Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee Kanko

What is inner spiritual liberation? What happens when outer social-political liberation is not possible in these times of polycrisis? In this talk, Dr. Kritee explores the path of inner liberation in the midst of overwhelming planetary grief and oppression. It is important that we keep going with our actions for peace at political level, climate sanity, and social justice. But is it wise to cling to our physical wellbeing and derive meaning of life only based on the material and political results of our actions? In this talk, Dr. Kritee explains, with personal examples and stories from Zen Buddhism and other traditions, how we can access a sense of spaciousness that can help us toward inner peace and enable us to keep going despite the uncertainty we are facing in this world. Sensei Kanko gave this talk during the July 2024 half-day sit (Zazenkai). Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to boundlessinmotion.org or kriteekanko.com

Can the deepest personal, societal and ecological challenges we face lead our way to the "great bliss"?  If the most vulnerable species and innocent children are being killed every hour, is it okay for us to sit in this great bliss?  In this teisho (Zen talk), Dr. Kritee explores the deep challenge of staying sane in the difficult times using personal anecdotes and stories and myths from ancient China and India. The times we live in are heartbreaking and bewildering, and there is genuine and deep pain that we need to grieve in presence of a living community. We must do trauma healing work to allow us to keep doing actions for societal and ecological healing. But at the same time, Buddhist and other indigenous wisdom traditions hold knowledge that even in the midst of deepest pain and harshest mundane/boring repetitive work, there can be a freshness, aliveness and even a "great bliss".  Sensei Kanko gave this talk during the July 2024 half-day sit (Zazenkai). Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com

Is a widespread climate chaos or collapse inevitable? Can we face this impending chaos through the frameworks promoted by late stage capitalism: the ones driven by quarterly or annual financial returns? Is it time to stop accepting that we are lonely, sinful, inadequate and isolated from our more-than-human kins? How can we create a “Beloved community” and move away from a sense of shame and inadequacy?  Dr. Kritee explores these questions in a talk given on the second last of a six day residential retreat for people of color in a way that is also gently accessible for those who identify as White. Since the industrial revolution and widespread adoption of Western materialistic values, humans have caused massive decline in health of our global ecosystems. Our planet is currently undergoing loss of tens or hundreds of thousands of species as a part of the sixth mass extinction. Now it seems inevitable that because of our actions, not just other species, but humans across the planet will also directly face widespread climate chaos or even collapse. Is there a way to stay grounded or even thrive in such times? What can we learn from indigenous cultures, and for example, from their ecological footprints, from their deep sense of belonging even to their enemies and from their concept of deep time?  Can we remove away from the paradigm of needing to see change in our lifetimes and act from a place of planting seeds even if we will not be alive to see the fruits on the trees? What kind of loving and belonging to all other beings, both human and more-than-human, will take us to the place where we can be completely loving and peaceful as we plant these seeds?  This talk was given at a time when Dr. Kritee was suffering from intense burning pain of shingles, a nerve infection, on 22nd June 2024 at Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center.

Can there be grievous suffering even in the midst of an expansive, vast and clear “blue sky” mind? In Buddhism, the practice of meditation helps us access what some teachers call “the blue sky mind”, a state that relieves a sense of insufficiency in our lives and brings clarity, spaciousness and joy. But is this the deepest level of intimacy with “reality-as-it-is” we can reach in our spiritual practice? In this talk, Sensei Kanko explores this question from a modern, polycrisis-informed perspective. Offering stories ranging from the patriarchy in China to campus peace activism by the students in the United States, she invites us to contemplate our own role in these times of multiple crises. She also invites us to consider the role of the “blue sky mind” and everyday kindness to ourselves and others on this path. Sensei Kanko gave this talk on Zazenkai (a half-day meditation) in May 2024. Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com

Is Mu enough? In this talk, Sensei Kanko dives into some details of the Rinzai Zen path, discussing the all-encompassing nature of the Mu Koan and its relationship to breathing from the hara (lower belly) and accessing concentrated awareness. She invites listeners to balance the masculine Zen approach with emotional healing. Acknowledging Zen's limitations with respect to dealing with societal inequalities, she also advocates for devotional approaches as part of spiritual practice. The talk offers an insightful and heartening exploration of Zen's role in addressing contemporary challenges. Sensei Kanko gave this talk on the 4th day of the retreat, on October 4, 2020. Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com.

