Traces of the Self

Traces of the Self

Author: Amy Kisei February 4, 2024 Duration: 32:57

The path of Awakening is sometimes referred to as the Great Unbinding and consists of un-learning our deeply conditioned habits of mind and perception in order to truly meet our Selves as we are—

This is a recording from my free online Zen Meditation group that is hosted through the Zen Community of Oregon. All are welcome to join, we meet at 6P ET on Monday nights for a period of meditation followed by a Dharma Talk. We are exploring the 10 Ox-Herding Pictures, which is a metaphor for the path of Awakening. This talk reflects on the 2nd of the Pictures, sometimes called Traces of Self.

Learn more about the Monday Night Group here.

I am also leading an online retreat on the Zen teachings of Emptiness with Jogen Sensei this coming Saturday Feb 10th, which corresponds with the New Moon. It’s called Beyond Self: The Zen Teachings of Shunyata. And is a guided exploration of the Zen teachings and practices of Emptiness, a commonly mis-understood part of the Buddhist path. Our aim is to give participants practices that you can take into your daily life to continue to explore the Mind ground and the pure potential energy that rests at the heart of your being. Click here to learn more!

Lastly, I will be offering my monthly DreamSky Community Dream Practice Event this Sunday at 5P PT / 8P ET. This is a drop in Dream group. You can learn more here.

I also offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling using IFS, Hakomi and Dream Work, and 1:1 Meditation Coaching. You can learn more on my website.

Take care and thanks for your support!

Love,

Amy Kisei



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Hosted by Zen teacher Amy Kisei, Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World is a quiet space for exploring what it means to be truly awake in a living, dreaming world. Rather than treating spiritual practice as a retreat from daily life, this podcast gently examines how the core insights of Zen-interconnection, non-separation, and our original nature of freedom-are intimately woven into our dreams, our relationship with the earth, and our sense of soul. Each episode feels like a thoughtful conversation, where ancient teachings meet the raw material of our inner lives and the ecological world around us. You’ll hear Kisei’s reflections on how dreamwork can be a surprising ally on the path of awakening, revealing our deep entanglement with the cosmos. The aim here isn’t abstract philosophy, but a palpable sense of how these liberating perspectives can reshape our experience of reality itself. Tuning into this podcast offers a rare blend of grounded spirituality, where the soul of the world speaks through both silence and symbol, inviting a more creative and loving engagement with existence. It’s for anyone curious about how the heart of Zen Buddhism illuminates our most profound connections.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 95

Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World
Podcast Episodes
Like a Mountain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:39
Greetings Friends,I am returning from 10 days of monastic practice at my former home, Great Vow Zen Monastery. While I was there I had the opportunity to celebrate my teacher Chozen Bays Roshi’s 80th birthday, to practic…
Remember Being A Flower? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:29
Being FlowerOn Monday night during meditation we sat together as a community of flowers. Sun flower, daisy, rose, violet, marigold, milkweed, celosia, echinacea, blue vervain, poppy, queen anne’s lace, crocosmia, zinnia.…
The Shape of Faith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:33
This life is mysterious.I often marvel at how there is so much more that we don’t know then that we do. Walk into a forest or a city.Even if I knew every being in the forest by name.Will I ever be able to comprehend the…
A Wild Love for the World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:02
Greetings Friends,Here we are in the heart of summer. I am writing this a week after the passing of beloved eco-dharma elder Joanna Macy. We are also in the middle of our summer read of The Hidden Lamp: 25 Centuries of A…
Hearing the Sounds of the World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:15
Greetings Friends,As we move through our Summer Read of The Hidden Lamp: Stories from 25 Centuries of Awakened Women this week we focused on Case 10: Asan’s Rooster. The koan is one of devotion, deep listening and awaken…
One-what is that? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:31
Greetings Friends,I am just getting back from our Interdependence Sesshin— five-days of residential silent retreat practice in the hills of West Virginia with the Mud Lotus Sangha. It was moving for me to practice sesshi…
Life as Pilgrimage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:22
Greetings Friends,We began the Summer Read of The Hidden Lamp: 25 Centuries of Awakened Women with the first koan—The Old Woman of Wutai, a story about the spiritual path, pilgrimage and life direction that features cron…
Meeting Fear with Love and Understanding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:03
Happy Summer Solstice!I feel deep gratitude to be on this path of friendship, communion and inquiry with you. The path of dharma is a path of truth, of getting closer to the actuality of our lives—to the heart of what is…
Love: one-hundred-thousand times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:26
I have been reflecting on the nature of practice-awakening. In the Buddhist tradition this refers to the process (both sudden and gradual) of realizing our fundamental wellbeing. This is a transformational practice. This…
The Failure is Wonderful Indeed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:58
One can, the other cannotBoth are freeA god mask, a demon maskThe failure is wonderful indeed —Mumon’s poemIf I reflect back on my life, it is possible to see a series of failures, mistakes, broken dreams and incomplete…