Podcasts by Hardcore Zen
Zen teacher/author Brad Warner, author of Hardcore Zen, Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen, Don't Be a Jerk, Sit Down and Shut Up, and many more books about Zen, shares his thoughts about Zen and other stuff.
Further podcasts by hardcorezen
Podcast on the topic Buddhismus
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Ghosts and Enlightenment Experiences with Ben Goldman from 2023-04-12T15:01:51
In this episode I talk with my nephew Ben Goldman about ghosts and enlightenment experiences. We also get into Scooby Doo.
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Gods, Aliens, and Jabberjaw with Ben Goldman from 2023-03-15T14:21:38
My nephew Ben Goldman joins me for a wide-ranging discussion about gods and divinity in Buddhism, whether aliens could get enlightened, and how Jabberjaw is a rip-off of Scooby Doo.
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In The Light - Dogen’s Divine Light Part Five from 2023-03-10T17:03:50
The roaring finale of my series on Dogen's essay Komyo (aka Divine Light)! In which everything is explained.. or is it?
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In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Four from 2023-02-17T14:48
More commentary on Dogen's essay Komyo (aka Divine Light or Brightness). Also why just hearing this podcast means you've encountered the Buddha himself!
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In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Three from 2023-02-03T14:59:43
Another deep dive into Dogen's essay KOMYO (aka Divine Light). This time with Ziggy the dog barking at birds! Plus more insights about the nature of reality!
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In The Light- Dogen’s Divine Light Part Two from 2023-01-20T16:24:08
Episode Two of my commentary on Dogen's essay KOMYO (Brightness). In this episode I talk about Milk Medicine, the Gospel of John, how consciousness is like a move, and we hear Ziggy the dog bark...
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In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part One (Re-Upload) from 2023-01-13T22:50:53
Dogen's essay KOMYO is one of his most mystical pieces of writing. This series will examine this fascinating essay in detail.
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Women and Misogyny in Zen Buddhism from 2022-08-12T16:12:36
On a recent YouTube video I talked about misogyny in Buddhism and the pro-female ideas Dogen expressed in Shobogenzo. In this talk from March 16, 2016, I go into greater depth about both subject...
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Dogen’s ”Mind Alone is Buddha” from 2022-06-24T14:06:54
This is a talk I gave at the Rochester Zen Center on April 24, 2016 about Dogen and his essay "Mind Alone is Buddha." What the heck did he mean by that? Here's my attempt at answering that quest...
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God is Closer Than Your Jugular Vein from 2022-06-14T14:57:43
Here's a conversation I had with Sufi sheik Ingo Taleb Rashid at Benediktushof Meditation Center in Germany on September 27, 2017. We talk about God and Star Trek and take questions from the aud...
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Preview of My NEW BOOK! The Other Side of Nothing from 2022-05-16T09:58:19
In this episode I read from the chapter "Who Walked My Dog" from my new book, The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being." It's a sneak preview of the book, which is ava...
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The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self from 2022-02-04T13:10:10
This is a lecture I gave in Vienna in 2018 about Dogen's famous essay "The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self."
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The Grand Canyon and Enlightenment from 2022-01-21T14:52:10
Here's a talk I gave in Phoenix, Arizona in 2012 about the Grand Canyon and Enlightenment.
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Good Zazen vs. Bad Zazen from 2022-01-10T11:56:03
In this Q&A session from 2019 in Finland I talk about what it means to be a Zen teacher and then we get into the subject of "good zazen" vs. "bad zazen."
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No Self in a Bar in Texas from 2021-12-17T13:34:26
In 2016 I spoke in a bar in Texas about the concept of "No Self" as expressed in Dogen's most famous essay Genjo Koan (The Realized Universe). Here's the recording!
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The Heart Sutra and Hitler‘s Golden Elevator from 2021-12-10T13:05:24
Here's a talk I did in 2015 at Felsentor, a Zen monastery in Switzerland that was established by a dharma heir of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, my first Zen teacher's teacher. It's about the Heart ...
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Are We Wasting Our Time from 2021-12-03T11:24:52
In today's podcast I ask a group of Germans at a Zen retreat "Are we wasting our time doing this?" I also present a long quote from Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, one of the greatest contemporary Ze...
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Did Dogen Believe in Reincarnation and Does It Matter If He Did? from 2021-11-26T11:44:24
Lots of people ask what Zen teaches about life after death. Here is my really long answer!
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Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Six from 2021-11-19T09:46:57
The explosive conclusion of my series of commentaries on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas!
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Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Five from 2021-11-12T10:22:29
What do Buddhists do when they have a "bad hair day"? Here is Zen Master Dogen's answer! Plus an explanation of the universe as it really is.
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Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Four from 2021-11-05T09:12:57
Part Four (4! Count 'em!) of my commentary on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas. In this one I say some weird stuff about astrology and astronomy.
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Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Three from 2021-10-29T09:11:31
Part Three of my translation and commentary on Dogen's essay Yui Butsu Yo Butsu, aka Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas.
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Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Two from 2021-10-22T10:09:11
Part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas.
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Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part One from 2021-10-15T11:09:24
My paraphrase of Dogen's essay "Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas" in the style of the Dogen paraphrases I did for my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Came From Beyond Zen.
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Buddhist Ordinations and Institutions from 2021-10-08T12:45:03
Here's a talk I gave in Lammi, Finland in 2019 on the subject of Buddhist ordination and Buddhist institutions.
