Desert Rain Zen
Listen to dharma talks by our teacher Tenney Nathanson Roshi and other teachers in our tradition. Desert Rain Zen is part of Cloud Gate Zen, a branch of the Pacific Zen School founded by Joan Sutherland Roshi. Our practice centers on an innovative approach to koans and includes group koan conversations as well as individual koan work with Tenney.
Desert Rain Zen podcasts are free. If you'd like to support our podcasting and other activities, you can make a tax-deductible donation on our website at https://www.desertrainzen.org/donate.html
Most of Desert Rain Zen's activities take place on Zoom. For more information you can:
email us at desertrainzen@gmail.com
find us at https://www.desertrainzen.org/
and on Facebook.
You can also find more teachings by Tenney at
https://tenneynathanson.com/ .
Other Cloud Gate Zen groups include Springs Mountain Sangha in Colorado Springs, led by Sarah Bender Roshi, and Crimson Gate Meditation Community in Oakland, CA, led by Megan Rundel Sensei. Desert Rain Zen podcasts will include talks by Sarah and Megan, including (but not limited to) when they are part of shared Cloud Gate Zen retreats and other activities.
Desert Rain Zen
Latest Episodes
Springs Mountain Sangha spring retreat, Benet Hill Monastery in the Black Forest, Colorado, March 2026: 1st night: Sarah
Sarah Bender Roshi gives her first talk on the opening night of the Springs Mountain Sangha Retreat, on March 9.
Desert Rain Zen Sunrise Retreat, March 2026: 4th night talks: Tenney & Megan
In these talks from the last evening of retreat, Tenney returns to Zhaozhou's mondos and talks about how they show different ways of knowing, and subject-object relationships. Megan comes back to the theme of the knowing body and explored the r...
Desert Rain Zen Sunrise Retreat, March 2026: 3rd night talk: Megan
Megan gives the third night talk at our spring retreat focusing on Zhaozhou. She explores the crucial ways in which Zhaozhou’s teaching not only emphasizes our ordinary mind and our actual lives, but does so by inducing us to ground ourselves i...
Desert Rain Zen Sunrise Retreat, March 2026: 2nd night talk: Tenney
Tenney gives the second night talk at our spring retreat focusing on Zhaozhou. Bringing in several short Zhaozhou mondo, Tenney talks briefly about some of what he’s noticed keeping company with these short dialogues, and then opens things up f...