The Zen Studies Podcast

Domyo Burk

Learn about traditional Zen and Buddhist teachings, practices, and history through episodes recorded specifically for podcast listeners. Host Domyo Burk is a Soto Zen priest and teacher.

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348 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes348

Newest first

Yesterday · 33 min
337 - Finding the Edge of Your Practice (2 of 2)
To keep your Dharma practice lively, it's important to regularly identify the "edge" of your practice. This is your growth point – the current limit of your understanding and your capacity to embody it. Of course, you don't have a single edge; it might be more accurate to say it's important to identify something on your growth "perimeter," or find one of your many edges, so you focus your practice or have a dialogue with a teacher. I discuss what an edge is, what it means to find one, why this is important, and how to go about it.
July 20 · 28 min
336 - Finding the Edge of Your Practice (1 of 2)
To keep your Dharma practice lively, it's important to regularly identify the "edge" of your practice. This is your growth point – the current limit of your understanding and your capacity to embody it. Of course, you don't have a single edge; it might be more accurate to say it's important to identify something on your growth "perimeter," or find one of your many edges, so you can focus your practice or have a dialogue with a teacher. I discuss what an edge is, what it means to find one, why this is important, and how to go about it.
July 9 · 23 min
335 – Six Useful Lessons from the Buddhist Teachings on Rebirth (2 of 2)
This is second episode of two on this topic. In the first episode (334), I identified existing episodes of the Zen Studies Podcast on - or related to - rebirth that you might want to listen to for context and background. Then I discussed the way you are free to believe in rebirth, disbelieve, or remain agnostic about it. Finally, I talked about the first useful lesson we can take from the teachings of rebirth: The basic laws of karma, or behavioral cause-and-effect, as portrayed in the cosmology of the Six Realms. In this episode I cover five more useful lessons from the Buddhist teachings on rebirth.
June 29 · 26 min
334 – Six Useful Lessons from the Buddhist Teachings on Rebirth (1 of 2)
Zen practice is not dependent on rebirth being true or untrue, and I suspect most Dharma teachers would say the same of their lineage traditions. As long as you practice, it doesn't matter whether you believe in rebirth, disbelieve, or maintain an agnostic attitude. Nevertheless, the traditional narratives and imagery of rebirth teachings contain many valuable lessons for us.
June 16 · 33 min
333 - Buddha Is Like an Old-Growth Tree: Practice as Human Maturation
Sometimes it's difficult to relate to the goal of "awakening" or "enlightenment." Especially if we've gained a hard-won sense of peace with ourselves and our lives, it can seem counterproductive to dwell on some experience or understanding we don't yet have and then drive ourselves to achieve it. I want to share an alternative way to frame your practice that might kindle your Bodhicitta in a different way.
May 31 · 34 min
332 - My Guidelines for Deepening Your Zen Practice
For many years now, people have been asking me how to deepen their Zen practice. They wonder, "What's next?" Some lay people are perfectly content guiding their own practice, but others long for more structure – some kind of program to which they can apply themselves. I have long desired to meet such requests, but I wasn't clear how. After teaching Zen for over 15 years, I have developed a clearer sense of what to require of my students if they are asking me to personally guide their practice. I share my practice agreement for formal students here.
May 15 · 20 min
331 - When Confronted with Great Difficulties: Zhaozhou's "Just Right"
How can we practice without ignoring the world, but also without being overwhelmed by it? We can learn something from a koan involving the 9th century Chan master Zhaozhou (Joshu): A monk asked, "When a great difficulties come, how should I avoid them?" Zhaozhou said, "Just right." We can include great difficulties in our perception of this life without being destroyed by them, letting our hearts break without rejecting this world or becoming consumed by anger or grief.
April 30 · 35 min
330 – Teisho: Awakening Bodhicitta, Seeking Your Heart's Inmost Desire
This is a teisho – like a cross between a Dharma Talk and guided meditation. Teisho are sometimes called "encouragement talks," and they are meant to help listeners connect with the Dharma in the spaciousness and silence of zazen. Teisho are not about explanations or the imparting of information, and they generally are not recorded. They are offered spontaneously, just for the moment, just for those listening. Although you may not be sitting zazen while you listen to this episode, I thought I would offer you a teisho as if you are.
April 16 · 33 min
329 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (2 of 2)
In Part 2 of this episode, I continue giving my "2,500 years' worth of Buddhist texts in a nutshell," an overview of texts in my Zen lineage. In Part 1 I explained what makes a Buddhist text considered legitimate enough to be passed down through the ages. I also introduced the idea of a Buddhist family tree and discussed the original Buddhist canon, the rising of the Mahayana, and the Mahayana sutras. In this episode I cover Mahayana philosophers, Chinese Chan literature, and the writings of two of the main Japanese Zen ancestors in my lineage.
March 31 · 20 min
328 – A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Sangha as Community (2 of 2)
In Buddhism, we have three treasures: Buddha, teachers or our own awakened nature; Dharma, the teachings or the truth itself, and Sangha, the community of people who practice and maintain the tradition together. From the beginning of Buddhism, then, community has been considered essential – but in what sense? We may think of Sangha primarily as an impersonal institution providing access to Buddhist teachings and practice. It certainly fulfills that function, but I believe it's equally important that our Sanghas be welcoming, loving, joyful, mature communities: A place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.
