Erik Andersen - Happiness Angel City Zen Center podcast

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Playing with the Soul & Taking The Big Dump

5d ago

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In a special selection from the vault, a talk by Brad Warner from Lammi, Finland where he reads and discusses his classic article "Enlightenment and Cat Poop," about letting go and taking the Big Dump. It's a talk about what is real, what is important, and in a teaching of no self, what the heck are we supposed to do with these persistent persn ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Nina Snow - Greed & Generosity

9d ago

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“If I am willing to sow my seeds anywhere without worrying about the outcome, I might be gratified by unexpected beneficial results.” - Misha Shungen Merrill Nina Snow leads the sangha in a roundtable discussion on the nature of greed, exploring it’s roots in fear and attachment, and the generosity inherent in letting go.…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - The Big Bummers of Buddhism

12d ago

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“Giving up hope in changing the three characteristics is getting on the side of reality.” - Emma Roy Emma Roy discusses “The Three Characteristics,” the three hallmarks of Buddhism that everyone wishes were not true - suffering, impermanence, and no self. Why do these have to be true and why do we have such a hard time accepting that they are?…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - Not Being Special

15d ago

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“People say the ultimate destiny of consciousness is to be liberated. Is that What we’re up to? Because I like the idea that it’s not.” - Emma Roy Emma reads “On (Not) Being Special” by Ken McCleod to ask the questions of whether any of us are special, whether zazen does anything special, whether we are all destined for enlightenment, and ultim ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emily Eslami - Not to be Achieved by Wanting (Unnecessary Roughness)

19d ago

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“‘But this is not to be achieved by wanting,’ is the saddest sentence in the whole thing, the crux of everything. That should be written on my gravestone. It’s all the pain, all the sorrow, all the despair, and the lamentation. We can’t wish things to be true. We can’t will things into being.” - Emily Eslami Emily wraps up her series on the thr ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Q&A January 21st

22d ago

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The answer to your questions are all here! Brad takes questions from the internet and audience including classics such as: “What are the Four Noble Truths, Eightfold path, and the Precepts?” “Is the precept about being generous with the dharma the same thing as the Christian idea of good works?” “What role can Zen play in the context of the Wes ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - The Wisdom That Knows at a Glance

24d ago

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“Because our intuition exists, then experience exists out of that. But sometimes we get mixed up and forget that whats going on here is more intuition than experience.” - Brad Warner Brad & the sangha tackle some deep Dogen w/ “The Eternal Mirror,” Dogen’s chapter on prajna and intuitive wisdom. The sangha discusses why intuition is so hard to ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - A Better Way (History of Zen - pt 4)

26d ago

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“What have I done? If this is a victory, what's a defeat? Are these vultures, crows, eagles the messengers of death or evil?” - Emperor Ashoka Dave Cuomo continues his series on the history of Zen with pt 4 - Ashoka! It's one of the most extraordinary and unexpected stories in world history as a bloodthirsty warlord emperor sees a simple monk w ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Craig French - Community

1M ago

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“The more intimate I become with Zen, it’s less of a religion. It’s just about living. Buddhism is living right, its just waking up.” - Fong Sam To inspire the sangha in our new center, Craig French gives a reading from Crooked Cucumber, the story of Sunryu Suzuki and San Francisco Zen Center. Craig and the sangha get cute as they discuss commu ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Ghosts & Spirits

1M ago

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“We think we understand what this world is and what we are but we might be completely wrong.” - Brad Warner Brad Warner reads from Kobun Chino’s “Life and Death” and sparks a lively discussion about the end of science and whether we even really understand what’s happening in our lives right now, let alone what happens in an afterlife. The sangh ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - A Naked & Sincere Mind (Remembering Nishijima)

2M ago

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“The naked and sincere mind at the present moment is more balanced and free. There is more humor in this state of mind.” Gudo Wafu Nishijima Brad gets back to his roots and fondly remembers his teacher, Gudo Wafu Nishijima. With a reading from a brief biography by fellow student Gustav Ericsson, Brad talks about what made the man the precise an ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - Ananda and the Dharma of Not Getting It (History of Zen pt 3)

2M ago

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“Sometimes getting it means not getting it.” - Dave Cuomo Dave Cuomo continues his History of Zen series w/ pt 3 - Ananda. He’s the great unreliable narrator of all Buddhist scripture. Dave tells the story of this sweet and simple character and looks into the wisdom in his unenlightnment, what it means to live a life of service, and why Buddhis ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Nina Snow - Love and Kindness

2M ago

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“When people are kind its like a beautiful virus that goes around and infects everyone. It’s gorgeous.” - Nina Snow Nina and the sangha wade into the messy grey areas of being nice. Reading from “The Thousand Eyes and Hands of Compassion” in Brad’s latest book, they explores the nuanced ways compassion is as much about the way we treat ourselve ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - Dogen and the Eternal Age of Collapse

3M ago

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Emma discusses the life of Dogen with readings from Hee-Jin Kim’s “Dogen - Mystical Realist.” She explores parallels between Dogen’s time and ours including the the recurring feeling that we’re living on the verge of collapse. The sangha dives in and debates why every generation seems to feel that way even as the world shambles along without en ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - Hopeless

3M ago

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“Hope is what religions sell when they need to get donations and don’t want to explain the whole truth.” Dave tries to shock the sangha with a talk on the delusion of hope and the liberation of being hopeless, letting go of our ideals in favor of being open to what is. It’s a talk about goallessness and the freedom and kindness that come from g ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Why Did Bodhidharma Come From The West?

