Angel City Zen Center - Beginners Only Podcast

Emily Eslami - Holy S**t

“People of scant knowledge do not think that buddhas have dignified behavior in the toilet... This is not learning of the Buddha’s truth. Remember, purity and impurity is exemplified by blood dripping from a human being. At one time it is warm, at another time it is disgusting. The buddhas have toilets, and this we should remember.” - Dogen

In an ever topical and timely discussion, Emily reads us Dogen’s (in)famous chapters on the perfect practice of washing and going to the bathroom in a talk on purity and impurity, the clean and the unclean, and the bright bathroom mirror that reflects what we truly are as we wash, brush our teeth, and yes, poop the great poop of enlightenment. Do enlightened beings fart like the rest of us? (You betcha!) How exactly does one bathe in enlightenment? (With ease!) And did Yunmen really say that Buddha was a dried s**t stick? (Again, you betcha). Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - Trust Fall (The Singing of Dragons)

“Not knowing what the crap we’re doing is the delight of being human.” - Dave Cuomo

Dave brings us a Zen pep talk for hard times with a reading of Dogen’s Ryugen or, The Moaning of Dragons Through Withered Trees, one of Zen’s most poetic and enthusiastic exhortations for giving up and giving in to a universe that just wants to sing it’s song through you. What is there to rely on in a world of emptiness (everything!) And can we still have faith in ourselves in a practice of non self (what’s stopping you)? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - DIY(T) (Teachers in Zen)

"If anyone says that I was ever enlightened, they're lying. If anyone says that I teach anyone, they're lying." - Gautama Buddha 

Dave does his best to shed a little clarity on the classically confusing situation of working with teachers in Zen. What is there to teach when Buddha himself swore there is no dharma and no beings to teach? And given that, how should we Zen students work with our teachers?? And why does Zen suspiciously seem to maintain a rigid hierarchy and organization while telling us constantly that no such thing is necessary and no one should trust it?? Dave brings us answers straight from the mouths of the old masters themselves. But who did they think they were talking to and if we believe them, why would we listen to them?? Find out here.

Corey Warner - The Sweet Spot (What Am I Doing Here??)

“I read ‘Hardcore Zen’ and it said, ‘Don't listen to me, you have to try this out for yourself.’ And I was in the Navy, so I was really sick of people telling me what to do. And I was really not interested in God telling me what to do. So that really hit the sweet spot.” - Corey Warner

Sangha favorite Corey Warner tells us the story of what he’s doing and why he’s here. From cavorting with demons in Kansas to trying to find a quiet place to sit zazen on a submarine, Corey treats us to a relatably winding tale of trying to find a stable port to set your zafu. 

Dave Cuomo - Pure Non Sense (Yogacara - The Six Senses)

"Ideally a talk about the six senses would just be practicing being together and experiencing our sensory experiences and asking, ‘what are those?’ So if at any point you space out and get lost in whatever it is you're hearing, seeing, or thinking, that is a perfect way to listen to this talk.” - Dave Cuomo

Dave continues our dive into Yogacara Buddhism with a deep look at the six senses (all puns intended). It is one of the simplest and most bafflingly stupid ideas ever called a teaching, that we that we see, hear, taste, touch, & think. So why is it so impossible to wrap our minds around what that actually means, and why did the Heart Sutra say that no such thing ever happens? Is it true that we only see what we want, and if so why can’t we see something better?? Find out here!

Colin Young - Words are Hard! (What Am I Doing Here??)

"When I got here, I wanted Brad to tell me how to live my life, and he said to just sit, and offered some reading suggestions; Suzuki, Uchiyama, Kobun Chino, and Dogen. And then I wanted Suzuki Roshi, Kobun Chino Roshi, and Uchiyama Roshi to tell me how to live my life through their books. And they said to just sit and talked about Dogen. And then I wanted Dogen to tell me how to live my life. And he said to just sit. It was at this point that I started to notice a pattern...

