A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks

Jan 25 2025 35 ep. 27 mins 4

A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks Podcast artwork

Talks on Zen from a senior student at the Village Zendo. Frequent delusion and swearing.

Religion & Spirituality

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Which Beings Are Sentient?

Jan 25 2025 43 mins

Which animals are sentient, and how can we liberate them from suffering? I review the philosopher Jonathan Birch's book "The Edge of Sentience" and shares good news about humanity's moral progress regarding animal welfare.

Is an Enlightened Person Afraid of Illness and Death?

Dec 25 2024 27 mins

This is a dharma talk I gave at the Village Zendo December 12, 2024, about my mother’s brain surgery and end-of-life decisions. Here’s the video and a transcript.

Are You Prepared To Save A Life?

Dec 25 2024 33 mins

You can find yourself in a critical situation without warning. Is Zen practice preparing you? Here’s a dharma talk I gave to the Village Zendo on September 5, 2024, about the classic koan, “Nansen kills the cat.” Video and transcript here.

Bodhisattvas Always Smile

Mar 22 2024 28 mins

Bodhisattvas smile, though they hear the suffering cries of the world. You should smile too! A Zen talk I gave against doomerism.

Give Something Away to a Stranger

Feb 08 2021 23 mins

Rich countries and drug firms act selfishly the COVID pandemic. Selfishness is natural, but we can strengthen our universal goodwill through training.

These Unreliable United States

Nov 10 2020 19 mins

The United States as we know it will someday come to an end. It's shocking to see how vulnerable our democracy is, but as Buddhists we aren't surprised: Buddha told us that nothing lasts, and we can't rely on anything except the truth revealed by our own practice. A talk at the Village Zendo, November 8, 2020.

American Religion in America's Time of Crisis

Nov 10 2020 24 mins

Buddhists must respond to the current political crisis, just as abolitionists like Frederick Douglass did in the 19th Century. A talk at the Village Zendo, September 3, 2020.

Who Can You Trust?

May 16 2020 19 mins

Our leaders are plainly untrustworthy. And when we hear about toilet paper hoarders, or protestors storming the Michigan governor's office, or covidiots crowding together on beaches, we stop trusting each other, too. But there is someone we can trust. Listen to find out.

How Buddhism Survived The Japanese Internment

Apr 12 2020 28 mins

Japanese Americans founded our practice, and they preserved and adapted it to life in the internment camps during WWII. Today we must adapt our practice in a crisis, are we up to the challenge?

How Not To Panic

Feb 14 2020 33 mins

Panic obliterates the self. We need a strong self to face fear in meditation and all of life. Dharma at the Village Zendo, February 23, 2020. Photo: Sam Bald https://www.flickr.com/photos/28931095@N03/3115110964