3M ago

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“You have to have a sense of the great gravity of life and death or Zen is not something you’re going to want put your energy into.” A Q&A w/ Brad Warner, answering classic questions such as, what do I do with my mind in meditation, why did Bodhidharma come from the West, does Zen take a certain maturity or can children do it, is Zen hurting my ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Erik Andersen - Seeing True Nature

3M ago

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“We’re not looking for true nature, we’re not studying true nature, we’re not researching true nature. You sit down and you’re seeing true nature.” - Erik Andersen Erik continues his inquiry into beliefs and how they can hinder us. He looks at what was meant by the classic Zen promise of "seeing true nature," beliefs as attachment, and how this ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - History of Zen pt 2

3M ago

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What was Buddha’s problem? - an empty container for an open question Dave continues his series tracing the philosophical and social history of Zen. In part 2 we come to Buddha himself, what was the social context he was teaching in, who were his teachers and what did they teach him? What was the problem he was trying to solve and how did he sol ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - The Problem Might Be Society

3M ago

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rad opens Dogen’s Eihei Koroku at random to see if the spirits have any special message for us, and settles on a reading of “A Demonstration of Six Magical Powers” (dude whoa), where Dogen gets a little sarcastic. The sangha discusses whether it is possible to feel sarcastic during satori, why we eat so many sweets, whether we would rather lose ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Limitless Potential (Zenki pt 3)

4M ago

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“Maybe if you can get comfortable with letting go of things, then the ultimate letting will be a bit easier. I hope so anyway.” - Brad Warner Brad concludes his retreat series on Dogen’s Zenki with a reading of his own translation “Limitless Potential.” He discusses ethics, the full moon atonement ceremony, and some of his early dating mistakes ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - All Functions (Zenki pt 2)

4M ago

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“The ego can grab onto anything, even the realization that the ego doesn’t exist.” - Brad Warner Part 2 of Brad’s talks from the Mt Baldy retreat on Dogen’s Zenki. He reads Nishijima’s translation, as well as portions of Okumura’s “The Mountains and Rivers Sutra,” the sangha discusses the differences between Soto and Rinzai, kensho and satori, ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - The Total Activity of Life and Death (Zenki pt 1)

4M ago

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Part 1 of 3 talks given by Brad on Dogen's "Zenki" at our Mt Baldy Retreat. In part 1 Brad introduces the piece and reads his favorite translation, the sangha discusses the enlightenment of woodpeckers and whether it's worth being human.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - How to Harness Your Practice

4M ago

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Q&A night with Brad Warner, tackling the big questions - how do we harness our practuce in difficult circumstances? What does Buddhism say about love? Wasn’t Cha Cha the best? There’s also some great geeking out about the poetry inherent in Chinese characters.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - Intro To Zen

4M ago

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If you’ve ever been curious what exactly we do here and why, this is your chance to find out! We cover all the basics from extended Zazen instructions to what exactly we do here in Zen and why. What does it all mean? How do I be the greatest meditator of all time and will that help? Is life just one continuous mistake? Find all these questions ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - How to Be a Decent Person

4M ago

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Emma explores the questions of how to be a decent person. It’s a beautiful talk and a very well constructed question, which the sangha does their best to help answer. A highly recommended episode!

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Angel City Zen Center

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Nina Snow - The Neurotic Emotional Veil

4M ago

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Nina leads us in a a reading from Charlotte Joko Beck - Experiencing and Experiencing. It's a conversation about how we objectify our world by seeking out experiences instead of resting in the act of experiencing. Why are we so reluctant to let go of the things that we know hold us back? Why do we cling to an illusion of safety when freedom lie ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Two Truths

4M ago

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Brad talks us through the often maligned teaching of the two truths. It’s about the absolute and the relative, trying to see the forest and the trees. It’s about zazen and the underlying sub strata we find there where everything is ok, combined with the reality that nothing is certain and there’s so much to do. How can both truths be true?! And ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Don’t Argue With an Ox

4M ago

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“The entire world is using human beings to see itself; the entire universe is studying itself through us.” - Shohaku Okumura “Although the power of a wise man exceeds that of an ox, he does not fight with the ox.” - Dogen Brad gives a reading from his favorite Zen author, Shohaku Okumura, The Mountains and Waters Sutra. It’s a talk about mounta ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Jared Wynn - Not This, Not This, and Not This

4M ago

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Jared Wynn talks about attachment, with readings from Zen Mind Beginners Mind and Pema Choedron. The sangha discusses getting caught, whether we’re allowed to still be attached to our partners, sleeping while sitting and more!

