Adrift and Drowning

In the immediate aftermath of the referendum on the Voice to Parliament we reflect on what it’s like to be adrift and drowning in a troubled world. This talk was given at the Castlemaine Zazenkai (15/10/23).

Wisdom Beyond Wisdom

The six paramitas (practices of perfection) conclude with dhyana and prajna, which can be taken up as meditation and wisdom. But how do these two relate to each other? How do they relate to the other four paramitas? And how do they inform what is arising now, in this very moment? This talk was given online as part of Zen Open Circle’s Taking Part in the Gathering (8/10/23)

What Is Your Family Custom?

Zen is reticent to name what cannot be named. This is our family custom. So in the lead uo to his Transmission Ceremony, Kynan pauses to reflect on the nature of the Zen tradition and what it seeks to promote and protect (25/9/23)

Upside Down Country #1 - True Gold

In this talk we venture into the heart of the goldfields, what the Dja Dja Wurrung call Upside Down Country, in search for true gold. This talk was given on the first day of the Castlemaine Zen Non-Residential Weekend Retreat (22/7/23).

Upside Down Country #2 - Golden Wind

In this talk we explore deep listening with the help of Kuanyin, Doug Ralph and the great koan from Yunmen, “Golden Wind is manifesting herself.” This talk was given on the first day of the Castlemaine Zen Non-Residential Weekend Retreat (23/7/23).

Shake the Tree

In the lead up to Kirk Fisher’s Transmission Ceremony Kynan Sutherland offered this talk on Zhaozhou’s elusive koan, “Shake the Tree and the birds take to the air, startle the fish and the water becomes muddy.” In it we explore the nature of transmission, the role of a Zen teacher, and the urgency of Zen practice in a vulnerable and startling world (23/4/23)

Whose Providence Is This Long Beautiful Evening?

Today we take up three lines from the Shodoka to see what they reveal about the true nature of Zen practice. We also explore Venerable Nanyue’s words, “The eight winds blow without ceasing,” which were offered in response to a monk’s question about the lamp of the patriarchs, This talk was recorded in Castlemaine as part of our weekly practice schedule (19/2/23).

A Dragon is Singing in a Withered Tree

In this talk we look at dragons and step right into the koan, “A dragon is singing in a withered tree”. This talk was offered in Day 3 of the Zen Open Circle Spring Sesshin (2/11/22).

Don’t Stand in Someone Else’s Place

In the lead up to NAIDOC week we explore the wisdom of the Uluru Statement of the Heart with help from Zhaozhou’s koan, “Don’t Stand in Someone Else’s Place”. This talk was offered at a Zen Open Circle Event called Taking Part in the Gathering (26/6/22).

Power for the Way

In this talk we explore “Power for the Way”. What is it? How do we cultivate it? How does it cultivate us? The Hermit of Lotus Flower Peak, Ryokan and Zhaozhou all have something to say about the matter, raising their own staff of practice to show the Way. This talk was recorded as part of the Melbourne Zen Group home hermitage sessions in the midst of lockdown (21/9/22)

Deep Autumn My Neighbour

Picking up on Bassho’s haiku, “deep Autumn - my neighbour / how does he live / I wonder?” we look at the koan of ‘my neighbour’ and how we might live intimately with the many beings, particularly in troubled times. This talk was given on the third night of Autumn Sesshin 2022 (2/5/22)

Mu — The Great Shout from the Dark

In this talk we dive headlong into the dark of Mu, that infinitely dark syllable uttered by Zhaozhou that still shines bright today. This talk was given on the first night of Autumn Sesshin 2022 (31/4/22)

It’s My Fault

In this talk we explore the koan “It’s my fault” and the nature of fault-finding in an aggravated and rapidly changing world. (14/11/21)

I’ve Hooked One!

In this talk we examine a fascinating case from the record of Zhaozhou and look at how realisation reveals itself in a flawed, mortal body. We also take up Baling’s “Blown Hair Sword” and “Each branch of the coral holds up the moon.” This talk was given as part of the Zen Open Circle Spring Sesshin (3/10/2021)

Magistrate Ma Pulls Through

Magistrate Ma asked Zhaozhou, "Do you do practice or not?" The master replied, "If I did practice I would be in serious difficulty."

