Young Urban Zen is a group under the auspices of the San Francisco Zen Center, with a particular focus on those between 20 and 40. It meets on Tuesday evenings for meditation and discussion about Zen practice. People of all experience levels are welcome.
Latest episodes
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Generosity and its Companion Practices of Gratitude and Compassion
This week Tanto Tim Wicks looks at the paramita of dana, or generosity, and its companion practices of gratitude and compassion.These warm and essential Zen practices are always av…
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Flowers and Weeds: Preferences and Resistance
Hiro Ikushima discusses preferences and resistance through Dogen's teaching in Genjōkōan: "Yet in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion weeds spread."We explore how Zen practic…
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Time and Money
The topic for the talk by Kogetsu will be an exploration of time, money, and the energy of this precious life.What does it mean to say, “I don’t have enough time” or “I don’t have…
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Zen ritual in the modern workday
Michael reflects on the way that ancient practices immersed in Zen are not only still relevant in today's work life but are key tools to staying grounded and making practice a 24/7…
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Art Night
In this short talk by Tim discusses Zen and art covering a little bit of history of the Zen tradition as well as the western tradition as a counter to this form. Art Night Young Ur…
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Self Inquiry
Hiro Ikushima leads us through a simple form of self-inquiry: noticing the difference between what is happening and what our mind adds to it.What actually happened? What story am I…
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Being Alive in the Midst of Bother
There are a lot of situations that we will not be able to solve by the end of the day, either with ourselves or with others. There will be a lot of things that we are not going to…
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Mind Waves
These days, between work, crazy housing, dating and loneliness, AI changing the world faster than we can keep up with, the endless stream of news, and feeling like we're a self-imp…
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Refraining From False Speech
Michael McCord leads the YUZ Sangha through a talk about one of the ten grave precepts: “I vow to refrain from false speech.”This precept asks us to look closely at the space betwe…
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Being Human in the Age of AI (Reupload)
This is a reupload of Michael’s talk a couple weeks ago, both with improved quality and to let you know about his workshop happening this month on AI and what it means to be human.…
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Attention in an Age of Distraction
Eli explores Attention in an Age of Distraction. Before asking what distracts us, we’ll look at what captures our attention in the first place particularly the subtle ways our pref…
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Grandmotherly Mind
This week's theme is "The heart of Zen teachings - Grandmotherly Mind". Zen practice isn't about becoming a better version of yourself—it's about learning a radically different way…
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Accumulation
Tonight Tim Wicks will speak about accumulation. We collect lots and lots of stuff. For some of us shopping can be an addiction. A lot of it gets thrown away.Greed is one of the th…
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Being Human in the Age of AI
In a culture that often measures human worth by productivity and output, this talk explores what is distinctly and irreducibly human—our capacity for empathy, our unique perspectiv…
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Life's a Mess, Now What?
Let's get real. Life can be messy. Relationships become complicated. Work is uncertain. We lose our way. Our bodies change. The people we love get older. We lose faith in everythin…
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Origin of Conflict and Mindfulness of Mind
Heather Iarusso leads us through a talk on the "origin of conflict" and "mindfulness of mind." How does our thought-world affect how we think, act, and speak? How can we transform…
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Romance, Relationship, and Sexuality
Kodo Conlin and Mei Elliott each reflect on the topic of romance, relationship, and sexuality. How can we be free in the midst of romance, dating, and attraction? What is the relat…
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Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Phenomena (dhammas)
Eli will conclude our exploration of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness with the Fourth Foundation: Mindfulness of Phenomena (dhammas).This foundation invites us to look beyond in…
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Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Mind (citta)
Hiro Ikushima leads us through a talk about the 3rd foundation of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Mind, or citta (Pāli).This practice invites us to notice the changing states of mind,…
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Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Feelings
This podcast will be the second part in our series on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Feelings as told by Michael. By noticing how feelings arise and pass, practitioners learn…