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To welcome and celebrate an auspicious new year, we will look through the beautiful and meaningful words of our 'Dedication of Merit', or Eko, as it is called in Japanese. The eko is recited during services, after the chanting of sutras and verses, directing the merit, or good will, good aspirations, to all beings or for specific causes.  For more information on Treeleaf Sangha teachings, practice and offerings, please visit treeleaf.org

In this month's episode, we look into what is probably the earliest Ch'an writing, attributed with a certain amount of confidence, directly to master Bodhidharma. This is the "Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices". For more information on these talks and how to attend them live, please visit here »

This month, we continue with more of Master Dogen's advice on living wisely and well in this day-to-day life, from Hachi Dainin Gaku 八大人覺 'The Eight Realizations of the Great Person Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: October Monthly Zazenkai »

We commence our Jukai (Undertaking the Precepts) preparations and Ango (Peaceful Abiding) season, with a writing by Master Dogen on living wisely and well in this day-to-day life, contained in the "Hachi Dainin Gaku" fascicle of the "Shobogenzo". These are the Eight Realizations of a Great Person. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: September Monthly Zazenkai »

Today we Walk with Master Menzan's Kinhinki ( 經行軌 ) The Way of Walking Zen. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: August 2025 Monthly Zazenkai»

We return to port one last time, after a long sail with Master Dogen's “Ocean Mudra Samādhi” 海印三昧... but these waters of life flow on forever Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: July Monthly Zazenkai »

This month, we will do the backstroke through Master Dogen's Ocean Mudra Samādhi (Kai’in Zanmai 海印三昧). His wild wordplay is a powerful expression of who we are in the universe, time, being and bringing to life our swimming through life by swimming gracefully. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: Treeleaf's June Monthly Zazenkai »

We will do the backstroke through Master Dogen's Ocean Mudra Samādhi (Kai’in Zanmai 海印三昧). His wild wordplay is a powerful expression of who we are in the universe, time, being and bringing to life our swimming through life by swimming gracefully. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: May Monthly Zazenkai»

In today's episode, we look at an earlier and less popular version of master Dogen's Fukanzazengi, which has quite some differences from the popular version we all know. So, what exactly did Dogen Zenji change in the rewrites to his manual for zazen? Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: March Monthly Zazenkai »

Today we dance with an insightful scholar's paper on Dogen Zenji's unique and profound ideas regarding fullness, universal liberation, the sacred as "immanent in space and time", Buddhahood in the "fundamental activity of the world," practice-realization as "liberating activity", Zen practice as the "practice of Buddhahood," and the fullness and sacredness of "ordinary life". Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: READ MORE HERE »

Happy New Year to you all! We continue our study of the koans from the Blue Cliff Record, with a new batch of them today, beginning with case 13. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: JANUARY 2025 MONTHLY ZAZENKAI »

However you feel about the results of the American election, and wherever you live in the world, we do not stop working for good. This is Master Dogen's lesson of "Ongoing Practice Enlightenment". We accept where we are, work for a good direction from right here ... and right here ... and right here. Winter is Winter, Spring is just Spring, Summer is just Summer, Fall is Fall ... but if we do not plant seeds in the Spring, there can be no harvest in Summer and in Fall. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: November 11 Zazenkai »

In this episode, we continue to look at koans from the Blue Cliff Record, specifically cases 7 to 12. We do that through the Soto Zen lens, extracting the practical essence from these famous ancient exchanges. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: November 2024, monthly Zazenkai »

This month, accompanying our sangha's book study, we take a look at the first five koans from the famous Blue Cliff Record. We do that through the Soto Zen lens, extracting the practical essence from these famous ancient exchanges. Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum: October 2024 Monthly Zazenkai»

This month, as we begin our sangha's Ango, we dive into a few sections of master Dogen's ¨Shoaku Makusa¨ (Not Doing Wrongs) Further reading and discussion are available on the Treeleaf forum: September 2024 Monthly Zazenkai»