WZEN.org is the online Zen radio station of Dharma Communications, the educational outreach arm of the Mountains and Rivers Order (MRO) of Zen Buddhism. It is an original webcast produced at Zen Mountain Monastery - the mainhouse of the MRO. Our webcast includes discourses by Abbot John Daido Loori, Roshi, and talks by the teachers of the MRO, as well as a diversity of other programming relating to a life of spiritual practice.
Currently Playing
Full Program
The program is 12 hours long. Portions of the program will be updated on a weekly basis. The teachers' talks begin at 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00 Eastern Time (UT-5). The current program is highlighted in orange. Please let us know your comments by contacting us.
Program Descriptions
| Abbot 1 | Abbot John Daido Loori, Roshi - Koans of the Way of Reality, The Great Pearl's Dana Paramita. This discourse was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in January 2006. Koans of the Way of Reality is a collection of koans compiled by Daido Roshi at Zen Mountain Monastery. It includes both koans that appear in the traditional collections as well as other writings treated as koans because of their relevance for modern Western practitioners. |
| Abbot 3 | Abbot John Daido Loori, Roshi - Koans of the Way of Reality, Daiyang's Formless Place of Realization. This discourse was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in July 2006. Koans of the Way of Reality is a collection of koans compiled by Daido Roshi at Zen Mountain Monastery. It includes both koans that appear in the traditional collections as well as other writings treated as koans because of their relevance for modern Western practitioners. |
| Abbot 5 | Abbot John Daido Loori, Roshi - True Dharma Eye, Case 88 , Nanquan's "Content and Container". This discourse was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in November 2006. True Dharma Eye: Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koans is a complete, modern English version of Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koan Shobogenzo translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Daido Roshi. This important collection is accompanied by Roshi's commentary, capping verse, and footnotes. |
| Abbot 7 | Abbot John Daido Loori, Roshi - True Dharma Eye, Case 176 , Xuefeng's "Thirst and Starvation". This discourse was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in December 2006. True Dharma Eye: Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koans is a complete, modern English version of Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koan Shobogenzo translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Daido Roshi. This important collection is accompanied by Roshi's commentary, capping verse, and footnotes. |
| Teacher 2 | Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei - The Book of Serenity, Case 7, "Yaoshan Ascends the Seat." This talk was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in December 2006. The Book of Serenity or Shoyoroku (12th century) is a collection of 100 koans compiled and commented on by Master Wansong with poems by Master Hongzhi, both teachers in the Caodong (J. Soto) school of Zen. This important text stands as a companion to the other great Chinese koan collection, The Blue Cliff Record. |
| Teacher 4 | Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, Osho - Straight Ahead Practice. This talk was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in May 2008. |
| Teacher 6 | Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei - The Gateless Gate, Case 23, Think Neither Good Nor Evil. This talk was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in February 2007. The Gateless Gate or Wumenkuan is a collection of 48 koans compiled in the early thirteenth century by the Chinese Zen master Wumen Huikai. Each koan is accompanied by Wumen's commentary and verse. The collection is widely used by practitioners to this day. |
| Teacher 8 | Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, Sensei - Genjokoan, "When a Fish Swims in the Ocean."This talk was given at Zen Mountain Monastery in 2008. |
| The Abbot's Library | The Heart of Being: Moral and Ethical Teachings of Zen Buddhism by John Daido Loori, Roshi. Chapters 7 and 8, read by David L. Greenwood. In The Heart of Being, acclaimed Zen master John Daido Loori provides a modern interpretation of the Buddhist Precepts and discusses the ethical significance of these vows both within the context of formal Zen training and as guidelines for living an enlightened life. This is an important text not only for those studying Buddhism but for all of us struggling to navigate the dilemmas of our modern lives. As Daido Roshi demonstrates, the Buddha's teachings can serve as a true moral compass to wise, compassionate, and "right" action. |
| Alternative Radio | Food
Justice presented
by Vandana Shiva, an internationally renowned voice for sustainable
development and social justice. A physicist, scholar, political
activist and feminist, she is Director of the Research Foundation
for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy in New
Delhi. Her latest
books are "Earth Democracy" and "Soil Not Oil." |
| Interview | Steven Heine is interviewed by Zuisei Goddard for WZEN. He is a professor of Religious Studies and History, and has written many books on Zen Buddhism. In this interview he spoke about his book, "White Collar Zen," which explores the use of Zen principles in overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals. |
| Loving this Earth | Pulse of the Planet: Sound Portraits of Planet Earth presented by the National Science Foundation. |
| Philip's Hat | |
| Retreat | Retreat with Professor William Waldron - "Self, Karma, and Conciousness", Part 3 |
| Story Hour | Stories Along the Way - storyteller Jack Hosho Maguire, MRO, tells the tales of "Great Joy, the Ox" and "The Cow-tail Switch." |
| Voices for Change | Talks from the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference, a non-profit, independent organization that brings together this century's best thinkers to present their ideas for positive change. Filmmaker Jehane Noujaim unveils her 2006 TED Prize wish: to bring the world together for one day a year on Pangea Day, through the power of film. Architectural designer Cameron Sinclair accepts his 2006 TED Prize wish demonstrating how passionate designers and architects can respond to the world housing crises. His wish is for a network to improve global living standards through collaborative design. For more information visit www.TED.com. |

