Höre Angel City Zen Center - Beginners Only Podcast

In his eagerly anticipated ‘What Am I Doing Here??’ talk, morning stalwart and life of the party, Tip, takes us to the pivotal personal moments that turn life around and upside down and led him to become a fixture here at ACZC. What hope does a better tomorrow offer us for today? Is volunteering at your local Zen center selfish if it helps keep you from falling apart? And is paying 15 bucks to stare at a wall way too much or not nearly enough?? Find out here!

Dave takes a critical look at modern Zen’s emphasis on daily zazen, going deep on what “practice” means and what’s it really for. Is skipping zazen self-care or self-delusion? If we’re really meditating all the time, do we still need to sit down and meditate? Do the sun, moon, and stars really depend on our zazen to shine?? Find out here!

Very special guest Kiyo Tezuka joins us all the way from Hikone, Japan to share an epic tale of wayward youth spent as a globe wandering hippie looking for truth before accidentally settling down to the responsible(?) life of a temple monk. What do we become when we’re all grown up and still don’t know what we want to be when we grow up? Does Western Zen have something unique to teach Japanese Zen in return? Is parallel parking one of those secret magical powers Buddha hinted we might one day attain?? Find out here!

Dave’s History of Zen series returns to visit a war-torn China and the calamities that led to Zen’s initial explosion on to the scene. Is Zen uncannily tailor made for upheaval and uncertain times? Were some dubious PR and a sketchy teacher exactly what a plucky young upstart tradition needed? Is jumping on a stage and claiming to be a 10th level Bodhisattva the height of delusion or something we wish we’d thought of first??? Find out here!

After going many rounds mano y mano with the relentless critical voice in his head, Chris reports back on how Zen teachings on false suffering and conceptual thought offer us help with the wars we wage with ourselves. Is it possible to stop having an adversarial relationship with yourself or is it just something we have to live with? Is facing the wall in zazen doing anything to dispel our fantasies? And is it possible to mute yourself both on Zoom AND in your brain?? Find out here!