The Zen Studies Podcast

Ranking history

About the show

Latest episodes

• Five Kinds of Appropriate Longing (2 of 2)

  September 25, 2026 · 19 min

  Many people think that the aim of Buddhism is let go of any kind of longing. However, without wholesome desires – to awaken, to act ethically, to honor your relationships, etc. – you wouldn't progress in practice. In Part 1 I started…

• Five Kinds of Appropriate Longing (1 of 2)

  September 12, 2026 · 22 min

  Many people think that the aim of Buddhism is let go of any kind of longing. However, without wholesome desires – to awaken, to act ethically, to honor your relationships, etc. – you wouldn't progress in practice. I discuss five kinds of…

• Bright Clarity Appears Before You: Insight When You're "Just Sitting"

  August 27, 2026 · 28 min

  When we sit Zazen, even if we're working with a koan, we do not actively try to achieve insight. But nonetheless, Chan and Zen masters throughout history have exhorted us to awaken to Reality. How does insight happen when you're "just…

• Seijo Is Separated from Her Soul: Waking Up from Alienation from Ourselves

  August 15, 2026 · 24 min

  There are countless ways in which we can feel inwardly divided or somehow alienated from our true self. Case 35 of the Mumonkan, or Gateless Gate koan collection addresses this matter with a pointed question about Seijo, the character in a…

• Finding the Edge of Your Practice (2 of 2)

  August 1, 2026 · 33 min

  To keep your Dharma practice lively, it's important to regularly identify the "edge" of your practice. This is your growth point – the current limit of your understanding and your capacity to embody it. Of course, you don't have a single…

• Finding the Edge of Your Practice (1 of 2)

  July 20, 2026 · 28 min

  To keep your Dharma practice lively, it's important to regularly identify the "edge" of your practice. This is your growth point – the current limit of your understanding and your capacity to embody it. Of course, you don't have a single…

• Six Useful Lessons from the Buddhist Teachings on Rebirth (2 of 2)

  July 9, 2026 · 24 min

  This is second episode of two on this topic. In the first episode (334), I identified existing episodes of the Zen Studies Podcast on - or related to - rebirth that you might want to listen to for context and background. Then I discussed…

• Six Useful Lessons from the Buddhist Teachings on Rebirth (1 of 2)

  June 29, 2026 · 26 min

  Zen practice is not dependent on rebirth being true or untrue, and I suspect most Dharma teachers would say the same of their lineage traditions. As long as you practice, it doesn't matter whether you believe in rebirth, disbelieve, or…