“What does leaving our sense of loneliness and entering community have to teach you?”

In this opening dharma talk from Commit to Sit Winter 2023, Koshin Sensei invites us to explore what causes us to suffer. He encourages us to confront and work with what holds us back, what keeps us from living fuller lives. Koshin explores the longstanding Buddhist wisdom about how human grasping causes suffering. We suffer because of our craving, or ‘tanha’. One of the keys to living life more fully is to recognize how tanha in its three styles – kama, bhava, vibhava – limits our freedom to be ourselves and to truly connect with one another.

ZENTALK NOTES

Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS (as of January 21st, 2023)

—(New course) Deepen your practice while engaging study with the Zen Ancestors!—The Nature of Awakened Practice: Walking the Path with the Zen Ancestors—Starting January 25th, 2023, join Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei in a 13-week study of the Sōtō Zen lineage and how we can learn from and be supported by the ancestors’ examples of awakening practice in everyday life. | Learn More »

—The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort! Now in its second year, the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a twelve-month training for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to lead change in the culture of care. The program is designed to immerse participants in the true experience of the alleviation of suffering in their personal and professional lives. Contemplative Medicine Conversations with esteemed visiting faculty are offered monthly, free of charge. | Learn more »

—Foundations in Contemplative Care is accepting applications: Since 2007, the Foundations in Contemplative Care training has transformed the lives of individuals from across the country and around the world by supporting the integration of spiritual practice and care. This program is open to anyone who feels called upon to respond to the suffering in the world. | Learn more »

MUSIC

Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji –  Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.

NYZC PUBLICATIONS

Get your copy of Untangled (Koshin’s new book) here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book

Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t

Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL

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