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Soto Zen Talks

Sōtō Zen or the Sōtō school (曹洞宗, Sōtō-shū) is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Caodong school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dongshan Liangjie. It emphasizes Shikantaza, meditation with no objects, anchors, or content. The meditator strives to be aware of the stream of thoughts, allowing them to arise and pass away without interference.

The Japanese brand of the sect was imported in the 13th century by Dōgen Zenji, who studied Caodong Buddhism (Chinese: 曹洞宗; pinyin: Cáodòng Zōng) abroad in China. Dōgen is remembered today as the ancestor of Sōtō Zen in Japan along with Keizan Jōkin.

With about 14,000 temples, Sōtō is one of the largest Japanese Buddhist organizations. Sōtō Zen is now also popular in the West, and in 1996 priests of the Sōtō Zen tradition formed the Soto Zen Buddhist Association based in North America.

From Sōtō on Wikipedia

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Title Speaker

Taking Refuge

Attachment, Buddha Mind, Sangha, Hate, Soto Zen, Anger, Fox, Demons, Impermanence...
Mar 13 2010

Is the Bodhisattva Path Exclusive? 

Intimacy, Priest, Soto Zen
Mar 06 2010
No Abode Hermitage

Shakyamuni Buddha's Parinirvana

Funeral, Practice Period, Instruction, Soto Zen, Nirvana, Separation, Conversation,...
Feb 13 2010

Suzuki Roshi Symposium, Side E

Serial: BZ-01549E

Session 3: Zen as American Religion

Culture, Precepts, Religion, Soto Zen, Diversity, Mindfulness, Dharma Transmission,...
Aug 29 2009
5
University of California at Berkeley

Suzuki Roshi Symposium, Side G

Serial: BZ-01549G

Session 4: Where Are We Now?

Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Lineage, Ordination, Soto Zen, Priest, Culture,...
Aug 29 2009
7
University of California at Berkeley

Suzuki Roshi Symposium, Side H

Serial: BZ-01549H

Last talk of afternoon session and discussion with panelists and audience

Soto Zen, Monastic Practice, Transmission, Blue Cliff Record, Culture, Religion, Four...
Aug 29 2009
8
University of California at Berkeley

Suzuki Roshi Symposium, Side A

Serial: BZ-01549A

Session One: The Zen Mission to America

Culture, War, Soto Zen, Funeral, Priest, Bodhisattva Precepts, Politics
Aug 28 2009
1
San Francisco Zen Center

Suzuki Roshi Symposium, Side C

Serial: BZ-01549C

Very end of Session 1 and start of Session 2: The American Reception

Precepts, Culture, Bodhisattva Precepts, Politics, Repentance, Platform Sutra,...
Aug 28 2009
3
San Francisco Zen Center

Embracing Impermanence in Zen Practice

Serial: EB-00235

Dogen's Genjo Koan; dealing with delusion, enlightenment and suffering; mastery is not getting rid of negative emotions and thoughts; story of Montana smoke-jumper.

...
Realization, Delusion, Death, Soto Zen
Aug 12 2009

Zen Living: Mindfulness in Action

Practice Period, Soto Zen, Baso
May 12 2009

Bicycle Wheel Dharma, Serial No. 01089

Birth-and-Death, Ordinary Mind, Ego, Obstacles, Composure, Soto Zen, Daily Life,...
Jan 31 2009
Berkeley Zen Center

The Practice That Fills and Is Filled by the Entire Universe and the Bodhisattva Precept of Not Killing 

Lotus Sutra, Buddha Ancestors, Soto Zen, Dogen, Buddha Mind
Nov 22 2008
Morning
No Abode Hermitage

Embracing Life's Ordinary Wonder

Intention, Precepts, Right Speech, Lay, Soto Zen
Oct 26 2008

Beginner's Sitting; Serial No. 01163

Serial: BZ-01163

Beginners' Sesshin

Zazen, Monastic Practice, Soto Zen, Religion, Don't Know Mind, Priest, Precepts...
Oct 05 2008
Berkeley Zen Center

Twelve Links as Conditioned By Delusion and True Minds

Serial: BZ-01156A

Twelve Links, Continued from morning session, Teaching Retreat

Dependent Origination, Dependent Origination, Karma, Mindfulness, Ego, Attachment,...
Aug 31 2008
Part 2 of 2
Berkeley Zen Center

