Angel City Zen Center - Beginners Only Podcast

Heather takes a serene unflinching look at the indomitable waves of change, that universal constant that refuses all our attempts to corral it into something knowable or predictable. Is embracing change just a recipe for getting taken under? Is denying it just a recipe for getting pummeled? Is practice about stridently surfing our way to shore, or is it a surrender to forces beyond all attempts to control? How many Zen surf metaphors can a beach town Zen center fit into one dharma talk?? Find out here!

Dave regales us with stories and poetry from everyone’s favorite Soto renegade poet monk hero, Ryokan, while trying to figure out if he’s the scrappy unpretentious rebel we all want him to be, or is he the patron saint of strict fundamentalist austerity and tradition as others seem to think. Can he maybe be both and can Dave make peace with that? Can we judge people for their pretensions and worldly ambitions, or is that a responsible response to the world as it is? How can we trust ourselves when no one agrees, and what makes a renegade respect worthy?? Find out here!

Sara delves into the thorny weeds of spiritual crises, starting with a raw one of her own, and how to work with listening practice in zazen. What is that black tangled knot in our chests and how might we untie it? What is spiritual crisis and can we be better off for having had it? How can we trust ourselves once we’ve noticed that we can’t entirely be trusted?? Find out here!

In our ongoing series where brave sangha members tell us the story what they’re doing and why they’re here (while we just maybe learn something about those things for ourselves), LA local Cole, born just a few blocks down the road tells us a wonderfully insightful story about doing his damndest to runaway from home and faith and, luckily for us, finding himself right here but maybe in a totally new and deeper way? Do Catholics just like doing things the hard way? What does it mean to not take life seriously? Is there such a thing as a breakup rakusu?? Find out here!

What would make someone not a Buddhist?? Life is fleeting, unsatisfying, & essentially empty, and are we into, and ready to reckon with that? Or so the argument goes. Is the road to joy beyond our wildest beliefs paved with cynical expressions? Why can’t Buddhism say something nice? Is this the answer to every question anyone has about Buddhism and every issue we have in life?? Find out here!