Soto Zen Talks

Sōtō Zen or the Sōtō school (曹洞宗, Sōtō-shū) is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngshān Liánjiè. It emphasizes Shikantaza, meditation with no objects, anchors, or content. The meditator strives to be aware of the stream of thoughts, allowing them to arise and pass away without interference.

The Japanese brand of the sect was imported in the 13th century by Dōgen Zenji, who studied Cáodòng Buddhism (Chinese: 曹洞宗; pinyin: Cáodòng Zōng) abroad in China. Dōgen is remembered today as the ancestor of Sōtō Zen in Japan along with Keizan Jōkin.

With about 14,000 temples, Sōtō is one of the largest Japanese Buddhist organizations. Sōtō Zen is now also popular in the West, and in 1996 priests of the Sōtō Zen tradition formed the Soto Zen Buddhist Association based in North America.

From Sōtō on Wikipedia

Showing 278 talks

- Reset Search

Title	Speaker	Date
Early Days: Maezumi-rôshi & Suzuki-rôshi Serial: BZ-00977A Saturday Lecture Suzuki Roshi, Maezumi Roshi, Teacher-and-Student, Zoom, Priest, Soto Zen, New Year,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	May 27 1995 Berkeley Zen Center
Tassajara Practice Period Serial: BZ-00909B Saturday Lecture Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Dharma Transmission, American, Practice Period,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Apr 15 1995 Berkeley Zen Center
Takubetsu Sesshin Serial: BZ-00743 Sesshin Dharma Transmission, Transmission, American, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Priest,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Apr 05 1995
March 9th, 1995, Serial No. 00762 Discrimination, Absolute-and-Relative, Soto Zen, Practice Period, Buddha Nature,...		Mar 09 1995
January 24th, 1995, Serial No. 00758 Fox, true dharma, Priest, Instruction, Lay, Transmission, Demons, Chanting, Sixth...		Jan 24 1995
January 16th, 1995, Serial No. 00756 Priest, Soto Zen, Bell, Monastic Practice, Sixth Patriarch, Precepts, Aspects of...		Jan 16 1995
Heart Sutra Serial: BZ-00951A Rohatsu Day 5 Heart Sutra, Birth-and-Death, Big Mind, Duality, Soto Zen, Building, Happiness,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 08 1994 Berkeley Zen Center
Blue Cliff Record: Case #69 Cont. Serial: BZ-00935A And Nyogen Senzaki's Commentary, Sesshin Day 3 BCR-69, Building, Lineage, Bell, Soto Zen, Bowing, confusion, Doubt, Rinzai,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Sep 05 1994 Berkeley Zen Center
June 11th, 1994, Serial No. 00943, Side A Silent Illumination, Mindfulness, Concentration, Practice Period, Offering, Four...		Jun 11 1994
Platform Sutra: Commentary Serial: BZ-00552 Class 10 of 10 Sixth Patriarch, Culture, Mahayana, Religion, Four Noble Truths, Soto Zen, Lay...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Mar 31 1994 10 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
March 22nd, 1994, Serial No. 00551 Lotus Sutra, Birth-and-Death, Happiness, Soto Zen, Karmic Consciousness, Karma,...		Mar 22 1994
March 4th, 1994, Serial No. 00557 Evil, Big Mind, Discrimination, Buddha Nature, Hindrances, Five Ranks, Nirvana, Soto...		Mar 04 1994
February 12th, 1994, Serial No. 00980, Side B Nirvana Sutra, Buddha Nature, Precepts, Nirvana, Impermanence, Daily Life, Tassajara...		Feb 12 1994
Mumonkan Case 15: Seeing Truth; Ordination and Dharma Transmission—Ordinariness Serial: BZ-00981B Lecture Ordination, Berkeley Zen Center, Soto Zen, Culture, Mill Valley, Heart Sutra,...	Myogen Steve Stücky	Jan 29 1994 Berkeley Zen Center
Mountain Practice, City Practice; Renunciation Serial: BZ-00959B Leaving for Tassajara, Saturday Lecture Monastic Practice, Daily Life, Renunciation, Cultivation, Soto Zen, Aspects of...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Jan 08 1994 Berkeley Zen Center
Refining Your Life Serial: BZ-01497A Rohatsu Day 3 Tenzo Kyokun, Bell, Sanctuary, Emotions, Book of Serenity, Soto Zen, Discrimination,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 01 1993 Berkeley Zen Center
October 2nd, 1993, Serial No. 00656, Side A Diversity, Religion, Politics, Culture, American, Priest, Vinaya, Ordination,...		Oct 02 1993
August 7th, 1993, Serial No. 00655, Side A Subject-and-Object, Separation, Instruction, Greed, Soto Zen, Hate, Dragons, Silence...		Aug 07 1993
July 24th, 1993, Serial No. 00654, Side A Anger, Instruction, Emotions, Complete Perfect Enlightenment, Concentration,...		Jul 24 1993
Practice and Boredom Serial: BZ-00670A Sesshin Day 5 Zazen, Stillness, Daily Life, Pure Existence, Doubt, Posture, Soto Zen, Separation,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Jun 13 1993 Berkeley Zen Center
May 20th, 1993, Serial No. 00214 Attachment, Passions, Four Noble Truths, Offering, Buddha Nature, Lineage, Don't...		May 20 1993
May 6th, 1993, Serial No. 00212 true dharma, Monastic Practice, Transmission, Buddha Nature, Teacher-and-Student,...		May 06 1993
March 25th, 1993, Serial No. 00269 Precepts, Concentration, Mindfulness, Soto Zen, Impermanence, zen meditation,...		Mar 25 1993
April 9th, 1992, Serial No. 00605 Lotus Sutra, Silent Illumination, Doubt, Rinzai, Instruction, Six Realms, true dharma...		Apr 09 1992
