The No Abode Audio Archive

You are currently logged-out. You can log-in or create an account to see more talks, save favorites, and more. more info

Showing 3838 talks
 

- Reset Search

Title Speaker Date

Path to Enlightenment Through Circles

Serial: RA-01795 The talk emphasizes the importance of acknowledging suffering and dedicating oneself to the welfare of all beings, a message central to Buddhist practice, yet often unstated. It explores this theme through Zen teachings,...
Time, Work, Buddha

Beyond Time: Zen Realization Unveiled

Serial: RA-01797 The talk focuses on the philosophical exploration of being present and understanding time in the context of Zen teachings. The discussion emphasizes the distinction between an individual's conception of the present and the "real...
Time, Pain, Study

Awakening Through Self-Forgetfulness

Serial: RA-01811 The talk explores the concepts of self, enlightenment, and ordination within Zen Buddhism, focusing on the perspectives of self-awareness and the practice of forgetting the self as a path to understanding enlightenment. It...
Enlightenment, Time, Practice

Timeless Stillness in Sacred Practices

Serial: RA-01814 In the transcript, various themes are explored including the nature of practice, concepts of busyness vs. stillness, the present moment, the interconnectedness of spiritual traditions, and the transmission of teachings. A central...
Time, Practice, Silence

Embracing Frustration for Zen Growth

Serial: RA-01817 The talk centers on the theme of embracing fundamental frustration and separation as a foundational step in Zen practice. It emphasizes that true progress begins by facing and accepting the basic state of agitation instead of...
Separation, Time, Suffering

Transcending Conceptions Through Wisdom and Practice

Serial: RA-01869 The talk delves into a key passage from "Le Traité de la Grande Vertue de Sagesse", focusing on the faculties of energy, attention, samadhi, and wisdom, and discusses how they empower the bodhisattva to enhance wholesome dharmas...
Bodhisattva, Enlightenment, Wisdom

Dynamic Interdependence and Emptiness Revealed

Serial: RA-01890 The talk primarily examines the 12 links of causation as a dynamic picture of existence, juxtaposed with the static analysis provided by the five aggregates (skandhas). It underscores how meditating on the 12 links reveals the...
Consciousness, Time, Meditation

Embracing Shadows for Enlightenment

Serial: RA-01898 This talk delves into the necessity of confronting both positive and negative aspects of one’s experiences, like angels and devils, by bringing them to the forefront of consciousness. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging...
Study, Anger, Pain

Emptiness Unveiled: Beyond Self and Dharmas

Serial: RA-01965 The transcript provides an analysis and refutation of the concept of Atman through the lens of "Le Traité de la Grande Vertu de Sagesse," highlighting how thoughts and dharmas lack autonomous existence and self-nature due to...
Bodhisattva, Pain

Mindful Balance for True Stabilization

Serial: RA-02416 The talk explores the nuanced process of developing meditative stabilization, focusing on the practice of shamatha. It emphasizes the importance of balancing the mind's tendency towards laxity and excitement during meditation to...
Breath, Yoga, Concentration

Compassion's Jewel in Emptiness

Serial: RA-02763 The talk examines the 14th koan from the "Transmission of Light," focusing on the story of Nagarjuna and the significance of compassionate practices as a foundation for studying teachings about self-existence and emptiness,...
Compassion, Practice, Study

Liberation Through Embracing Emptiness

Serial: RA-02764 The talk explores the concept of conditionality and the nature of essence in Zen philosophy, drawing on the example of acorns and oak trees to illustrate the complexity of causal relationships. It challenges the attribution of...
Liberation, Suffering, Enlightenment

Conditions Shape Reality's Illusion

Serial: RA-02765 The talk explores the nature of conditions and their role in causation, emphasizing that conditions give rise to effects through regularity rather than intrinsic essence. The discussion includes an analysis of causation from a...
Buddha, Time, Name

Unraveling the Emptiness of Causation

Serial: RA-02766 The talk examines Nagarjuna's concept of dependent co-arising, emphasizing the emptiness of causal relations and the rejection of inherent existence in entities. It elaborates on how stories of causation are constructed, showing...
Time, Work, Emptiness

Emptiness Unveiled in Zen Wisdom

Serial: RA-02767 The talk delves into the concept of emptiness, stories, and the process of enlightenment in Zen philosophy. It highlights the idea that beings and their experiences are essentially empty and result from conditions that are also...
Enlightenment, Emptiness, Delusion

Beyond Essence: Embracing Dependent Arising

Serial: RA-02768 The talk focuses on exploring Nagarjuna's critique of inherent existence and the concept of dependent co-arising, emphasizing the middle path between the extremes of attributing essence and nihilism. The discussion addresses the...
Suffering, Buddhism, Work