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One Bright Pearl in Finland from 2021-10-01T10:03:20
Here's a talk I gave on September 3, 2021 in Lammi, Finland while on my recent European tour. The subject is a koan called One Bright Pearl as well as the teachings of Zen Master Huangpo, who is...
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Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Three from 2021-09-21T11:40:07
The thrilling conclusion of my three-part talk about Hyakujo's Fox at Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany in September, 2021. The Q&A gets a little funny in this one, but it's sort of intere...
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Hyakujo‘s Fox Part Two from 2021-09-18T01:35:34
Here is the second part of my series of lectures about the old Chinese Zen teaching story, Hyakujo's Fox. This talk took place in September, 2021 at the Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany.
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Hyakujo‘s fox Part One from 2021-09-15T04:05:12
Here is part one of a three part lecture I did at the Benediktushof Retreat Center in Germany. I'm discussing Hyakujo's Fox, a very old Zen famous koan (teaching story). Parts two and three will...
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Aliens, Socks, and Sweat in Finland from 2021-09-05T09:40:58
Here's a recording of a discussion I had on September 4, 2021 with the group at my recent retreat in Lammi, Finland. We talked about aliens, socks, and sweat — three vital topics in Zen Buddhism...
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Getting Rid ofWhat Does Not Originally Belong to Us from 2021-08-31T10:29:08
Nishijima Roshi said that zazen is getting rid of what doesn't originally belong to us. It's kind of an interesting to say.
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Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Three from 2021-08-23T08:55:53
Here is the final part of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Bussho (Buddha Nature). In this episode, Dogen says, "Grasses, trees, and even land are mind itself. Because they are mind...
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Hacking Enlightenment? from 2021-08-20T12:56:10
Years ago I made a joke commercial about a machine called The Enlightenizer that gets you enlightened in minutes. Now someone has created the Enlightenizer for real!
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Dogen on Buddha Nature Part Two from 2021-08-16T10:50:38
At last! Here is part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay "Bussho" or "Buddha Nature." The commentary is far more extensive this time so the episode is twice as long as part one...
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Dream (for Franz) from 2021-08-13T11:50:41
The second episode of my series about Buddha Nature isn't ready yet. So I'm putting up the audio from the video tribute I made for my friend Franz Kummer in Germany who passed away a few weeks a...
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Buddha Nature A Brief Synopsis from 2021-08-11T13:42:18
I'll be back soon with more of my in-depth analysis of Dogen's essay about Buddha Nature. But here's the audio of a brief video I did on the subject. It may serve as a good introduction to the s...
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Dogen on Buddha Nature Part One from 2021-08-09T11:46:55
This is part one of my podcast about Dogen's essay Bussho or "Buddha Nature" from Shobogenzo. I paraphrased the essay in the style of my Dogen paraphrases from my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Ca...
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When Buddhism Goes Bad from 2021-08-06T11:13:04
Sometimes scary things happen during meditation. Sometimes it can be really, really scary. Let's talk about that.
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An Experience of Enlightenment from 2021-08-04T10:49:07
My reaction to a story about an enlightenment experience.
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The Tibetan Book of the Dead from 2021-08-02T08:46:01
It's one of the most popular Buddhist books in the world, but up until a few months ago I had never read it. Now I have. Here are my thoughts about the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
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Some of My Favorite Zen Books from 2021-07-30T09:55:32
If you always wondered what my favorite Zen books are, well, here are some of them!
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Polishing a Tile to Make a Mirror from 2021-07-28T13:19:48
Zazen is supposed to be a practice without a goal. What does that mean?
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The King of Samadhis from 2021-07-26T12:01:54
Dogen describes zazen as the King of Samadhis. What the heck does that even mean?
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Zentertainment with Rylend Grant from 2020-03-25T12:54:43
This episode was recorded in the pre-pandemic days. But I think we all need a break from that stuff, so here it is. In this episode, I talked to my friend Rylend Grant, a professional Hollywood ...
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The Meaning of Life from 2020-02-12T11:33:31
In this episode's letter to my dead friend Marky, I try to address the idea of the "meaning of life." You always hear that phrase, "the meaning of life." But what the heck does it mean? What doe...
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Zen and the Paranormal from 2020-01-16T09:57:17
This episode was recorded at Mystic Journeys Bookstore in Venice, California. I love Mystic Journeys Bookstore! But it's not exactly a Zen space. They sell healing crystals, offer psychic readin...
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Time is Weird from 2019-12-16T14:00:44
In this episode's letter, I wrote to my dead friend Marky about some of the weirder claims Zen Buddhists sometimes make -- like their occasional claims of experiencing oneness with everything. I...
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The Heart Sutra in the Heartland from 2019-11-23T09:15:19
I didn't include a letter to Marky about the Heart Sutra in Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen because I had written a chapter about it in my first book, Hardcore Zen. But the Heart Sutra is pro...
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"Zen Beginnings" from 2019-11-12T12:41:01
Recorded October 12, 2019 in Akron, Ohio. In this episode I write to Marky about how I got started in Zen. This talk was delivered before a group that included a number of people who knew the re...
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Beginner's Mind (aka Shoshin) from 2019-10-29T13:29:04
Recorded in London, England on July 4, 2019, Brad Warner introduces his book Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen. The book is a series of letters to Brad’s childhood friend Marky who died in 2014...
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