March 26th, 1992, Serial No. 00603 Platform Sutra, Branching Streams, Four Noble Truths, Perfect Wisdom, Sixth Patriarch...		Mar 26 1992
March 19th, 1992, Serial No. 00602 Bodhidharma, Lineage, Transmission, First Principle, Karma, Book of Serenity, Buddha...		Mar 19 1992
March 7th, 1992, Serial No. 00109 Serial: BZ-00109 Saturday Lecture Soto Zen, Lotus Sutra, Liberation, Ego, Buddha Nature, Mahayana, Duality	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Mar 07 1992 Unknown Location
Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi Serial: BZ-00734 Sesshin Day 7 Absolute-and-Relative, confusion, Five Ranks, Sixth Patriarch, Discrimination,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 19 1991
Transmission of Light Eka, Bodhidharma, Four Noble Truths, Buddha Ancestors, Soto Zen, Greed, Birth-and-...	Fran Tribe	Dec 14 1991 Berkeley Zen Center
Meaning of Dokusan Serial: BZ-00707B Relationship to Teacher and Zazen, Rohatsu Day 6 Teacher-and-Student, Dokusan, Zazen, Soto Zen, Teacher-and-Student, Aspects of...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 06 1991 Berkeley Zen Center
November 21st, 1991, Serial No. 00272 Soto Zen, Concentration, Liberation, Karma, Obstacles, Four Noble Truths, Commitment...		Nov 21 1991
Tozan's Five Ranks Serial: BZ-00626 Class One, Class Five Ranks, Absolute-and-Relative, Heart Sutra, Lineage, Lay, Beginners, Soto Zen,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Nov 13 1991
Tozan's Five Ranks Serial: BZ-00625 Lecture Gratitude, Five Ranks, Sixth Patriarch, Absolute-and-Relative, Manjushri, Dharma...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Oct 19 1991 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
Talk to Tokubetsu Sesshin Serial: BZ-00624 Sesshin Practice Period, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Building, Gratitude, confusion,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Oct 13 1991
August 17th, 1991, Serial No. 00972, Side B Fox, Four Noble Truths, Priest, Right Speech, Right Effort, Funeral, Vow, Soto Zen,...		Aug 17 1991
Mumonkan: Case #10 Serial: BZ-00701A Sesai is "Poor" and Asks Sozan for Help, Saturday Lecture MM-10, Culture, Teacher-and-Student, resistance, Birth-and-Death, Priest, Soto Zen,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Apr 27 1991 Berkeley Zen Center
December 15th, 1990, Serial No. 00699, Side A Concentration, Soto Zen, Instruction, Anger, Hate, Family Practice, Posture, Emotions...		Dec 15 1990
October 6th, 1990, Serial No. 01479 Silent Illumination, true dharma, Soto Zen, Daily Life, Samadhi, Book of Serenity,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Oct 06 1990 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
September 15th, 1990, Serial No. 00492, Side A Buddha Nature, Building, Aspects of Practice, Separation, Culture, Fox, Rinzai, Soto...		Sep 15 1990
Dharma Positions and Preference I Conversation, Soto Zen, Aspects of Practice, Mindfulness, Emotions, Lay, Enthusiasm,...	Ryushin Paul Haller	May 05 1990 I Berkeley Zen Center
April 28th, 1990, Serial No. 00507, Side A Monastic Practice, Family Practice, Offering, Soto Zen, uchiyama, Daily Life,...		Apr 28 1990
March 25th, 1990, Serial No. 00510, Side B Lotus Sutra, Berkeley Zen Center, Anger, Buddha Nature, Transmission, Gratitude,...		Mar 25 1990
Abbot's Zuisse Ceremony in Japan Serial: BZ-00385 Saturday Lecture Zuisse, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Practice Period, Soto Zen, Study Period,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Oct 28 1989 Berkeley Zen Center
Boddhisatva Practice: Four Methods Serial: BZ-00366B Saturday Lecture Anger, Pure Existence, Priest, Equanimity, Daily Life, Non-attachment, Emotions, Ego...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Sep 17 1988 Berkeley Zen Center
Teacher and Student Serial: BZ-00893A Saturday Lecture Teacher-and-Student, Teacher-and-Student, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Buddha...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Aug 27 1988 Berkeley Zen Center
On Bowing and Chanting Serial: BZ-01491 Morning talk. Offering, Diversity, Heart Sutra, Passions, Practice Period, Soto Zen, Lineage,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Jun 27 1988 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
June 12th, 1988, Serial No. 00299 Serial: BZ-00299 Sunday Lecture Ordinary Mind, Doubt, Attachment, Koan, Daily Life, Intuition, Soto Zen, confusion,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Jun 12 1988
February 26th, 1988, Serial No. 01535 Serial: BZ-01535 Sixth day of sesshin at Green Gulch Farm. Lineage, Dharma Transmission, Soto Zen, Chanting, Platform Sutra, Rinzai, Priest,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Feb 26 1988 6 of 7 Green Gulch Farm
February 13th, 1988, Serial No. 00899, Side A Transmission, Soto Zen, Priest, Dharma Transmission, Precepts, Rinzai, Bowing, Study...		Feb 13 1988
August 16th, 1987, Serial No. 00312 Serial: BZ-00312 Sesshin Day 2 Nirvana, Birth-and-Death, training, Soto Zen, Lineage, Instruction, Peace	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Aug 16 1987

Soto Zen Talks

Pages