Which Beings Are Sentient?
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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.
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Is an Enlightened Person Afraid of Illness and Death?
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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. .
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Are You Prepared To Save A Life?
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
You can find yourself in a critical situation without warning. Is Zen practice preparing you? Here’s a dharma talk I gave to the on September 5, 2024, about the classic koan, “Nansen kills the cat.” .
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Bodhisattvas Always Smile
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
Bodhisattvas smile, though they hear the suffering cries of the world. You should smile too! A Zen talk I gave against doomerism.
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Give Something Away to a Stranger
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
Rich countries and drug firms act selfishly the COVID pandemic. Selfishness is natural, but we can strengthen our universal goodwill through training.
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These Unreliable United States
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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.
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American Religion in America's Time of Crisis
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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.
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Who Can You Trust?
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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.
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How Buddhism Survived The Japanese Internment
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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?
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How Not To Panic
A. Jesse Jiryu Davis's dharma talks
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
info_outlineMy father-in-law is a soldier and my mother is a peace activist. On Memorial Day weekend, 2017, I describe how Buddha's Middle Way allows us both to honor veterans and to oppose war.