Young Urban Zen SF

Hiro Ikushima explores “Working with Subtle Frustrations”, the quiet sense that something is missing, and the low-level dissatisfaction that follows us through the day. In Zen, these small irritations become important teachers when we meet them directly rather than trying to fix or avoid them.

In this talk, Kōgetsu Mok ponders the idea of “not believing all your thoughts”. How can our zazen practice help us to quiet unrest, dis-ease, stress, and pain? How can we cultivate discernment in practice? 

Michael McCord prompts us with a few questions before diving into the concept of harboring ill will. What is forgiveness in the Buddhist practice? How do we work with long standing grievances and short term frustrations?

Rev. Kristin Diggs discusses how in the Soto Zen tradition we emphasize careful attention to the details immediately at hand, and doing one thing at a time, doing one thing completely. What does it mean, and how is it relevant in our fast-paced digital age? It couldn't be more relevant.

Ryushin Paul Haller, long-time resident senior teacher and former Abbot, discusses the deepening of awareness and noticing how it affects how we respond to self and others; as we learn to see how we respond to our experiences, we see how we cause suffering for ourselves and others. This talk was streamed live for this fall’s second EPP (Establishing the Path of Practice) course. Learn more about EPP here.

There’s an obvious and vital reason why we humans are so attached to our convictions, and the evidence for this attachment is written all over our history, from the earliest written records to this morning's edition of whatever news media we happen to be consuming now. It is also is the subject of the very first chapter of the very first published koan collection. Referring to the exchange between Emperor Wu of Liang and the great master Bodhidharma in the aforementioned chapter, Anshi Zachary Smith develops a perspective, informed by zen teachings, on knowing and not-knowing.

We wouldn't enter into a romantic or business relationship without shared agreements, some established boundaries, and emphasis on acceptable communication; however, it is quite common for us to have entrenched relationships with technology that have never been examined as to their overall net effect on us. In this talk, Michael examines technology using some of the principles we use in Zen practice to navigate relationships.

Rev. Kristin Diggs speaks about meeting zen's "True Person"—an engagement that requires looking directly at what it is you are actually seeking.

Impermanence is one of the Three Marks of Existence, yet often the most difficult to accept in our daily lives. Whether it’s the changing of the seasons, a shift in career, or the realities of aging, sickness, and death, change is constant. In this talk we’ll practice how to meet impermanence not as an abstract concept, but as a lived experience, through the simple, fleeting beauty of bubbles.

Tonight’s talk was about a chapter from the recently published book of Suzuki Roshi’s teachings, "Becoming Yourself". The chapter is titled “Do Not Be Angry.”Kōgetsu takes a look at how this fits with our practice of the Bodhisattva precepts and how we can live with more groundedness, connection, and clarity, even when we're angry.

In this episode, Michael discusses the precept, “I Vow to Refrain from Intoxicants”.  This vow is one that is often misunderstood in its scope and purpose. How is this core vow in Buddhism practiced in our everyday lives?

Hiro offers a short talk on Letting Go of Resistance. Often what weighs on us most is not the situation itself, but our resistance to it. Resistance is not something we need to fight, but something we can meet with awareness and compassion. The aim is not to manipulate experience, but to access a dimension of being where resistance is already absent.

The theme for this talk is Liberative Constraints. This is a topic Eli brought up at this year’s Young Urban Zen retreat at Tassajara. In a world shaped by constant choice and digital customization, Zen practice offers a radically different kind of freedom, the kind that arises from structure, rhythm, and restraint. We discuss the liberating power of intentional constraints, and how forms like zazen, silence, and schedule can support presence, belonging, and internal spaciousness. Eli reflects on what it means to live unedited.

The theme for this talk is Taking the Monastery Home. First, what brings us to the temple and to practice? What kind of experiences can we have at the temple that can help us in our lives? If we get the opportunity to visit and stay at a monastery, what do we take with us? If not, can we build a sacred space within ourselves and in our homes?Kōgetsu Mok discusses the various ancient forms practiced in the temples that have real practical meaning and can be a frame for our home practice.

Michael McCord discusses ‘taking what is not given’, essentially, the precept around stealing. However, just like all the precepts, this one goes quite deep in regards to relationships and our expectations/ demands for how we want others to show up for us and the capacities we expect. And like all the precepts, the antidote is what we focus on most of the time. For not stealing, the antidote is generosity and not acting from a stance of scarcity. Michael looks at behaviors that support this way of going through the world as well as habits, mentalities, and outlooks that can work against it.

Hiro Ikushima explores Becoming Yourself, a newly published book of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s talks. He reads and reflects on a few selections that center on themes such as zazen, self and no-self, and how Zen meets everyday life. These timeless teachings offer both clarity and encouragement for practice in the midst of our busy modern lives.

Zach discusses the long-standing debate about the utility of the written and spoken Dharma in the context of a practice that claims to go beyond words and concepts. People have literally been arguing about this for millennia; we take it up as well.

It sometimes seems like the world is falling apart and we can feel overwhelmed and isolated and sapped of energy. In this talk, Tim discusses strategies for building energy, Virya in Sanskrit, and how to work with it as one of the central elements in our Zen practice.

What if there’s nothing to fix, improve, or figure out? What if this moment, just as it is, is enough? In the preceeding session, Hiro explored the conceptual foundation of self and no-self—how our sense of “I” is formed and sustained. Building on that understanding, we shift into direct, experiential practice, allowing presence to reveal itself through shikantaza and mindfulness-based meditation. This talk about living with presence is centered more around guided and silent meditation, with less emphasis on talking.

Hiro speaks about the notion of awakening from the dream of self. Much of our suffering arises from clinging to a fixed sense of self—a mental construct shaped by memory, identity, and striving. When we begin to see through this illusion, we may discover a quiet, open presence that has always been here.