Dharma Talks

The Three Marks Of Existence - Kobutsu Malone

In this talk Ven Kobutsu explains anatta - which came from Buddha's awakening and distinguishes Buddhism from all other traditions - as the recognition of our true nature as no self, no soul, no separate individuality. He distinguishes rebirth from reincarnation and clarifies the Bodhisattva's path of the awakened state of mind. Life itself, dissatisfaction and negative experiences, are very much a part of waking up. But personal awakening, insight, in and of itself is not sufficient. There is awakening to social truth, psychological truth, political truth, ecological truth.

Buddhism 101 - Kobutsu

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In this talk, dated 06/19/2001, Ven. Kobutsu answers fundamental questions about Buddhism. Is a non-Buddhist possible? What is the belief mechanism? How does basic Buddhist doctrine relate to direct experience? Where do we find true nature - reality? How does wisdom manifest?

Zen Liturgy - Kobutsu

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Ven. Kobutsu explores the traditional Zen liturgy used during Wildflower services. In particular, he examines Heart Sutra and its history and Nirvana as a state of mind, totally free. He emphasizes that the sutras begin with the words, "Thus have I heard", not "This is the way it is", leaving them open for our examination and testing. Sunyata is not negative, nihilistic or fatalistic, but rather a positive teaching. The five skandhas that make up personality are sunyata -- emptiness, change; if one sees this clearly, there is nothing that misfortune and suffering can attach to. Ven. Kobutsu expounds the transmission of Abhidharma, or Buddhist Psychology, encapsulated in the Heart Sutra and how it relates to our practice.

Karma - Kobutsu

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In this talk, recorded on 3/31/2003, Ven. Kobutsu discredits the deterministic notion that every aspect of our lives is the result of action performed in the past. Karma means volitional action, not the random, unpredictable forces in the universe. Ven. Kobutsu explains the need for Broadband Awakening - breaking loose from our cocoon of materialism, awakening in the personal sense, but also in the psychological, social, economic, ecological and political realms. Events and directions in the world, which have never before existed and which threaten life on the planet, extend our practice to activities which bring about change and progress within our community and the world.

Interviews

WERU Special: Interview with Kobutsu Malone

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WERU Special: Interview with Ven. Kobutsu Malone, Executive Director of The Engaged Zen Foundation in Sedgwick, Maine (www.engaged-zen.org)

Host/Producer: Steve A. Feite Topics: Engaged Zen and Buddha-dharma; Death-penalty abolition; Socially engaged Buddhism What is the role of Buddhism in our prisons? How socially engaged is modern Buddhism? What is enlightenment? Features a song, Ladder (with permission) by Zenji Stuart Davis.