In this talk we meet Zhaozhou and Magistrate Ma, who share a dialogue about the nature of practice, difficulty and spontaneous gratitude. What does it mean to do practice? What does it mean to not do practice? And what are we practicing for, if not to discover the transformative power of gratitude in a wholly unpredictable world? This talk was given online at the Mountains and Rivers Zen Group Zazenkai (15/8/2021)

108 Days, One Bite at a Time

What does it mean to have a daily practice, and how do we do it? In this talk we take up the words of old Zhaozhou, one of the most seasoned ancestors in our tradition, to ask “How do you manage to eat [practice]?” This talk was given to formally open the online Dawn Dojo, a period of 108 days of daily practice offered by Zen Open Circle (26/5/21).

The Great Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra

The Great Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra was a shock to traditional Buddhism itself, and its aftershocks continue to reverberate in our own practice today. This short sutra reflection was given immediately after an online sutra service (17/4/21).

Liberation Within Obstruction

Another sutra reflection from Autumn 2021, where we examine the sutra ‘Liberation Within Obstruction’ and its charge to recognise our life in the midst of whatever is happening, no matter how difficult (19/4/21).

Verse of the Rakusu

In this talk we don the abbreviated robe of the buddha, the rakusu, and explore its associated verse, “I wear the robe of liberaration / the formless field of benefaction / the teachings of the Tathagatha / saving the many beings.” We also reflect on the damage done to Juukan Gorge and the Directions Tree in Victoria. This talk was given at the Melbourne Zen Group Zazenkai (28/11/20).

The Buddha’s Words on Loving Kindness

The Metta Sutta is a kind of song of the Way, reminding us all that we belong to what is called “the sublime abiding.” In this sutra reflection we attune ourselves to this song, with the help of a few birds (16/11/20).

I Wear the Robe of Liberation

The robe of liberation is the robe that fits this body completely, right now. It is the stars and trees and waters that nourish our shared life. This is the genuine weave of connection that stitches us together, seamlessly. In today’s talk we explore what it means to wear this robe, even in the most uncertain and pressing of circumstances. This talk was given at the November Castlemaine Zazenkai (15/11/20).

I Have Already Become Like This

Tongan Guanzhi came to the teacher Tongan Daopi and said, “The ancients said, ‘I do not love what worldly people love.’ I wonder, what does your Reverence love?” Tongan Daopi replied, “I have already become like this.” Today we consider the word “love” and how this slippery verb resonates with sincere Zen practice. (18/10/20).

Liberation Within Obstruction

In this Teisho from the Zen Open Circle Spring Sesshin we examine the sutra Liberation Within Obstruction. What is the nature of “I choose” at the heart of this sutra? And how do we turn with our circumstances to reveal the benefaction of even the strongest emotions, like grief, suffering and loss? (5/10/20)

Song of Zazen

What is the finest music on the world? In this talk we listen to Hakuin Zenji’s Song of Zazen with a little help from Chao-chou, Linji, Winnie the Pooh and an Irish Chieftan. This talk was given at the August Castlemaine Zazenkai (30/8/20).

Up a Tree

Today we meet Xiangyan, a monk from 9th Century China, who famously burned all his Buddhist books to take up the Way personally. Today we find him in a tree, hanging from a branch by his teeth, as someone cries, “What is the meaning of Zen?” What would you say? If you open your mouth, you lose your life; if you don’t open your mouth, you lose your life. Quickly! Quickly! This talk was given at the July Castlemaine Zen Zazenkai (26/7/20).

Not Knowing is Most Intimate

As the Black Lives Matter movement gains momentum around the globe, and as Covid-19 reasserts itself in Victoria, we wander at random with Fayan via Poland, Dog Rocks and Tyson Yunkaporta to discover the wisdom and intimacy of “not knowing.” This talk was given at the June Castlemaine Zen Zazenkai (28/6/20).

Your Original Face

We’re emerging from Coronavirus lockdown — but what does this ‘emerging’ actually mean? What is it like to walk in the mist of ‘not knowing’, and how might this reveal what Zen calls “Your Original Face?”. This encouragement talk was given at the May Castlemaine Zen Zazenkai (24/5/20)

Calling the Earth to Witness

When Mara confronted the Buddha and asked him, “Who will affirm this realisation of yours?”, Shakyamuni reached down and touched the earth with the words, “I call on the earth to be my witness.” In today’s talk we explore the implications of this story for our own troubled time. This talk was given at the Melbourne Zen Group Zazenkai (31/8/19)

What a Dangerous Place You’re Sitting In

A talk given at the Mountains and Rivers Zen Group Sesshin, where we visit an old monk who lives in a tree, ask him about the Three Pure Precepts, and explore what Zen might mean by “The Good”. (25/3/19)