What if nothing was ever missing? In this teishō on Mumonkan Case 9, Daitsu Chishō, Sensei Soen Michael Brunner examines the hidden assumption that practice leads somewhere—and what it means to come home to the non-attained Buddha here and now.

In this teishō on Mumonkan Case 8, Ketshū Makes Carts, Soen Sensei (Michael Brunner) examines how we mistake explanation for intimacy and why Zen practice collapses the distance between experience and understanding. What happens when the “wheels” are removed—and what still functions?

Practice begins by judging the current. By seeing clearly where it’s taking us. When we do that, we can become skillful oarsmen — using those same thoughts and assumptions consciously, steering the raft toward the actual current of lived experience.

You will never accumulate enough or exchange enough to make the created story of yourself feel substantial. But when you drop it—when you stop trying to secure it—you discover something else. As you respond directly to the suffering you encounter around you, your true nature appears. And it appears as compassion.

In this Dharma talk at One River Zen, Anzan Eric Mehon reflects on the opening verses of the Dhammapada, exploring how the mind shapes our experience of suffering and joy. Through everyday moments — from the frustrations of daily life to the challenges of meditation itself — he reveals the simple yet demanding practice of returning again and again to breath, intention, and presence.

See all the happenings and plan your week at One River Zen. Be sure to join us for meditation…

In this morning teishō, Sensei Michael Brunner explores Gen’yō’s One Thing (Shōyōroku, Case 57), a classic Zen kōan that examines how our attempts to clarify, correct, and refine—especially our habit of judging others—often trap us more deeply in conceptual division. What we think will free us instead becomes the very burden we carry.

Where blame ends, responsibility begins.

A new Daily Zen reflection on stepping back onto your Dharma throne and doing the work that’s actually here.

In this morning’s Daily Zen, Sensei Michael Brunner reflects on how the story of the self creates a constant sense of scarcity — even around time itself. When we stop trying to make ourselves substantial and instead give our time freely in service and attention, something surprising happens: time begins to feel boundless.

A quiet invitation to step out of striving and into presence as the week begins.

Does karma move before you choose?

In this week’s Zen teisho, Sensei Michael Brunner brings together neuroscience and the Blue Cliff Record to reveal a hidden gap inside every moment — a place where habit loosens and real freedom can appear.