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Angel City Zen Center

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Erik Andersen - Beliefs

5M ago

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In a freewheeling talk, Erik talks about beliefs. Do we need them? No, well sometimes, but not like we think we do. What happens when you let go of even the most fundamental beliefs? What happens when the beliefs you've most relied on fall apart? Can anything be known for certain?! Find out here!

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - Rituals and Playing With Fire

5M ago

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"Be careful what you say out loud, and make it good." Emma and the sangha discuss rituals - what are they really and why do we do them? Is it superstition, is it magic, a way to mark a moment, or is it just something nice to do with your friends on a saturday afternoon? Do they actually hold meaning or are they how we make meaning? What's the l ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - What is Zen & What is Japanese Culture?

5M ago

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In an impromptu talk, Brad explores an often asked question, “how do you separate japanese culture from what is Zen?” It’s a discussion of the paradox of Western Buddhism - if we just mimic foreign forms for form sake, we miss the heart of the practice, but if we drop all the traditions and make up something new then we lose the heart of the pr ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Let it All Go

5M ago

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A Q&A w/ Brad Warner where he answers the big questions, such as; do meditation apps work? What are the four truths of Nishijima? Can we meditate away anxiety? What are we letting go of, how do we let go, and what is letting go?! Find out all the answers here.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emily Eslami - Nothing is Sacred, Nothing is Mundane

5M ago

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“Everything is sacred, I believe nothing. Nothing is sacred, I believe in everything” - Tom Robbins It’s hard to say what this podcast is about since the topic of Emily’s talk was explicitly nothing special. All I know is that when I listened to it, I felt moved, both to sit zazen and to appreciate today for just what it is. She explores how no ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - History of Zen pt 1

5M ago

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Dave attempts to trace the history of Zen from its Indian roots up to our present day Zen center. Part 1 is an exploration of pre-Buddhist Brahmanism, and the sangha discusses what to do when you're cultural narrative no longer fits the world as you find it.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Nina Snow - Love and Attachment

5M ago

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We often don't talk about love in Zen, sticking to more monkly sounding terms like "compassion" or "loving kindness" but Nina is not one to shy away from the big topics. She opens her new series this week exploring the difference between love and attachment with a reading from Brad's Sex, Sin, and Zen, and opening up about her own experiences w ...…

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Angel City Zen Center

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Craig French - The Vine That Connects Everything

5M ago

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Jiko - Self, the vine that encompasses everything; past present, and future. Craig discusses the universal self; what that means, how to act when there is no ultimate purpose, and how to engage in conflict and be with yourself and others in the big universal self.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - The Person Can Never Live Up

6M ago

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Brad gives a eulogy of sorts to Against the Stream, recounting his history of involvement on the periphery of the group and discussing the pitfalls of success.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - Reality Is It's Own Reward

6M ago

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What's so great about the present moment? Emma and the sangha discuss the myth of spiritual progress, why seeking satisfaction is an inherently unsatisfying endeavor, and what the fruits of a goalless practice really are.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emily Eslami - Buddhism and the City

6M ago

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Emily on distractions; the desire to run away to the mountains to find peace and quite, the nature right here in the city, and why we should all be grateful for the person on the cushion next to us who just farted

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - Clean Your Room

6M ago

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A Q&A w/ Brad Warner on a variety of topics; the intoxication of religion, dealing with depression, who's really steering this Buddhist ship, attachment and desire, and how if you want to change the world, start with cleaning your room.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Erik Andersen - Happiness

6M ago

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Drawing on research from positive psychology and a reading from Huangbo, Erik Andersen talks happiness; what it is, how to get it, and why it's really not the point so don't worry about it.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Dave Cuomo - Fundamental Self Worth

6M ago

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Dave and the sangha talk why self worth is inherent and why self esteem is pointless, then throw in a little Carl Rogers self actualization theory and a reading of Huangbo on "One Mind" just for good measure.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Nina Snow - Small Batch Artisan Mindfulness

6M ago

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Nina and the sangha talk about where our food comes from, McMindfulness, and of course Dogen.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Craig French - Guide to a Happy, Healthy Lay Practice

6M ago

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Craig lays out the pillars of home Zen practice and the sangha discusses what it means to be a Buddhist (or any kind or "ist")

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Angel City Zen Center

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Brad Warner - You're Already There!

6M ago

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Brad Warner on why psychedelics are not Buddhist practice, and how weird and incredible the world already is without them.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Colleen Schneider - Being Time

7M ago

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Colleen discusses Dogen's "Being Time" and navigating the anxieties of big life changes

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emily Eslami - Am I Doing This Right?

7M ago

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Emily and the sangha discuss the intricacies of an objectless, goalless meditation

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Angel City Zen Center

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Emma Roy - What is there to master?

7M ago

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Emma Roy discusses the conundrum of goalessness and judgement in zen roles and ranking.

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Angel City Zen Center

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Hardcore Zen Show ep 3 - Welcome to the Human Experience

7M ago

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A Zen look at suicide and depression, featuring Gesshin Greenwood and Erik Anderson. If you or someone you know are suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts, please visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/ for resources and help. Please remember to donate to keep this show and the Angel City Zen Center going! https://www.aczc.org/donate. This show ...…

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Erik Andersen - Happiness

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Erik Andersen - Happiness