Our dharma talk this given is given by Sensei Siebuhr. Welcome to another year of dharma talks. Sensei starts this season with a recollection of his roadtrip to the South. As always, life and nature has something to teach us. Sensei relates what he learned during his trip.

Sensei Siebuhr talks about the life of Hisako Nakamura (visit the link to see some of Misako's dolls, dolls she sewed with her mouth), a woman so severely handicapped that she brought Helen Keller to tears. Hisako suffered severe frostbite as a child and had to have all her limbs amputated. In spite of Misako's own severe handicaps she met a couple who she felt had endured an even harder life than her own. These are some of Hisako's reflections: "I have been guided by my handicaps. It is my helpless body that has made what I am now and I feel I am saved or spiritually elevated. God gave me my life - I have lived it through with gratitude!"

This week's dharma talk is given by Sensei Siebuhr. Sensei starts his talk describing the idiosyncracies of his food preferences in his younger days. Listen to how it unfolds into the teachings of the dharma. Along the way he describes what is meant by the Japanese phrase "itadakimasu" that is commonly said before eating a meal.

This week's dharma talk is given by guest speaker Reverend Unno. Sensei Unno has a humorous style of delivering the dharma. Unfortunately the service ran a little longer since we were celebrating Gotan-e and Hatsumairi and the pre-programmed recording software stopped recording before the end of Sensei Unno's talk. I editted that audio segment to stop at a logical break.

This week's dharma talk is given by Reverend Bryan Emyo Siebuhr. Sensei starts with his tale of buying his first house. He then talks about how some teachings in Buddhism seem contradictory and inconsistent. Concepts such as non-discriminatory thinking, oneness, universality and individuality often appear in conflict with another. Sensei uses the physical structure of the Temple and the design of the space shuttle as a lesson on interdependence.

This week's dharma talk is given by Reverend Bryan Emyo Siebuhr. Sensei delves into the topic of trust and how we all have to trust one another in order to function in a civilized society.

Sensei uses the lyrics from the Japanese song "A Flowers Heart" (Hana no Kokoro) to teach this week's dharma lesson.