Hungry Ghosts

In this lecture, Michael McCord opens by polling the audience for a Zen topic and chooses one that surfaces from the room: hungry ghosts. Drawing on the Buddhist image of beings condemned to an endless, unquenchable hunger, Michael presents hungry ghosts as a metaphor for a part of the human psyche that perpetually thirsts for the satisfaction of its desires yet is never satisfied. This thirst, he explains, is rooted in delusion and is itself a major cause of suffering. The hungry ghost thus serves as a mirror for our own craving, revealing how the pursuit of satiation, when driven by illusion, only deepens the hunger it seeks to resolve. Hungry Ghosts Young Urban Zen

This talk was given by Kristin Diggs. It addresses one of the obstacles to availing ourselves of the liberative qualities of the Paramitas. We will look together at a coalescing of energy known as the affliction of pride (māna). Pride has two conspicuous meanings - wholesome expressions that can be understood as virya (diligent, enthusiastic, courageous and sometimes even joyous effort), and expressions better understood as the near/far enemy of the Three Pure Precepts. Pride Young Urban Zen

This week Tanto Tim Wicks looks at the paramita of dana, or generosity, and its companion practices of gratitude and compassion.These warm and essential Zen practices are always available to us.Tanto Tim discusses how we can help each other in cultivating them. Generosity and its Companion Practices of Gratitude and Compassion Young Urban Zen

Hiro Ikushima discusses preferences and resistance through Dogen's teaching in Genjōkōan: "Yet in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion weeds spread."We explore how Zen practice helps us recognize our preferences and resistances, allowing us to meet life more fully, just as it is. Flowers and Weeds Young Urban Zen

The topic for the talk by Kogetsu will be an exploration of time, money, and the energy of this precious life.What does it mean to say, “I don’t have enough time” or “I don’t have enough money”? How much would actually be enough?We’ll look at some of Dōgen’s teachings on time and explore the familiar ways we experience scarcity in our everyday lives: feeling impatient, worrying about money or the future, or believing that once we get through the next thing, we can finally relax. Time and Money Young Urban Zen

Michael reflects on the way that ancient practices immersed in Zen are not only still relevant in today's work life but are key tools to staying grounded and making practice a 24/7 event. Zen at Work Young Urban Zen

In this short talk by Tim discusses Zen and art covering a little bit of history of the Zen tradition as well as the western tradition as a counter to this form. Art Night Young Urban Zen

Hiro Ikushima leads us through a simple form of self-inquiry: noticing the difference between what is happening and what our mind adds to it.What actually happened? What story am I telling myself about it? And what changes when I notice the difference?He explores how meditation can help us become more curious about our thoughts and reactions without immediately believing them. Self Inquiry Young Urban Zen

There are a lot of situations that we will not be able to solve by the end of the day, either with ourselves or with others. There will be a lot of things that we are not going to be able to solve by the end of the week in regard to our society, our environment, our family, our colleagues at work, etc. And some things might just be years away or seem unsolvable. In Zen, we talk a lot about being here now, being with this moment, but sometimes it's so hard because it feels like we're holding our breath due to a situation that's not resolved or resolving. What are the teachings in the Zen school that directly address being with our upset, our bother, the thing that isn't going away, so that we can actually be alive in this moment today and touch the beating heart of now? Being Alive in the Midst of Bother Young Urban Zen

These days, between work, crazy housing, dating and loneliness, AI changing the world faster than we can keep up with, the endless stream of news, and feeling like we're a self-improvement project, there really is plenty to feel anxious about. But what happens when the mind responds by working overtime?Kogetsu Mok discusses Suzuki Roshi’s teaching on “mind waves” and explores how meditation can bring us back and help us relate differently to anxious thoughts. We don’t need to fight our minds, figure it all out, force ourselves to be calm, or make uncertainty disappear. We can begin to recognize that every thought is not a fact or an emergency. They need not take the wheel. Mind Waves Young Urban Zen