Entering and Embodying Truth 

Soto Zen, Love, Compassion
Jul 29 2008

Entering and Embodying Truth 

Soto Zen, Japan, Bodhisattva Precepts, Perfect Wisdom
Jul 29 2008
The Yoga Room

Ordinary Mind is the Way

Serial: BZ-01149

Saturday lecture

Ordinary Mind, Instruction, Lotus Sutra, Teacher-and-Student, Passions, Daily Life,...
Jul 26 2008
Berkeley Zen Center

Bodhisattva Action is to Remain Unmoved 

Lotus Sutra, Manjushri, Complete Perfect Enlightenment, Bodhisattva Way, Soto Zen...
Jun 14 2008
No Abode Hermitage

Medicine and Disease

Serial: BZ-01137

Saturday Lecture

Discrimination, Five Ranks, Separation, Blue Cliff Record, Impermanence,...
Jun 07 2008
Berkeley Zen Center

2008.05.01-MZMC-pm

Soto Zen, Bodhisattva Precepts, Desire, Commitment, Buddha Ancestors, Confession-and-...
May 01 2008
Minnesota Zen Center

Judging Habit Mind

Serial: BZ-01126

Saturday lecture

Karma, Right Speech, Soto Zen, Conversation, Culture, Peace, Cultivation, Silence...
Apr 19 2008
Berkeley Zen Center

Blue Cliff Record Case #55: Dao Wu’s Condolence Call; the Great Matter, a Natural Koan

Serial: BZ-01115

Sesshin day 2

Birth-and-Death, Blue Cliff Record, Buddha Mind, Impermanence, Funeral, Gratitude,...
Feb 17 2008
Berkeley Zen Center

3 Topics: Takuhatsu, Identity Action, Ryokan Plays with Children

Serial: BZ-01110

Part 1 of 2

teaching retreat

Separation, Soto Zen, Gratitude, Mahayana, Transmission, Discrimination, Fasting,...
Jan 26 2008
1
Berkeley Zen Center

The Story of Sejiki, Awakening and Nourishing All Beings: Honor Spirits and Beings Who Have Left This World

Serial: BZ-01004

Saturday Lecture

Offering, Soto Zen, Mahayana, Vow
Oct 20 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Blue Cliff Record: Case #61

Serial: BZ-01002

Raising a Particle of Dust, Saturday Lecture

Sangha, Community, BCR-61, Dragons, Soto Zen, Teacher-and-Student, Silence, Lineage,...
Oct 06 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Balancing the Spiritual and Material Wheels:

Serial: BZ-01001

The Protests in Burma, Saturday Lecture

Balance, Politics, Burma, War, Soto Zen, Fundraising, Lay, Chanting, Continuous...
Sep 29 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Zen Meditation as Bodhisattva Vow

During this course, we will study the bodhisattva vow, to see how the compassionate intentions of enlightening beings generate, work, and play with the mind of enlightenment to promote peace and...

Balance, Karmic Consequences, Confession-and-Repentance, Soto Zen, Lotus Sutra,...
Aug 21 2007
The Yoga Room

Zen Meditation as Bodhisattva Vow

During this course, we will study the bodhisattva vow, to see how the compassionate intentions of enlightening beings generate, work, and play with the mind of enlightenment to promote peace and...

Obstacles, Lotus Sutra, Soto Zen, Confession-and-Repentance, Faith, Passions, Nirvana...
Aug 07 2007
The Yoga Room

Zen Meditation as Bodhisattva Vow

During this course, we will study the bodhisattva vow, to see how the compassionate intentions of enlightening beings generate, work, and play with the mind of enlightenment to promote peace and...

Discrimination, Giving-and-Taking, Soto Zen, Samadhi, Non-discrimination, Desire,...
Jul 31 2007
The Yoga Room

Worship of the Buddha

Lotus Sutra, Soto Zen, Happiness
Jul 28 2007
Morning

Only a Buddha and a Buddha

The Lotus Sutra says that the desire to help beings open to Buddha's wisdom is the condition for Buddha's appearing in this world.

