We speak so often without really intending to connect—just trying to be right, or to relieve some internal pressure. But unless someone sincerely wants to hear, our words scatter like dust. In Zen, there’s no reward for performance, no applause for being “beyond.” In fact, the very idea of being beyond is often the net we’re still caught in. True practice begins when we stop trying to be impressive, stop trying to be seen, and simply meet the moment as it is—muddy, raw, and real. Let the dust settle. Then you can begin.

In this teisho, we enter the deep current of the Avatamsaka Sutra and Dōgen’s wisdom to explore Indra’s Net, karmic momentum, and the luminous jewel hidden in the folds of your very own robe. You don’t need to earn it—but you do need to realize it.

We are already reflecting the whole, whether we see it or not.

Wonder, not knowledge, is the key.

What if awakening isn’t found in scriptures or mountaintops, but in a simple farm rice cake?
In this grounded and provocative talk, Sensei Michael Brunner reflects on a Zen koan that challenges our deepest assumptions about sacredness. Why do we divide life into holy and profane? What do we miss when we dismiss the ordinary?

We chase meaning like it’s out there somewhere—hidden in a teaching, a moment, a breakthrough. But what happens when even “no meaning” becomes another thing to hold onto? In this talk on Book of Equanimity, Case 80, we sit with Ryūge’s journey through questions, blows, and the quiet unraveling of self. It’s not about finding the answer. It’s about what’s left when the search gives up.

What holds the self together after it’s been born through karma? In this week’s powerful class, we step beneath the surface of our constructed identities to explore the quiet architecture of the ego—its defense mechanisms, its patterns of protection, and its habitual strategies for survival. Drawing from Anna Freud’s foundational work and illuminated through the lens of Zen practice, we uncover how fear, shame, and avoidance become karmic habits… and how clarity, presence, and vow can transform them. This isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about meeting yourself fully. Join us for a deep dive into the hidden strategies of the self, and the liberating possibility of embodying your true nature.

What if the moment everything fell apart was actually your beginning?
In this compelling Dharma talk, Sensei Michael Brunner explores the “great death” of the self—and the raw, luminous life that follows. Drawing on Zen koans and Dōgen’s teachings, this reflection invites us to stop patching the past and instead step forward, fully present, in the daylight of our own awakening.

Sensei reflects on the recent loss of his brother, Daniel Brunner, to suicide.

“Forsakenness itself is part of the Way. It is a Dharma gate.
When we meet it fully—tears, trembling, and all—something profound opens.
Not escape, but transformation.”
— Hoshi Jinsen Vanessa Roddam

In this powerful and honest reflection, Genpō shares how meditation became more than a practice—it became a path through trauma, anxiety, and the quiet weight of daily life. From his early struggles with identity to his years as a first responder, this talk traces a journey back to presence, wonder, and clarity.

“Sometimes healing doesn’t come from figuring things out—
It comes from finally seeing that they were just stories all along.”

What happens when we stop chasing realization and simply stand where we are? In this talk, Sensei Michael takes us deep into the mountains with Hofuku and Chōkei, where a single gesture reveals everything—and nothing.

This is not a story about arriving. It’s a call to intention. A reminder that true practice isn’t hidden in mystery—it’s alive in every step, if only we show up!