Dharma talks from Clouds In Water Zen Center

Clouds in Water Zen Center
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Welcome to the Clouds in Water Zen Center Dharma Talks podcast! We post our Sunday dharma talks from various speakers, including talks from 202o to the present. Clouds in Water is a vibrant and inclusive community in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition, with a mission to awaken the heart of great wisdom and compassion. Founded in 1994, we regularly offer meditation, classes, and retreats. We are located in the historic Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, and everywhere via Zoom. We welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths. If you enjoy listening and would like to make a donation, please visit our website.

  1. Our Practice In The Midst Of Resistance

    JAN 25

    Our Practice In The Midst Of Resistance

    Date: 2026/01/25. Speakers: Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn, Rev. Jūken Zach Fehst, Rev. Keika Karín San Juan, Rev. Jinzu Minna Jain. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. The panel is preceded by a guided meditation. Sosan has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving Dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for many years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. After first encountering the Dharma and beginning to meditate while living in South Korea in 2006, Jūken Zach Fehst entered the path of formal practice in 2014 as a member of Brooklyn Zen Center, and received jukai at Clouds in Water in 2022. He has worked as an actor and writer, and is now a public high school teacher and musical hobbyist. He has an abiding interest in all forms of spirituality and religion, and holds a Master in Theological Studies from Boston University. He is currently exploring the priest path at Clouds. Keika Karín San Juan came to Clouds in Water Zen Center in 2005 and served on the Board for more than a decade before being ordained as a novice priest by Sosan Flynn in 2024. Areas of interest include Buddhist liberation theology; Buddhist pedagogy; and the Daoist roots of Chan. One favorite thing about Teen Practice is when conversations take surprising turns. She and her wife life in St. Paul with a single bonsai tree and a bevy of mismatched tropical plants. Jinzu Minna Jain (they/them) is an artist, writer, and racial & systemic equity educator. They identify as BIPOC, disabled, queer and trans/nonbinary. Jinzu has been practicing Sōtō Zen Buddhism for over twenty years and is a novice priest at Clouds in Water Zen Center. They are also the Director of Learning & Development with Real Transformation Today, a racial equity education and consulting group. Jinzu believes that Sōtō Zen teachings and practice help us cultivate the capacity for collective care and liberation. They are curious about how Zen practice can help us be human well, meet ourselves and one another complexly, and enjoy our little lives a little more. They wish to break down barriers to access caused by systems of oppression and provide gateways into Sōtō Zen for anyone who wishes to experience it.

    54 min
  2. Repentance and Taking Refuge by Rev. Kikan Michael Howard

    JAN 18

    Repentance and Taking Refuge by Rev. Kikan Michael Howard

    Date: 2026-01-18. Speaker: Rev. Kikan Michael Howard. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Kikan started practicing at Clouds in Water Zen Center in the late 1990s and was ordained by Sosan in 2018. He is a member of the Teacher-Ryo at Clouds. Kikan is an independent app developer, a licensed consultant in Dynamic Emotional Integration®, and he transcribes Katagiri Roshi’s Dharma talks at the Katagiri Transcripts website, katagiritranscripts.net.

    45 min
  3. Living the Precepts by Rev. Myoshin Diane Benjamin

    JAN 11

    Living the Precepts by Rev. Myoshin Diane Benjamin

    Date: 2026/01/11. Speaker: Rev. Myoshin Diane Benjamin. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Myoshin began practicing Buddhism in 1996 and received dharma transmission in 2022 from Sosan Flynn. She taught for over a decade in the children’s program at Clouds in Water, and has practiced at Hokyoji and Ryumonji monasteries and attended numerous retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh and his community. She has worked for many years in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, and is also a musician. Additionally, she is fully certified to teach the Realization Process.

    37 min
  4. Everything Is Medicine by Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn

    JAN 4

    Everything Is Medicine by Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn

    Date: 2026/01/04. Speaker: Guiding Teacher Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Note: The discussion between members was edited out. Sosan has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving Dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for many years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion.

    32 min
  5. This Very Moment by Rev. Kyoku Tracey Walen

    12/28/2025

    This Very Moment by Rev. Kyoku Tracey Walen

    Date: 2025/12/28. Speaker: Senior Dharma Teacher Rev. Kyoku Tracey Walen. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Kyoku resides at Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in Eitzen, MN, and spends one week a month in the Twin Cities teaching at Clouds in Water Zen Center and seeing students. Kyoku was ordained as a Soto Zen priest by Byakuren Judith Ragir in 2008 and received Dharma transmission from Byakuren in 2015. She trained for three years at Great Vow Zen Monastery and also with Thich Nhat Hanh in France.

    41 min
  6. Practicing with Your Dharma Mirror by Rev. Shozoku Yoko Nomura

    12/21/2025

    Practicing with Your Dharma Mirror by Rev. Shozoku Yoko Nomura

    Date: 2025/12/21. Speaker: Rev. Shozoku Yoko Nomura. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Note: The discussion between members was edited out. Shozoku came to the US to study at a college and is now a proud Minnesotan. In 2008, she started learning mindfulness from Thich Nhat Hanh’s books, and coming to Clouds in Water. Challenges like chronic illness, being a parent, working as a civil engineer, and facing racism help her to continue to practice. Shozoku received Jukai in 2020 and was ordained as a priest in 2022 by Teacher Sosan Flynn. Seeing the truth, including seeing oneself as a bodhisattva in action, is a practice she is currently focused on, as a way to truly be kind and love oneself and all beings.

    28 min
  7. Zen Practice When the Whole World is Disease by Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn

    12/14/2025

    Zen Practice When the Whole World is Disease by Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn

    Date: 2025/12/14. Speaker: Guiding Teacher Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Sosan has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving Dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for many years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion.

    47 min
  8. Under the Rose Apple Tree by Myoshin Diane Benjamin

    12/08/2025

    Under the Rose Apple Tree by Myoshin Diane Benjamin

    Date: 2025/12/07. Speaker: Lay Teacher Myoshin Diane Benjamin. At Clouds in Water Zen Center. Myoshin is a lay dharma teacher, a path that reflects her deep interest and engagement in the ways that Buddhist practice both permeates everyday work and family life, and supports engagement in social change. Myoshin began practicing Buddhism in 1996 and received Dharma transmission in 2022 from Sosan Flynn. She is fully certified to teach the Realization Process.

    14 min
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About

Welcome to the Clouds in Water Zen Center Dharma Talks podcast! We post our Sunday dharma talks from various speakers, including talks from 202o to the present. Clouds in Water is a vibrant and inclusive community in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition, with a mission to awaken the heart of great wisdom and compassion. Founded in 1994, we regularly offer meditation, classes, and retreats. We are located in the historic Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, and everywhere via Zoom. We welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths. If you enjoy listening and would like to make a donation, please visit our website.

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