The Acupuncture Needle of Zen | Koshin Paley Ellison
In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei shares a day of stark contrasts: one meeting filled with praise — “You’re awesome, the best teacher” — followed by another with harsh criticism — “You’re the worst, no good, unhelpful.”How do we meet the swings between feeling wonderful and feeling terrible? How do we strive to “be on the right side of history” in a world that is both brutal and beautiful?Koshin invites us into Uchiyama Roshi’s teaching of Having Few Desires, exploring what it means to rest with dissatisfaction rather than trying to fix or erase it. As we are taught:“Gloom, anger, or offense can never be resolved by continually being gloomy, angry, or offended.Only by letting go of gloom, anger, or offense can those feelings subside.”We cannot simply swing to the opposite of what we’re feeling, Koshin says. Instead, we return to the practice of zazen (seated meditation); to seeing precisely and wholeheartedly.
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Feeling No Need for More | Koshin Paley Ellison
“Zen is not interested in making us feel good. It is about being real. Sometimes this feels good. Sometimes this feels awful.”In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei celebrates the graduates of our Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, reflects on the teachings of Dogen guiding our current ango period (Commit to Sit), and invites us to ask: What are the roots of goodness?It’s a question that feels both timely and timeless. Koshin reminds us that goodness means taking responsibility for who we are and how we live. We atone for our missteps, honor our resets, and stay in relationship — even when it’s uncomfortable.With gentle clarity, he encourages us to notice our cravings, our attachments to comfort, and the way they can obstruct connection — with ourselves and with others. May we meet this moment as we are. That is everything.
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All Buddhas are True Adults | Koshin Paley Ellison
“How can I arouse the spirit of reconciliation and harmony right now?”In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to reflect on what it means to truly grow up and live with wisdom. Quoting Uchiyama Roshi, the author of this summer Commit to Sit's guiding text, he reminds us that while we may look like adults, our hearts and our behavior often remain immature.Koshin also reflects on how, even in times of conflict and pain, we can choose harmony over division. After speaking with sangha members in Israel and Iran, both asking how not to create enemies, he encourages us to pause and ask ourselves: “How can I arouse the spirit of reconciliation and harmony right now?”May we have the courage to turn inward and live with greater peace.
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Dismantling the Small Self | Koshin Paley Ellison
When illness and loss touch our community, how can we transform uncertainty into deeper practice?In this recent dharma talk, Koshin Sensei explores how life's fragility can awaken rather than paralyze us. Drawing from Shakyamuni Buddha's third awareness, he reveals how we trap ourselves in narrow self-concepts and offers practice as the antidote.“Let the forms of the practice dismantle your self-image,” he guides, echoing Uchiyama Roshi's wisdom to “let go of the small self to realize the vastness of life itself.”Discover how to break free from the stories that keep you limited and step into true spaciousness.
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The Light Passed Down to Us | Koshin Paley Ellison
“What would it be like to realize that you're not missing anything, that the brightness is not somewhere else and it's not someone else.”We share one final excerpt from last winter's Commit to Sit as the next 90-day summer practice period starts this Wednesday!In this talk, Koshin Sensei captures the essence of Zen practice through the lens of lineage and transmission. Speaking on the 90th day, he weaves together ancient wisdom stories with intimate personal reflections from his time training in Japan earlier this year.The talk centers on a profound paradox: how “setting down the small self” actually leads to greater intimacy and connection. Through stories of Buddha's flower-twirling at Vulture Peak and Bodhidharma's encounter with Emperor Wu, Koshin Sensei illustrates how genuine spiritual transmission happens not through concepts or credentials, but through complete presence and receptivity.He transforms lofty spiritual concepts into immediate, practical questions: How do we really receive what life offers us? Are we dividing up the world into what we like and don't like? Can we see the light that's already emanating “through every pore”?Koshin insists that awakening isn't somewhere else or for someone else—it's the “vivid alertness” available right now, in this moment, through whatever role we're given, whatever circumstances we face. This is Zen practice at its most immediate and heartfelt: not escape from the world, but complete engagement with it through the ancient practice of “turning the light inward” to illuminate what we've been missing all along.
South Africa