March 31 · 32 min
327 – A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Sangha as Community (1 of 2)
In Buddhism, we have three treasures: Buddha, teachers or our own awakened nature; Dharma, the teachings or the truth itself, and Sangha, the community of people who practice and maintain the tradition together. From the beginning of Buddhism, then, community has been considered essential – but in what sense? We may think of Sangha primarily as an impersonal institution providing access to Buddhist teachings and practice. It certainly fulfills that function, but I believe it's equally important that our Sanghas be welcoming, loving, joyful, mature communities: A place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.
March 17 · 32 min
326 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (1 of 2)
You may have discovered there are lots of Buddhist teachings and texts. Jews have their Torah, Christians their Bible, Muslims their Quran, and Hindus their Vedas, but Buddhists have no divinely-inspired central text, or even collection of texts, to serve as a definitive source of orthodox teachings. The texts considered authoritative in at least one sect of Buddhism would fill a library. This episode (along with Part 2) is meant to be a brief and broad overview of 2500 years'-worth of Buddhist texts in the Zen lineage. Hopefully, it can give you some context for whatever text you might find yourself reading.
March 1 · 41 min
325 – Imagine Yourself as a Buddha and Unblock Your Natural Generosity
In Buddhism, we are guided by the ideal of a Buddha, or awakened being. One of the characteristics of a Buddha is unconditional and selfless generosity, and when your generosity is blocked, you can be sure that some part of you still needs understanding, healing or liberation. On the other hand, when you're able to set aside your self-doubt and imagine yourself as a Buddha, when you look on other beings as if they were your children, you may find your generosity flows more naturally.
February 13 · 22 min
324 - Yunmen's "Every Day Is a Good Day"
In koan #6 from the Blue Cliff Record, Yunmen says, "Every day is a good day." I explore this koan, including the way we sometimes imagine our real life is going to happen after something, and the various ways we can experience "good."
January 30 · 25 min
323 – Zazen As Defiant Self-Care
Since the term arose in 1950's, "self-care" has referred to a number of different things. If we consider self-care to be things you do to remain physically and mentally healthy, then Zazen – simple, goalless, Zen meditation – can be seen as excellent self-care. In these troubled times, such self-care can even be seen as defiant – refusing to be broken down by challenging circumstances. Other forms of meditation can also be seen as self-care, of course, but Zazen can be a little difficult to get your mind around. Framing it as self-care may help you appreciate what it's all about.
January 13 · 26 min
322 – Q&A: Relationships, Cultural "Zen," No-Self, and Confession
This a Q&A episode based on questions I've received from listeners: Does Zen have anything to say about human relationships? Can we learn anything from the cultural popularization of the term "Zen"? If we have no independent self-nature, what about our sense of enduring self? Do Buddhists practice confession like Catholics?
January 1 · 56 min
321 - How Buddhist is Zen? The Buddha's Teachings Compared to Radical Nondualism
Viewed historically, Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that evolved from the original forms Buddhism that were established in India after the Buddha's death around 2,500 BC. Many aspects of original Buddhism are retained in Zen, including respect for Shakyamuni Buddha and his teachings. However, the degree of transformation Buddhism underwent when it took root in China and evolved into Chan (later called "Zen" in Japan) is difficult to overestimate, resulting in a path of radical nondualism. Both the ultimate goal of practice and the means to achieve that goal changed so radically that it's legitimate to question whether Chan is even Buddhism. If you want to walk the path of Zen/Chan, it's essential to understand how it differs from original Buddhism.
Dec 2, 2025 · 34 min
320 – Two Ends of the Spiritual Practice Tunnel: Self-Power Versus Other-Power
Zen Buddhism exemplifies practice based in self-power, or jiriki. Pure Land Buddhism exemplifies practice based in other-power, or tariki. These are very different entry gates, but when we examine self-power and other-power more closely, we see that the ultimate goal of practice requires both.
Nov 21, 2025 · 43 min
319 – Q&A: Universal Life, the Bodhisattva Vow and Monasticism, and Other Traditions
This is one of my unscripted Q&A episodes, where I answer questions submitted by listeners. If you have a question, go ahead and send it to me at zenstudiespodcast.com. I discuss: What does Kosho Uchiyama mean in his book Opening the Hand of Thought, when he talks about "settling as universal life?" Isn't the Zen emphasis on monastic practice and self-liberation at odds with the Bodhisattva Vow to free all beings? What can we learn from practicing with other Buddhist traditions than our own, and is this recommended if we don't live near a Zen center?
Nov 16, 2025 · 36 min
318 – Loving Your Enemies: Extending Metta Does Not Mean Capitulation
Unlike Jesus, the Buddha didn't explicitly instruct us to "love our enemies." However, he did instruct us to extend goodwill, or Metta, to all beings unconditionally – including, of course, our enemies. In this time of growing divisiveness, what does it really mean to follow this teaching? Most people will admit that nurturing resentment and hatred is probably a bad idea, but on the other hand it feels completely unacceptable to capitulate to – surrender to or stop resisting – those who we perceive as causing harm. Fortunately, there are many benefits to loving our enemies, and doing so does not mean capitulating to them.

