master teach us about the courage needed to challenge institutional barriers?

This week, we continue to share excerpts from our winter Commit to Sit, with a talk from our dear dharma friend, Konjin Godwin, the abbot of the Houston Zen Center and Director of the International Division of Soto Zen.

Konjin offers an intimate and accessible exploration of one of Zen's most influe...