Abbot John Daido Loori, Roshi - Fearlessness

For most of us, fear, often in subtle forms like anxiety, hesitation, and self-consciousness is a daily barrier. Daido Roshi speaks directly to the question of how to work with our fear. In acknowledging and facing this barrier directly we enter the dragon's cave and discover the jewel of true fearlessness.

The koan presented is Case 103 from Koans of the Way of Reality , "The Stone Lion ".

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei - The Mind of Great Aspiration

Shugen Sensei reminds us that you cannot awaken by force. He encourages us to let go of the grasping mind, and focus our energies on forgetting the self, all the while remembering that this forgetting happens all of its own.

The koan in this talk is Case 3 from the Gateless Gate, "Think Neither Good Nor Evil".

Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, Sensei - An Inexhaustable Life

How awake are we to the inexhaustable manner in which this true world is arriving in our lives moment by moment .

The koan in this talk is Case 3 from the Gateless Gate, "Juzhi's One Finger ."

Myths, Empire, and the Middle East with Richard Becker:

The great historian Howard Zinn always reminded us of the importance of knowing history, not the imagined and fabricated past but what actually happened. Few areas in the world are as deeply contested as the Middle East with its strategic location astride Europe and Asia and its unparalleled oil and natural gas reserves. In the past, Britain and France were the imperial powers heavily involved in the geographical shaping of the Middle East. Today, in the Middle East, it's the U.S. who blankets the region with new myths, its armed camps and naval and air bases. Join Richard Becker, author of "Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire", as he talks about myths, empire, and the Middle East.

Alternative Radio is produced by the Institute for Social and Cultural Change. The views and opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect the views of Zen Mountain Monastery and the Mountains and Rivers Order.

Zen Teacher Norman Fischer:

Buddhism May Need a Plan B: As Buddhism transitions to the West, new secular and non-religious forms of practice, such as Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction are beginning to emerge. In this episode of Buddhist Geeks, Norman Fischer discusses these more secular forms of Zen Buddhism, and he also shares with us his experience of teaching in the corporate headquarters of Google.

Buddhism and the Evolution of Religion: Norman Fischer joins us again to speak about religion, evolution, and Buddhism's unique role in both. The conversation begins with an overview of sociologist Robert Bellah's schema on the evolution of religion throughout the ages.

In addition to streaming here on WZEN.org, podcasts of Buddhist Geeks and their on-line magazine are available on their website.

Seido Ray Ronci at Zen Mountain Monastery, July 2010

Seido Ray Ronci is a Rinzai Zen monk and a poet. His most recent book, "The Skeleton of the Crow", won the 2009 Pen Centre USA award. Following his retreat at the monastery, entitled "The Poem is Already There", fellow poet Chase Twitchell caught up with him to chat about poetry, Zen, and creative imagining.

Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature

The Biological Bottom Line: Drawing on native wisdom and state-of-the-art science, author, geneticist and television producer David Suzuki, demonstrates that what we do to what surrounds us, we do to ourselves and suggests how to restore the fabric of the biosphere.

The Trojan Gene: Join farmer Percy Schmeiser, technology expert Andrew Kimbrell, and Native American professor and farmer John Mohawk as they explore the implication of genetic engineering on the food we eat, the farmers who raise our food and the natural world and society.

Music:

Philip's Hat

Grace Notes

Philip's Hat Music for July: Celebrating the summer heat. Wake up singing and spread your wings listening to music by John Lee Hooker, The Lovin' Spoonful and The Zombies. Selected for you by DJ Mary.

Grace Notes: A selection of music exploring a different theme each month, echoing an area of focus at the monastery. August: Being the Earth. Diverse artists, including Richie Havens, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Lou Reed, and Woody Guthrie, explore our relationship - and responsibility - toward the planet. Compiled by Daniel Hardy, MRO.

Religious Calling: A retreat co-led by Shugen Sensei and Ryushin Sensei in the Fall of 2008 dedicated to exploring and clarifying the various forms and challenges a religious or spiritual calling can take in our lives. Parts 1 through 4 are now airing.

Our broadcast of Part 4 is followed by a short talk on the Bodhisattva Vows given by Ryushin Sensei as part of a Fusatsu, or Renewal of Vows Ceremony, that took place that evening.

Making Love with Light: Contemplating Nature with Words and Photographs by John Daido Loori, Roshi. Preface through chapter 2, read by John Gensho Letton, MRO.

Making Love with Light takes up the teachings of Zen as they relate to the wilderness. In it, Daido Roshi weaves together his spiritual practice, his work as a photographer, and his love of the natural world.

Stories of the Journey Home with Leo Sofer: Regaining the Inner Fire

Another magical interlude with Leo, this one about patience and inner connection. You're never too old for a good story. . .

In addition to streaming here on WZEN.org, podcasts of Leo Sofer's stories are available on his website at Stories of the Journey Home.

Sylvia Earle on the state of our oceans

This interview with oceanographer, underwater explorer, and advocate Sylvia Earle comes to us from A World of Possibilities. Earle has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. She speaks about the role the ocean plays in our lives and the life of this blue planet and how the ocean is turning into the world's dumping ground.