The Zen Studies Podcast

337 - Finding the Edge of Your Practice (2 of 2)

336 - Finding the Edge of Your Practice (1 of 2)

335 – Six Useful Lessons from the Buddhist Teachings on Rebirth (2 of 2)

334 – Six Useful Lessons from the Buddhist Teachings on Rebirth (1 of 2)

333 - Buddha Is Like an Old-Growth Tree: Practice as Human Maturation

332 - My Guidelines for Deepening Your Zen Practice

331 - When Confronted with Great Difficulties: Zhaozhou's "Just Right"

330 – Teisho: Awakening Bodhicitta, Seeking Your Heart's Inmost Desire

329 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (2 of 2)

328 – A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Sangha as Community (2 of 2)

327 – A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Sangha as Community (1 of 2)

326 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (1 of 2)

325 – Imagine Yourself as a Buddha and Unblock Your Natural Generosity

324 - Yunmen's "Every Day Is a Good Day"

323 – Zazen As Defiant Self-Care

322 – Q&A: Relationships, Cultural "Zen," No-Self, and Confession

321 - How Buddhist is Zen? The Buddha's Teachings Compared to Radical Nondualism

320 – Two Ends of the Spiritual Practice Tunnel: Self-Power Versus Other-Power

319 – Q&A: Universal Life, the Bodhisattva Vow and Monasticism, and Other Traditions

318 – Loving Your Enemies: Extending Metta Does Not Mean Capitulation