Angel City Zen Center - Beginners Only Podcast

Emily Eslami - The Fundamental Human Disaster (7th precept - No Praising Self or Berating Others)

"There's a saying, do you want to be right or do you want to be married? I would extend that to, do you want to be right or do you want to be human? Do you want to be right or do you want to be in a relationship with anyone at all?" - Emily Eslami

In her ever timely precept series, Emily takes on number seven, no praise or blame! Aka, our consistent habit of comparing to others. Who are we trying to build up when we put down? What are we comparing against? And is it possible to have confidence without falling into pride? A great talk for anyone with superiority or inferiority complexes and everywhere in between (which is to say, pretty much all of us).

Dave Cuomo - An Unknowable Hope (Inmo)

"If everything you know isn't working, what do you have left? What you don't know. When you stop and allow space for what you don't know to happen, something else can happen." - Dave Cuomo

Dave delves into Dogen's famous "It" (Inmo) to see if it can offer us a way to pick ourselves up when the world knocks us down. But what is "it??" Some say the universe, some say enlightenment, some say God, while Dogen just says (helpfully as always) that "it" is a "what."  Let's find out what that is...

Emily Eslami - Stuck in the Mud With You (6th Precept - No Speaking of Past Mistakes)

“…other people’s mistakes, the mistakes you can’t stop talking about, your mistakes, the mistakes you think are worse than everyone else’s, look around you, we’re all in the mud making those same mistakes. But at least we’re not alone. At least we’re all stuck in the mud together.” - Emily Eslami

Emily takes us on a journey through everyone's least favorite precept (/favorite precept to break) - no speaking of past mistakes! You make mistakes, we all make mistakes, so why does Buddhism not want us to talk about them and is there a danger in not doing so? What's really at stake, and if it's so wrong, why does it feel so good to dish a little gossip now and then?? And wait a minute, what does it even mean to make a "mistake" and who really ends up taking the blame when we point the finger??? Let's find out...

Dave Cuomo - Bursting Buckets of Buddha!

“With this and that I tried to keep the bucket together
Then the bottom fell out.
Where water does not collect,
The moon does not dwell”
- Mugai Nyodai

In an ever timely topic, Dave brings us a Zen look at patience. What is patience and is that what we're actually learning here? Where are do we find ourselves when whatever we're so urgently waiting for never arrives in the moment we're in?

Emily Eslami - Cloudy Days in the Great Brightness (5th Precept - No Intoxicants)

“It’s the emptiness we’re afraid of. Our life is not made up of magic, it’s made up of these empty moments, full moments, thats all we have; the pain we’re experiencing, the boredom, the fleeting happiness, that’s the moment.

But we owe it to this great brightness not to run away, to see these moments as they really are. Because if nothing is special that means everything is special.” - Emily Eslami

In her ever timely precept series, Emily takes a deep dive into refraining from intoxicants, from a nice glass of wine over pasta, to blowing your mind over a pile of mushrooms, who do we harm when we try to escape, how much is too much, how strictly do these rules want to be taken exactly, and what even is this bright mind we're so afraid of clouding?? Find out here...

Dave Cuomo - A Celebration of Silliness (History of Zen - Tozan & Rinzai!)

"Understanding the true specialness of everything is a rare and wonderful thing. Apparently it takes a lot of practice to realize "just this" for what it really is.
And for all of us who aren't there yet, we have words and teachers there to join us in our delusions long enough to help us figure it out, even while they know there's nothing they can do to help us.
And that's very kind of them." - Dave Cuomo

In an epic clash of conflicted compassion, Dave introduces us to the founders of our two main surviving branches of Zen, Rinzai & Tozan (of Soto fame), as these two teachers teach the exact same nothing, in exactly opposite ways. Madcap koans, shocking speeches, & beautiful poetry ensue!

Dave Cuomo - Sacred Unhinged

"In our ordinary world, we learn to play by the rules, to follow the recipe, to get it right, while in sacred space, cooking (and life) can be more than just following recipes. 

Beyond rote and chore - doing what you've been told - is the freedom to realize the way to cook, letting the ingredients come forward to awaken and nourish, letting yourself come alive to cook, to do something that you've never done before!" - Edward Espe Brown

In a light and fun little talk Dave reads us choice selections from Edward Espe Brown's "No Recipe" and discusses kitchen work and the art of creating sacred spaces as a safe space for screwing up perfectly. 

Emily Eslami - About the Lies I Haven't Told You (The Precepts pt 5 - No Lying)

“Language will always fail us… We believe we’re speaking the same language but we’re using different English to English dictionaries.

The only way to tell the truth is to acknowledge that our truth is not completely true.” - Emily Eslami

Emily brings us a full exploration of the fourth precept, No Lying. Sounds simple, but it turns out before we can not lie, we have to know what truth is in the first place! Who are we really lying to when lie, and who do we actually hurt? Who are we ever really speaking to? And speaking of which, what even is language & communication?? Let's discuss...

Erik Andersen - Angel of Doubt

It’s like a guardian angel of doubt. Where by the grace of god, I would have this spark, this wonderful beautiful doubt of, maybe im wrong. Maybe im not right about this after all…" - Erik Andersen

In a delightfully madcap affair, Erik challenges all those who say that Zen is difficult or enigmatic with a talk on the big question, “How hard is zen??” only to come up with the very Zen answer, “not easy, just the easiest thing you could ever do.” From there we get a whirlwind adventure starting with a two line koan (which he swears his talk will not answer (although we're pretty sure it did)), and then running off into the definitive definition of nirvana, snake oil & delusions, whether it's ok to hate the things we love to hate, and of course those angels of doubt we can have always put our faith in. 

Emily Eslami - Black Vipers & Cold Rocks (Precepts pt 4 - Sex & Desire)

"I lack therefore I want.
I get what I want and I want more.
I get what I want and it didn’t make me happier, so I’m going to push it away.
This is why we sit.

We're not advocating for celibacy or abstinence, We're advocating for awareness;
for looking very carefully at yourself and your actions at all times."
 - Emily Eslami

In the latest installment of her all encompassing and ever timely precept series, Emily takes on that stickiest and trickiest of precepts - "Not holding excessive desires," aka not misusing sex. But what can we lay people learn about this most seductive of desires from a celibate monastic tradition? Fortunately Emily is here to give us a raw look at the real lives and trials of these monks all while trying to answer the question of what to do with our own desires and how to handle the hurt they might inevitably involve. From Buddhist sex scandals, to the right and wrongs way to show a sex worker your gratitude, to a formerly married monastic couple slipping off in the woods to renew (/test?) their vows right under Buddha's scolding gaze, Emily gives us the full story in a must listen episode for anyone out there who's ever wrestled with any kind of desire. What do we truly want when we want?? Find out here!