Kisagotami's Mustard Seed - Hidden Lamp 49 Will Western Buddhism lead us to selfish acts and an egoistic pursuit of enlightenment if we do not reintroduce the original communal aspects of Buddhism as they were present at the time of the Buddha? In this Zen Talk, Sensei Kanko delves into the profound intersection of Buddhism and the universal experience of grief. She shares her journey from India to the United States, weaving in the poignant story of Kisagotami, Buddha, and the mustard seed to highlight the contrast between Eastern traditions of communal support and the Western approach to Buddhism that often overlooks these essential aspects. With vivid recollections of her initial retreats, Sensei Kritee critiques the ego-driven attitudes that were prevalent in her early practice in the United States, as well as in Western Buddhism in general, advocating for a practice that is not about escaping the world but about finding freedom within it. Drawing from grief practices, the koan tradition, and Zen breathing techniques, she suggests that facing life's harsh realities can lead to profound spiritual openings. At the same time, she questions whether just the solitary pursuit of enlightenment without the communal and ethical dimensions of original Asian Buddhism can address the challenges of today. Can Zen practices offer psychedelic-like insights? Are we, in essence, nurses for each other? Sensei Kanko gave this talk during the May 2023 Zen retreat (sesshin). Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com.

How to access your spiritual power amidst overwhelming grief and shame? How can a sword made of paper help you when you are being attacked? How can we fight oppression when we feel powerless? How can we begin to see why the universe brought us alive as a human in this exact time and place? In this talk given on the last day of Feb 2024 Zen retreat, Sensei Kanko powerfully shows us a clear path to access our spiritual power against all the odds and make a difference. How is it possible that almost none of the Buddhist teachers want to speak out and demand the stopping of mass killings? How is it possible that regardless of how much we sit, we can still feel shamed and powerless to act outside of the cushion? Is the traditional way of practicing Buddhist meditation enough? Kanko discusses how our sitting practice and healing from our childhood trauma and shamed inner parts can give us access to spiritual power.  We who consider ourselves to be "small" or "weak" can become a person who can overcome an assaulter, a group of white supremacists, and our personal difficulties with a paper sword. With stories from US Navy seals, the Palestinian crisis, and Asia to the ones illustrating the need for personal safety and wellbeing, Kanko dives into questions of primal importance. We are living in very difficult times but even when we feel we are powerless and completely at a loss there are ways to continue walking the path the universe has laid out ahead of us and make a difference. Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com

How can we bridge the gap between serene meditation experiences and our world’s ongoing climate and social crisis? In this thought-provoking talk given on the last day of a Zen retreat, Sensei Kanko (Dr. Kritee) invites us to consider life beyond the retreat. She emphasizes the necessity of grounded compassion and encourages a broader understanding of Zen beyond the usual Western interpretations. She illustrates the importance of carrying the fruits of our meditation practice into our day-to-day lives. By comparing our modern materialistic lifestyles with the simple rural community oriented traditional Buddhist and indigenous lifestyles, Kanko highlights what we can learn much from the traditional/indigenous approaches. She articulates her vision of a more inclusive, community-focused Buddhism/Spirituality that actively addresses pressing societal matters such as climate crisis, social injustices, and animal suffering. She probes the intricate balance between meditation practice and the real challenge - applying these teachings in the exterior world to confront our polycrisis. Without this active engagement, she asserts, there can be no genuine Buddhism or spiritual practice. Sensei Kanko gave this talk on the final day of Zen retreat in May 2023. Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com

How is giving birth or merging with a lover a Buddhist act? Familiar encounters in novel ways. In this radical talk, Sensei Kanko explores the contours of a Zen life and experience in a warm and novel way. She encourages listeners to think beyond standard masculine ways of understanding Zen with metaphors and stories that have a taste of impermeable sweetness. How can the experience of Mu be like giving birth or merging with a lover? How to see through obsessive spirituality, clinging, and spiritual materialism and consider those things on the path that truly matter? Sensei Kanko gave this talk on the 2nd day of a Zen retreat in October 2020 Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com

Can we find the most important teaching in Zen (Mu) in indigenous cultures? In this talk, Sensei Kanko talks about the most important Koan: Joshu's Mu, and discusses how it is related to wisdom and teachings in indigenous cultures. When we start practicing Zen, we often crave appreciation, healing, and community. These needs are particularly strong due to the complex traumas and goal-oriented mindset inflicted on our minds by modern society. This is okay and so human. However, there is also something deeper that both Zen and Indigenous cultures both encourage us to get in touch with. In this talk, Sensei Kanko discusses this most important teaching of Zen and how we can start our journey towards lesser suffering and more connection on our planet and all beings. Sensei Kanko gave this talk on the 4th day of a Zen retreat in February 2023. Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com

What trickery makes a Zen student or a skeleton baby of slaves free? This episode takes us on a journey through the Zen koan "Nansen draws a circle," exploring liberation in unexpected places like slave ships to the middle of COVID-19 pandemic. Join us as we uncover how Zen teachings can offer tools for resilience and hope in our shared journey while acknowledging our layers of trauma and the need for larger socio-political change. Sensei Kanko gave this talk during the Fall 2022 Zen retreat (sesshin). Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com