Uprightness and Compassion in Practice

Serial: RA-02769 The talk delves into the second Bodhisattva precept of 'no stealing' and its deep connection with uprightness and mindfulness within Zen practice. It explores how this precept, like that of 'not killing', emphasizes the...
Precepts, Practice, Pain

Infinite Wisdom Through Compassionate Practice

Serial: RA-02770 The talk explores the ultimate significance of the Bodhisattva precept of no stealing, emphasizing its realization through infinite wisdom and compassion. It contrasts the inspiring results of upright practice with the bitter...
Precepts, Practice, Work

Embracing Precepts for True Liberation

Serial: RA-02771 The talk revisits concepts from a previous discussion, particularly focusing on the precept of no sexual greed, stressing its dual aspects of avoiding harm and fully benefiting all beings by integrating and understanding one's...
Precepts, Time, Bodhisattva

Awakening Through Sober Presence

Serial: RA-02772 The talk delves into the complexity and significance of the precept of "no intoxication" within Zen practice, emphasizing the necessity of uprightness and self-awareness to authentically engage with this precept. It is argued...
Precepts, Practice, Time

Unraveling Causation's Illusory Web

Serial: RA-02773 The talk examines the essential teaching of Nagarjuna on causation, emphasizing the distinction between causal power and conditions, and its relation to the notion of inherent existence in phenomena. The discussion contrasts...
Evil, Time, Karma

Embracing Emptiness Beyond Narratives

Serial: RA-02774 The talk delves into the concept of dependent co-arising, examining its role as a conventional description without intrinsic essence. It explores how societal narratives and conventional truths shape perceptions of reality,...
Time, Work, Name

Zen Words, World Bridges

Serial: RA-02775 The talk discusses a translation project concerning pivotal Soto Zen texts, emphasizing the significance of translating works by Dogen and others to high scholarly standards for broader accessibility and understanding. The talk...
Work, Lotus Sutra, japanese

Zazen: Faith Beyond Belief

Serial: RA-02776 The talk explores the concept of "ultimate concern" as a form of faith intrinsic to each individual, which is essential for the practice of Zen and goes beyond belief. It emphasizes that the Zen practice of Zazen—being upright—...
Practice, Practice Period, Bodhisattva

Upright in Anxious Liberation

Serial: RA-02777 The talk explores the interplay between anxiety and Zazen, distinguishing the subtle differences from concentration practice. It emphasizes the importance of fully inhabiting one's own body and mind ("being upright"), which can...
Buddha, Practice, Concentration

Embracing Reality: Nagarjuna's Middle Way

Serial: RA-02778 The talk explores the profound teachings of Nagarjuna on the Middle Way, emphasizing the necessity of being settled in one's experience to understand this philosophy deeply. The speaker highlights Nagarjuna's approach of...
Buddha, Time, Love

Causation Unraveled: Zen and Nagarjuna

Serial: RA-02779 The talk focuses on Nagarjuna's examination of causation, primarily drawing from the first chapter of Nagarjuna's "Mulamadhyamakakarika." It explores the distinction between causes and conditions, arguing that events do not...
Pain, Desire, Time

Challenging Essence: Nagarjuna's Radical Wisdom

Serial: RA-02780 The talk centers on Nagarjuna's teachings, particularly the concept of "essence" and the rejection of causal efficacy. The discussion delves into Nagarjuna's arguments against the inherent existence of essence in entities such as...
Delusion, Time, Study

Zen Path: Freedom in Formlessness

Serial: RA-02781 The talk explores the concept of "the way" in Zen practice, emphasizing the non-inherent nature of the path and the creative freedom it allows practitioners. This idea is illustrated through references to Nagarjuna and the use of...
Practice, Work, Enlightenment

Enlightened Intimacy Beyond Desire

Serial: RA-02782 The talk explores the "great bodhisattva precept of no sexual greed," emphasizing the practice of maintaining a balance between protecting beings from harm and fostering beneficence. It discusses the conventional understanding of...
Greed, Time, Precepts

Embracing Emptiness, Understanding Interdependence

Serial: RA-02783 The talk explores the intricate relationship between causation and emptiness, drawing heavily from Buddhist philosophical texts. It critiques the concept of self-causation, emphasizing that effects do not inherently exist within...
Emptiness, Time, Buddha

Language Roots and Self Realization

Serial: RA-02784 The talk explores the intersection between the sense of self and language, delving into how concepts such as self and words arise simultaneously and influence perception of reality. The discussion includes reflections on...
Time, Study, Liberation

Balancing Emptiness and Liberation

Serial: RA-02785 The talk explores the concept of emptiness in Buddhist philosophy, focusing particularly on its correct understanding and the potential pitfalls associated with its misinterpretation. Key discussions include the dual truths as...
Emptiness, Suffering, Study

