Shasta Abbey
Teachings about Buddhist practice in the Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) tradition from the monks at Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery.Learn more at: shastaabbey.orgVideo recordings of talks are uploaded to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShastaAbbeyDharmaTalksfind us on twitter: @shastaabbeyfacebook & instagram
Episodes
241 episodes
Law of Karma Retreat: Talk 3, Precepts and Karma
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.YouTube:...
Law of Karma Retreat: Talk 2, Overview of the Law of Karma
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.YouTube:...
Law of Karma Retreat: Talk 1, Introduction to Retreat
Rev. Amanda Robertson led a week long retreat at Shasta Abbey, June 21-28 2026, looking at the Buddha's teaching of Karma. Her talks guide us toward how we can work with Karma in our own practice, and understand it for ourselves.YouTube:...
Buddha Nature
Rev. Sanshin Alexander is a visiting monk from the community of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland UK, and a disciple of Rev. Master Daishin Morgan. In this talk he explores the term 'Buddha Nature', using the ideas and teachings of...
Faith & Compassion
Rev. Allard Kieres explores the vital relationship between faith, doubt, and compassion within Zen practice, contrasting rigid "absolute faith" with the open, flexible "perfect faith" described by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. He redef...
Prajnaparamita And Great Wisdom–Part 3: 8,000 Lines–Divine Mother
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck explores Prajnaparamita as the "Perfection of Wisdom", specifically focusing on the 8,000-Line Prajnaparamita Sutra and her personification as the "Great Mother." Rev. Oswin discusses how this foundational Mahayan...
The Kindness of the Buddha!
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, gives a talk after the annual celebration of Wesak which celebrates the Buddha's life and teaching. She emphasizes that above all else, for her, it is the Buddha's kindness that shines forth as ...
The Honest Question
Rev. Valeria Allison explores the aspect of practice in which we must be willing to ask of our teachers and ourselves, 'The Honest Question', and how we find this for ourselves. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday May 10, 2026....
Certainty
Rev. Margaret Clyde gives a talk about faith. She addresses the idea of having 'certainty' in our practice and faith of the Triple Treasure (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and what that word means to her and how we might approach it. This talk was giv...
Great Master Keizan’s Encouragement to Pure Meditation
Rev. Ando Mueller talks about Great Master Keizan Jokin after his annual festival memorial. Master Keizan is considered the 'mother' of Soto Zen in Japan and is the monk after Master Dogen who is credited with making the practice accessible to ...
Walking the Path
Rev. Astor Douglas addresses 'changing conditions' and how we approach this dynamic, often chaotic, reality of life. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday April 12, 2026.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmmHGPp-w50...
Simplicity
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, encourages us with a teaching on 'simplicity' in a world that seems like it is getting more and more complicated. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on April 5, 2026.YouTube: https://www...
Meditation and Soto Zen #9
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett gives and explanation of the Denkoroku and how to study this particular text. This includes a look at what the traditional 'Transmission' is about. This talk is part of a lecture series given in 1979.YouTube: N/...
True Training
Rev. Master Koten Benson, Prior of Lions Gate Buddhist Priory in B.C., Canada, and Head of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, talks about the fundamentals of Buddhist practice. This talk was given at Lions Gate Buddhist Priory on October 17,...
Meditation and Soto Zen #8
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett continues with study and commentary of the Shushogi, picking up where the previous lecture left off. She then enters into a detailed explanation of the daily scriptures. There are questions and answers at the end. This ...
Founder’s Day
The late Rev. Chosei Swann gives a talk on Founder's Day and talks about how Shasta Abbey's found is not actually Rev. Master Jiyu, but actually her teacher Keido Chisan, and also other important points of teaching.
What’s Important Now
Rev. Scholastica Hicks shares some reflections from her life as a monk and specifically as an elderly woman. We never know how much time we have left in this world. This brings up the important question, "what's important now"? This talk was gi...
Trusting with Wisdom
Rev. Daishin Yalon talks about trust in Buddhist practice. How do we as Buddhists approach and practice trust? What is it not? And what did the Buddha have to say on the matter? This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday December 29, 2019.
Prajnaparamita & Great Wisdom Part 3C Iconography: Manjusri
Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck continues his lecture series on iconography. In this talk he focuses on how the gender switched from Compassion as male in India to female in China. And how Wisdom switched from female in India to male in China. This talk ...
Goodwill
Rev. Daishin Yalon encourages us to practice Metta (goodwill) towards others during this difficult time of war and violence in the world. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday March 8, 2026.YouTube: https://youtu.be/Na3qC5AbenM
Boundless Merit
Rev. Master Meian Elbert, Abbess of Shasta Abbey, talks after a Transfer of Merit Ceremony about how being still and offering our love and well wishes to the world is an important and helpful part of our practice. This talk was given at Shasta ...
Ever Present Light of Buddha
Rev. Ando Mueller gives a detailed look at the Festival of the Buddha's Parinirvana, describing the details and symbolism of the ceremony. Parinirvana is the festival of the Buddha's death. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February...
Reflection on the Three Refuges
Rev. Amanda Robertson discusses what the Three Refuges are and what they mean to us in our daily practice. This talk was given at Shasta Abbey on Sunday February 15, 2026.YouTube: N/ATwitter/X: @shastaabbey