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
Opening the Skies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:54
Spaciousness/emptiness is considered the Ground of Being or the Mind-ground—the heart of who we are. Here spaciousness is love. But maybe not love in the traditional way that we think of love, which is often conditional.…
Unpacking Emptiness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:58
Emptiness is an often misunderstood concept in modern Buddhist practice, partially because it is not really a concept so much as a realization. Yet, without the concept we can’t really prepare for what opens up in this p…
The Heat of Spiritual Longing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:28
Exploring the Great Element Fire we are invited into the heat within our bodies. Fire illuminates the heat of our living and connects us to our passions. In this talk we are invited to feel the heat of life within and al…
The Waters of Compassion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:52
In the Mountains and Waters Sutra, we are invited to study water--to take it up as our body and mind? This level of intimacy is characteristic of the Zen school. Water is alive and life-giving. In Mahayana Buddhism the a…
Rivers of Experience; Ocean of Awareness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:26
The Water Element makes up around 65% of the human body. To attend to the element water we are invited to feel the gravity and flow of embodied experience. Contemplative practitioners throughout time use the images of bo…
The Wisdom of the Earth Element [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:45
The first of a five series exploration into the teachings of the Five Great Elements. In this episode we explore the Great Element Earth through embodiment, presence, contemplations on interconnection and the practice of…
Practicing the Profound: Waking up to this Sacred Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:31
What we believe shapes how we perceive. If we think that we are separate from all the rest of life, we live an isolated life--ignoring the everyday magic of the earth, relationships and our human hearts and minds. In thi…
Count the Stars in the Night Sky: Zen Koans and the Imagination [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:01
The miscellaneous koans of the Zen lineage are image rich, as is much of the teachings on awakening found in the Zen literature. In this talk we will open to the image of the koan Count the Stars in the Night Sky and dis…
Approaching Emptiness through Koan Practice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:10
One of the great gifts of the Zen tradition is it's teachings on emptiness. Far from being nihilistic, the teachings and practices of emptiness remind us of the inherent spontaneity and creativity of the universe. This t…
Emptiness, Unknowing and the Dark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:37
In this dharma talk Kisei explore's the phrase from Hongzhi in Silent Illumination:If serenity neglects illumination; murkiness leads to wasted dharma.This life is a play of emptiness and illumination, yin & yang. When t…