And now I'm honestly curious and sincerely excited to see what tomorrow morning's sit will be like." - Colin Young

In a meta commentary on on his own personal journey, Colin walks us through the process of writing five drafts for one great talk with insightful comedic commentary and a knack for self inquisitiveness all along the way. What do we do when our life's narrative runs itself out and we realize we might not be so special after all (at least not in the ways we thought...)?? What do we say when words don't work in the ways we think they should?? And while we're at it, why was the pandemic (somewhat awkwardly) such a perfect place for practice??? And in this new land of internet Zen and Zoomdos, if we're not local should we sit with internet superstar sanghas like ACZC, or should we sit with whatever local group is nearby because that's just the right thing to do (spoiler alert, yes & yes! And what was the question again)?? Find out here!

Emily Eslami - One Rule to Rule Them All (The Three Pure Precepts)

“The relation between the precepts and the words of avowal is like a person who is always thankful, and is always able to say, “I’m sorry.” It is the bright side of things and the shadowy side of things.” - Kobun Chino

In the thrilling conclusion to her year long ever timely precept series, Emily brings us the one rule (ok, three rules, but also kind of one…) to rule them all, the Three Pure Precepts! As always, it sounds so simple but it’s the gateway to a lifetime and a universe of practice. Luckily Emily is here to guide us with her ever in depth, informative, and personal reckoning with the simple little truths that mean everything. Do we really have to follow the rules of society if we don’t agree with them? Can we actually know the great 'moral rule of the universe' with our humble human brains? And how are we supposed to 'save all beings' when there are so darn many of them (and more being born every day)!! Find out here! 

Dave Cuomo - Empty Innocent Space (Yogacara - The Storehouse Consciousness)

 

“The storehouse consciousness is the root of everything. If the whole universe is just your experience, then this is what it's born from. It’s the fountain of everything. Also it's empty and doesn't exist, so don't think it's a thing.” - Dave Cuomo

In part 2 of our ongoing Yogacara series, Dave brings us a mildly nerdy and deeply personal look at the Alaya Vijnana, the storehouse consciousness, the pure innocent empty space of possibility that all of reality is born from. Is it really possible to clean our karma and wake up to something new? Does a practice of no self leave room for us to become a better one?? How do we clean our room when the only world we know is a mess??? Find out here!

Dave Cuomo - The Good Life (Renunciation)

"The world wants me to be happy. I think it needs me to be happy. Because it seems I can make people miserable when I'm not. Which is probably true for all of us..." - Dave Cuomo

Dave takes a look at what Buddhist renunciation means for us 21st century Westerners living lives far removed from the simple forest beggar life Buddha originally recommended. What actually makes us happy and what does it really mean to live "the good life"? Join us as Dave takes us on a journey through the weeds of want with stories of alms offering monkeys, poetry from the first Buddhist nuns, Dogen's monks questioning whether or not this whole monk thing is actually a good idea, Dave's own stories of dumpstered wealth lost and found, and finally Buddha's long lost bossom buddy Epicurus gives us his hot take on what really constitutes a life devoted to pleasure (hint: it's cheaper thank you think).

Dave Cuomo - Buddha's Baggage (Yogacara pt 1)

“We don't know what the universe is made of at the root. All we know for certain is that the only thing we have to work with is our own experience.

Ultimately I can't blame anybody else for what I go through because I take it all in through my own filter. I only see what I am willing to see, and only do what I want to do on some level. So when they say the world is “mind only” or “experience only,” to me it's about taking responsibility for my own experience in the only place I’m able to turn to.” - Dave Cuomo  

By popular demand, Dave brings us a new series on Yogacara Buddhism, that simpler-then-it-sounds wealth of Buddhist theory that just might have underlined all of the elegant simplicity of Zen. In pt 1 we look into the background and context of the two purported founders of the movement, Asanga & Vasubandhu, and the high stakes (literally life & death!) world of philosophy & debate that shaped the school they created. Is the world really all in your mind? And what do you mean by mind? And can we ever escape our baggage?? Find out here!