In this retreat talk, Jogen explores the inner disturbance that drives spiritual practice and the ways mistaken perception, fixed beliefs, and self-image shape our suffering. Drawing on Zen teachings, poetry, and personal reflection, he examines how we live in mental representations rather than direct experience, and how practice invites us to shed accumulated knowledge and see more clearly. The talk points to deep yielding and decisive, wholehearted engagement as gateways to freedom, inviting practitioners to soften resistance, question the reality of the separate self, and fully inhabit the living moment of practice as it unfolds. This is talk 4 of the 2026 Dharma Gates Retreat.

In this opening talk of a series, Hogen introduces the Dharma as a practical path for transforming life’s challenges into wisdom, compassion, and clarity. Drawing on the Four Noble Truths, he reframes suffering as “challenge” and emphasizes that everything in our inner life is workable when met directly. The talk focuses on cultivating a clear mind through slowing down, presence, and discernment, learning to distinguish facts from problems, and understanding what is truly ours to carry. With humor and plainspoken examples, Hogen outlines how practice helps us meet fear, confusion, and dissatisfaction at the root—laying the foundation for real, lived transformation rather than quick fixes or abstract solutions. From Heart of Wisdom Sunday night on January 11, 2026.

In this talk, Kisei explores the Bodhisattva path as a life oriented toward love for the world and responsiveness to suffering. Drawing on Mahayana teachings, Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva, and contemporary reflections, she distinguishes between boundless compassion as our true nature and active compassion as a practice we cultivate. Introducing the “five compassions”—wise, fierce, patient, joyful, and unified—Kisei offers practical guidance for living the Bodhisattva vow with discernment, humility, and sustainability, while avoiding the pitfalls of burnout, righteousness, and pity. The talk invites practitioners to embody compassion in ways that are grounded, aligned, and responsive to real conditions.