Sensei John Pulleyn is a Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center. Together with Sensei Donna Kowal, he provides Zen training and spiritual guidance to the Center’s members worldwide. The following are many of his more recent teisho (Dharma talks).

Teisho and Dharma Talks

Practice Off the Mat

Zen practice has the potential to change our lives for the better. So what are we doing when we’re not facing a wall?  Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

It’s OK to Suffer

The usual human response to trouble and uncertainty is anxiety and resistance. How can we learn to live wholeheartedly with things as they are? Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Marsha Linehan and Radical Acceptance

Marsha Linehan is the creator of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) which was the first form of psychotherapy proven effective for suicidal people with personality disorders. Her work was driven by her own struggles and by her experience in Zen training. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away” by Ajahn Chah #4

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 4
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away” by Ajahn Chah #3

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 3
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away” by Ajahn Chah #2

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 2
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter) Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away” by Ajahn Chah #1

January 2023 Sesshin, Day 1
Commentary on “Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away: Teachings on Impermanence and the End of Suffering” by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Paul Breiter). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

OK with Things as They Are

By trying to wall off the inevitable pain we encounter, we make it hurt more and last longer. Acceptance and practice show us another way. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Ups and Downs of Practice

Cultivating openness and awareness in the face of habit energies that pull us in the other direction. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Transcript

Russia Invades Ukraine

With Russia’s invasion the world has changed. Facing up to uncertainty and suffering. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Zen and the Body (Part 2)

Working with the body and attitudes towards the body in Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Zen and the Body (Part 1)

Body awareness as a key to Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Restlessness

The compulsive and unsettled tenor of modern life was diagnosed well over 300 years ago by the French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, who wrote, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui #2

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 7
On Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, (trans. by J.C.Cleary). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui #1

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 6
On Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, (trans. by J.C.Cleary). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Being Dharma” by Ajahn Chah #2

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 5
On Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha’s Teachings by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Peter Breiter). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Being Dharma” by Ajahn Chah #1

January 2022 Sesshin, Day 4
On Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha’s Teachings by Ajahn Chah (trans. by Peter Breiter). Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Faith, Doubt, Determination

The three essentials of Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Transcript

Zen Practice and the Thinking Mind

Replacing grasping and aversion with awareness. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

A Look at the Precepts

Morality as the first of the three foundations of Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

“Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui”

November 2021 Sesshin, Day 6
Commentary on Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, translated by J.C. Cleary. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

The Spirit of Practice

Examining helpful (and not so helpful) ways of approaching Zen practice. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Transcript

Letting Go of Fear-Based Strategies

To one degree or another, we allow habitual reactions to pain and anxiety to limit our lives. Zen practice shows us another way. Teisho by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

The Middle Way

The Buddha’s Way to freedom. Dharma Talk by Sensei John Pulleyn. Automated Transcript

Impermanence

A look at one of the Buddha’s three characteristics of existence. Dharma Talk by Sensei John Pulleyn.