Realization happens when we do nothing!
Category Archives: Dharma Talks
Transcription of a OZS Dharma Talk – We Use Words
Edited Transcription of a OZS Dharma Talk – 03-22-2023 I have no words. There’s nothing I can give you that you don’t already have. There’s nothing I can add to what you already are. In our ignorance, we’ve forgotten who we are. We walk down the road of habit energy, it drags us along like a chain, and we struggle. As we go down the path of getting to know ourselves, we discover that there are options for us that […]
Happy Holidays!
Important schedule changes Please Note: There will be no Sunday Practice sessions for the rest of 2022! The Next Sunday Practice session will be on January 8, 2023. Wednesday Evening Practice sessions will continue through the rest of the year. We will meet every Wednesday, as scheduled. Our retreat is still scheduled for January 7th, 2023. However, that is also subject to change! Myakka River State Park sustained extensive wind and water damage from Hurricane Ian and will be closed […]
Embracing Change – Accepting Uncertainty
Will: Good morning. Nancy and Michael are here with me today. This morning I thought I would bring up embracing change. So is it really possible to embrace change? Everything is always changing. What is there to embrace? I was browsing through the opinion section of the New York Times and I saw an old article in there that said if you want to save your marriage, embrace change. Well, that’s a can of worms, we won’t go there. I […]
The gift of our Meditation practice
Transcript of the Podcast – I have no words I have no words, which is rather unusual for me. I’m sure I’ll think of something in a moment or two. Having no words reminds me to get to the root, relaxing into my nature without relying on the trappings of conceptualization or making something up. It sounds so simple, just being in the moment, as we say. However, there are so many distractions in our lives. When your mind is […]
OZS News for August – 2022
OZS News Once a month we invite those Sangha members present at the Sunday Morning Practice Session to join us for Brunch afterward. It is a way for us to have some together action and get to know each other better. Please let me know if you will be joining us for brunch on Sunday, August 7, 2022. We occasionally invite Sangha members to take the “High Seat” and experience leading a practice session at our Sangha. It is a wonderful experience […]
Original Light Zen Temple 90 day retreat – Dharma Talks
Chong An Sunim – 01/15/2022 Original Light Zen Temple 90-day retreat
Beginnings Are Endings – Endings are Beginnings
As 2021 comes to a close, another year is etched into the storehouse of consciousness. The storehouse consciousness is where we keep all impressions as seeds of the physical and mental experience. The storehouse consciousness is said to store the impressions of previous experiences, which form the seeds of future karma in this life and the next. How do we transform our consciousness to live fully as human beings, to be fully awakened and realize our potential for wisdom and […]
Spiritual Friendship
The Sangha or Spiritual Friendship is at the very core of the Buddha’s teachings. Since the inception of the Ordinary Zen Sangha in the spring of 2015, I have had the honor to practice with many wonderful human beings who have had a profound effect on my practice and life journey. I am very grateful and consider each and everyone without exception, to be a spiritual friend. I will always hold each of you in my heart-mind with compassion and […]
Important News – Our Zendo Is Open
Ordinary Zen Sangha has reopened. Based on recent studies, according to the C.D.C., it will be safe for those of us who have been fully vaccinated. I am inviting Sangha members to join me for all of our activities in person at our Zendo, the Wednesday Evening Practice Session, Sunday Morning Practice Session, and our upcoming Retreat. Newcomers are always welcome. Zoom sessions and podcasts of the Dharma Talks will continue. Please check the calendar for updates or cancellations before […]