Lotus Sutra, Soto Zen, Desire, Religion
Jul 28 2007
Afternoon
No Abode Hermitage

Introduction to Zen

Serial: BZ-01276

Saturday Lecture

Monastic Practice, Practice Period, Nirvana, Lay Practice, Soto Zen, Buddha Nature,...
Jul 17 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Reading from “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”: Control

Serial: BZ-00984

Saturday Lecture

Composure, Concentration, Buddha Nature, Right Effort, Impermanence, Mundane Life,...
Jul 07 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Check The Messenger Within

Serial: SF-00994

Strategies, gaining ideas; "paying it forward"; close investigation of the self; Orpheus and Eurydice; Rilke; hidden anger - staying with the emotion 

Dongshan, Sesshin, Suzuki Roshi, Monkey Mind, Vow, Buddha Nature, Emotions, Manjushri...
Apr 05 2007
Green Gulch Farm

Letter and Spirit of Rules and Regulation

Serial: BZ-01427

Dogen's Eihei Shingi, Saturday Lecture

Brahmaviharas, Equanimity, Passions, Hate, Religion, Buddha Nature, Ego, Big Mind,...
Mar 24 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Dogen's Acupuncture Point of Zazen: Beating the cart or beating the horse

Serial: BZ-01423

Saturday Lecture

Zazenshin, Dogen, Lineage, Separation, Dharma Transmission, Dogen, Transmission,...
Mar 03 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Practice in the New Year: This is It!

Serial: BZ-01411

Saturday Lecture

Practice, New Year, confusion, Birth-and-Death, Instruction, Ordinary Mind, Hate,...
Jan 13 2007
Berkeley Zen Center

Commmentary on "Respect for Things" (from Not Always So)

Serial: BZ-01408B

Faith is Synonymous for Enlightenment, Saturday Lecture

Faith, Enlightenment, Big Mind, Culture, Bodhisattva Way, Building, Soto Zen, Bowing...
Dec 09 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

The Gift of Nothing

Serial: SF-00929

Sunday Lecture Children's Lecture: one who is not busy, one reality; the gift of nothing; sesshin, from Suzuki Roshi; our mind is the same as Buddha's; all things are...

Buddha's Enlightenment, Sesshin, Koan, Daowu, Keizan, Suzuki Roshi, Nirvana...
Dec 03 2006
Green Gulch Farm

Mindful Living Through Zen Cooking

Mill Valley, Soto Zen, Money, Instruction
Oct 22 2006

Breathing In, Breathing Out

Serial: SF-01146

Sunday Lecture: simplicity; story of Prajnatara in Malawi; the sun comes up, the sun goes down; connections; the four foundations of mindfulness; Navajo rain dance

Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Simplicity, Mindfulness, Book of Serenity, Four...
Oct 08 2006
Green Gulch Farm

Presence as the Ultimate Koan

Koan, Soto Zen, Rinzai
Aug 20 2006

Heart Sutra: Dealing with a Problematic Public Library Patron

Serial: BZ-01236D

Saturday Lecture

Heart Sutra, Practice Period, Anger, Practice Position, Interview, Lay Practice, Soto...
May 20 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

History of Berkeley Zen Center Pt. II

Serial: BZ-01222B

Kid Zendo: Figures on the Altar, Saturday Lecture

Teacher-and-Student, Dharma Transmission, Priest, Transmission, Daily Life, Practice...
Mar 18 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

Fukanzazengi Part II

Serial: BZ-01218

Zazen Anecdotes, Sesshin Day 3

Fukanzazengi, Sojun Mel Weitsman, Meditation, Posture, Don't Know Mind,...
Feb 20 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

Fukanzazengi

Serial: BZ-01217

Part I, Sesshin Day 2

Fukanzazengi, Silent Illumination, Lineage, Discrimination, Daily Life, Sanctuary,...
Feb 19 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

Encouragement for Upcoming Sesshin

Serial: BZ-01215

Thoughts on his early days, Saturday Lecture

Sesshin, Sojun Mel Weitsman, Pure Existence, Karma, Monastic Practice, Soto Zen,...
Feb 11 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

“Poems are not Poems”: The Poetry of Ryokan

Serial: BZ-01213

Teaching Retreat, part 1 of 2

Priest, Silence, Discrimination, Practice Period, Beginners, Rinzai, Soto Zen,...
Feb 04 2006
1
Berkeley Zen Center

Words of Transformation in Zen

Ceremony, Repentance, Soto Zen
Jan 24 2006

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