Dharma Talks

A Dharma talk is a public discourse on Buddhism by a teacher or practice leader. 

It is said that a Dharma talk can be “dark to the mind but luminous to the heart.” We suggest listening not just with your ears, but with your whole body.

A Dharma talk may also be referred to as a Teisho (提唱). A Teisho is non-dualistic, and therefore different than a lecture on a Buddhist topic. A Teisho is a Dharma talk that speaks directly to the heart.

Use the menu below to search for talks by category or speaker.

You may also search for topics by entering keywords in the search box. The search will open into a new page with a list.

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  • Sweeping Leaves on a Windy Day as Ceaseless Practice
    11/18/24

    Sweeping Leaves on a Windy Day as Ceaseless Practice

    Raking and sweeping are classic Zen work practices. Seemingly endless, menial tasks provide a wonderful opportunity to work intimately with our mind. As we immerse ourselves in each moment, taking care of what is needed, we learn how to meet the endless, continuous, moment to moment reality of our lives.

  • Our Zen Paths
    7/1/24

    Our Zen Paths

    Eon Zen Senior practice leaders Geoff Shōun O'Keeffe, Lisa Gakyo Schaewe, and Sam Sokyo Randall share their own paths into Zen practice, followed by questions and discussion.

  • Mosquitos, Allergies, and The Great Way
    6/24/24

    Mosquitos, Allergies, and The Great Way

    Eon Zen Senior Student and Practice Leader Lisa Gakyo Schaewe offers a talk on the transformative practice of facing our life just as it is. As humans, we often face times when we wish circumstances were different. As Zen practitioners, we make vows to not turn away. Can we expand our view and see that the very things that seem like obstacles are the path?

  • Not Elevating Oneself and Blaming Others
    2/12/24

    Not Elevating Oneself and Blaming Others

    Often we react to a situation by elevating ourselves or blaming others arises when we feel fearful and vulnerable. Making ourself bigger or more important is a self-preservation mechanism. With our Zen practice, we can see this tendency and how it comes from a feeling of separateness. What is happening when we blame others? Can we accept that we don’t have to defend anything?

  • Where Are You Now?
    12/11/23

    Where Are You Now?

    Reflecting on her life as an artist and her experiences working with people displaced by the fires on the island of Maui, Eon Zen Practice Leader Lisa Gakyo Schaewe invites us to look deeply into the bardo of our own lives.

  • Living-and-Dying in the Bardo
    11/13/23

    Living-and-Dying in the Bardo

    Our karma is perpetually giving life to our life, and surrendering parts of our life into death. This is how we live-and-die. Eon Zen Senior Student and Practice Leader Lisa Gakyo offers words reflecting on this from Pat Enkyo O’Hara Roshi, Pico Iyer, and Taizan Maezumi Roshi.