Enlightenment Through Communal Engagement

Serial: RA-02786 The talk focuses on the significance of enlightenment through engagement within a community, as illustrated by stories from Zen teachings. The speaker emphasizes not retreating into solitude like some ancient monks, but rather...
Practice, Work, Time

Awakening Through Interconnected Reality

Serial: RA-02788 This talk delves into the core Buddhist teaching of dependent co-arising, emphasizing its role as a foundational principle of mutual causation between the universe and individuals. The discussion explores how happiness, misery,...
Practice, Buddha, Work

From Delusion to Enlightenment: Awareness

Serial: RA-02789 The talk centers on the study of dependent co-arising, particularly the cyclic nature of birth and death. It discusses the concept of ignorance as the primary cause of suffering and explores how this ignorance manifests through...
Practice, Discrimination, Buddhism

Living Upright: Embrace Reality Freely

Serial: RA-02790 The talk discusses the concept of "being upright," advocating for a practice of engaging with reality without the expectation of something more and not taking oneself too seriously. This approach, aligned with the Bodhisattva...
Evil, Time, Suffering

Upright Zen: Beyond Meditation Practice

Serial: RA-02791 This talk explores the concept of being upright in Zen practice, distinguishing it from traditional meditation practices. It emphasizes Zazen as the embodiment of perfect awakening and liberation beyond meditation, akin to the...
Practice, Meditation, Pain

Embrace Life's Lightness With Zen

Serial: RA-02792 The central thesis of the talk explores the Zen perspective on not taking oneself too seriously as essential for alleviating suffering and achieving enlightenment. The discussion emphasizes the importance of self-respect and the...
Evil, Zazen, Time

Zazen: Awakening Beyond Concentration

Serial: RA-02793 The talk explores the distinction between Zazen and conventional concentration meditation, emphasizing that Zazen, as articulated in texts like the Fukan Zazengi and by patriarchs such as Dogen, is not a practice aimed at...
Concentration, Practice, Meditation

Compassionate Wisdom: Beyond Identity Illusions

Serial: RA-03880 This talk reflects on the ten-year memorial of September 11, emphasizing a practice dedicated to alleviating the suffering of all beings through the integration of compassion and wisdom. The discourse explores the role of...
Compassion, Wisdom, Practice
Green Gulch Farm

Illusions of Wisdom and Perception

Serial: RA-04642 The talk explores the profound understanding of Aryas who, through exalted wisdom and vision, perceive reality beyond expressions, yet provisionally use names to guide others toward enlightenment. These enlightened beings...
Enlightenment, Time

Beyond Self: The Essence of Enlightenment

Serial: RA-04643 The talk explores the nature of enlightenment and self-awareness, particularly reflecting on what it means to identify as a Buddha. The discussion questions whether Buddhas consider themselves as such, suggesting that...
Buddha

Mid-Life Reflections on Wang Wei

Serial: RA-04644 The talk analyzes a poem by the poet Wang Wei, focusing on the theme of pursuing "the way" during one's middle years. It reflects on Wang Wei's personal retreat to the Jungnan foothills and contemplates the significance of...
Time

Purifying Path Beyond Dualities

Serial: RA-04645 The talk centers on the interpretation of a chapter from the Samdhi Nirmacana Sutra, focusing on the dialogue involving the bodhisattva Su Visudhimati. The discussion elaborates on the themes of purity and intelligence, examining...
Bodhisattva, Name

Zen's Path: From Compounded to Ultimate

Serial: RA-04646 The talk discusses the distinction between purified intelligence and the nature of compounded versus ultimate practices within Zen philosophy. It emphasizes that compounded practices, being associated with afflictions, differ...
Practice

Tranquility

Serial: RA-04647 The talk centers on the practice of shamatha meditation, emphasizing tranquility as not only a calm mind but a flexible, buoyant, and lucid one capable of meeting life's moments with relaxation and openness. The speaker discusses...
Breath, Letting Go, Time
1

Tranquility

Serial: RA-04648 The talk centers around the practice of developing tranquility through non-grasping of the breath and other mental phenomena. Emphasis is placed on being aware of the breath without grasping or trying to control it and extending...
Breath, Posture, Meditation
2

Tranquility

Serial: RA-04649 The talk focuses on the practice of receiving experiences without grasping them, integrating this approach into meditation and daily life to stabilize and heal the mind. This method is rooted in the second bodhisattva precept,...
Practice, Time, Yoga
3

Tranquility

Serial: RA-04650 The talk centers on the practice of Samatha (tranquility) and Vipassana (insight), focusing on training attention to stabilize the mind by meeting internal events with relaxation and simplicity. The discussion highlights the...
Meditation, Practice, Time
4

Pages