In this powerful and poignant talk from the midst of our Commit to Sit practice period, Koshin Sensei explores the teachings of Punyamitra, the 26th ancestor in the Zen lineage.

As a crown prince seeking home-leaving, Punyamitra is asked by his teacher: “What must you do?” His answer—“I must do Buddha’s work”—echoes through the centuries as a timeless call to presence, compassion, and responsibility.

Koshin challenges us to examine what ordinary habits we are willing to set down and how we might take up the work of awakening with more precision, more kindness, and more courage.

With personal stories, humor, and deep reverence for the lineage, this talk offers an invitation to return to this moment—and to discover what is possible when we let go of our tightly held stories.