Awakening Streams: The One River Zen Podcast

🔔 Overview

In this Dharma talk, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner takes us deep into the Platform Sūtra and the legendary verse contest between Jinshū and Daikan Enō. Through vivid storytelling and lived in…

In this episode of Awakening Streams, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner reflects on the often unnoticed energy behind our words and the subtle traps we fall into when speaking from pride, performance, or c…

In this teisho from sesshin, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner explores Case 67 of the Book of Equanimity: The Avatamsaka Sutra’s Wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha proclaims that all sentient beings are already en…

Title: The Taste of the Ordinary: Beyond Buddhas and Ancestors
Teacher: Sensei Michael Brunner
Koan Source: Case 78 of the Shōyōroku (Book of Equanimity) – “Umon’s Farm Rice Cake”

In this Dharma talk de…

🎧 Ryūge Passes the Chin Rest: When Even "No Meaning" Becomes a Trap
Series: Dharma Talks from One River Zen
Speaker: Sensei Michael Brunner
Koan Source: Book of Equanimity, Case 80

🪷 Episode Summary:
Ryūg…

In this talk, Sensei Michael Brunner works with Case 41 from the Blue Cliff Record, where Joshu asks: “When one who has experienced the great death comes back to life, then what?” The reply—“It is no…

🧘 Episode Notes – Right Here. Now What?

Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner
Hekigan-roku – Case 23: Hofuku’s Summit of Mystic Peak

In this talk, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner guides us into the subtle terrain of …

In this episode, Sensei Michael Brunner explores Shōyōroku Case 72 – Chuyu’s Monkey, a Zen kōan that reveals how our grasping mind—like a restless monkey—constantly reacts, interprets, and shapes our…

In this episode, Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner explores Mumonkan Case 31, where a monk asks an old woman for directions to Mount Tai. She tells him, “Go straight on.” But as he walks away, she remarks,…

We spend so much of our lives searching for meaning—trying to fit our struggles into a grand narrative, hoping for an explanation that will make sense of it all. But what if the search itself is what…

In this episode, Sensei Michael Brunner explores Shōyōroku Case 38, where Rinzai challenges us to see the true person of no rank—the one who moves freely, unbound by illusion.

We spend our lives const…

In this episode, Sensei Michael Brunner explores the Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo, a ten-phrase sutra dedicated to Kanzeon (Avalokiteśvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

🔹 What You’ll Hear in This Episode…

In this talk, Sensei Michael Brunner examines the Three Pure Precepts as a practice of seeing beyond the limitations of self and other. Rather than moral commandments, these precepts serve as a dynam…

In this talk, Sensei Michael Brunner explores the nature of true compassion through the lens of Shōyōroku Case 54. Ungan asks Dōgo about the function of Avalokiteśvara’s thousand hands and eyes, and …

In this episode, Sensei Michael Brunner of One River Zen takes us into the heart of Zen practice with the first case of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate), Joshu’s “Mu.” This foundational koan isn’t just a…

In this episode, Sensei Michael Brunner of One River Zen explores Case 68 from the Shōyōroku (Book of Equanimity), “Kasan’s Slashing Sword.” Through the contrasting teachings of Kasan and Sekisō, thi…

In this episode of Awakening Streams, Sensei Michael Brunner explores the profound intersection of Zen wisdom and Western philosophy, focusing on the teachings of Zen master Joshu and philosopher Lud…

In this episode of Awakening Streams, we dive into Mumonkan Case 10: Seizei the Poor, a profound koan that challenges our narratives of scarcity and reveals the abundance already present in our lives…

In this heartfelt episode, Sensei Michael Brunner delivers a teisho exploring the transformative power of Zen practice in the face of personal challenges. Sharing openly about his affair and its impa…

In this episode, Sensei Michael takes us on a journey into Mumonkan Case 12: Zuigan Calls Himself Master, weaving the timeless wisdom of Zen with the psychological insights of Carl Jung. Through Zuig…