Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism

Vincent Moore
  • 5.0 (3)
  • BUDDHISM

Paths of Practice (PoP) is a podcast that features interviews with people sharing their experiences with Buddhism and Buddhist practice. The podcast includes conversations with folks from a wide variety of backgrounds, both those that have been on the path for a while and those just starting out as well as everyone in between. In a way, the podcast sets out to explore the "84,000 paths to enlightenment," one Buddhist at a time. PoP was created and is hosted by Vincent Moore. Vincent is a relatively new practitioner of Soto Zen and has an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

  1. Paths of Practice with Howard Lazzarini

    SEP 22

    Paths of Practice with Howard Lazzarini

    Howard Lazzarini holds a degree in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of California at Berkeley. He spent 12 years in Japan and for several years during that time, in the early 1970s, practiced Soto Zen at Antaiji, a small temple that was located in the north Takagamine section of Kyoto. There he met his first teacher, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi and sat in the shikantaza style of Uchiyama Roshi and Dogen. After returning to the US he began studying with Shohaku Okumura Roshi of Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, Indiana, where he took lay ordination. He translated The Sound that Perceives the World in close collaboration with Okumura Roshi and Shoko Hayashi Lazzarini, his wife. He currently lives in Everett, Washington, and practices with the Everett Zazen Group located in Everett. Please see below for more information about his upcoming translation, The Sound That Perceives the World: Calling Out to the Bodhisattva by Kosho Uchiyama, as well as the Everett Zazen Group:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sound-That-Perceives-the-World/Kosho-Uchiyama/9781614299516 https://everettzazengroup.org/ We discussed growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s and becoming a merchant mariner, finding Antaiji while hitchhiking in Japan and his early experiences with Zen, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi’s life and relationship with the Kannon-gyo, reconnecting with Shohaku Okumura Roshi in the US and starting the Everett Zazen Group in Washington state, and the importance of letting go of likes and dislikes and "opening the hand of thought."

    58 min
  2. Paths of Practice with Primož Korelc Hiriko

    SEP 19

    Paths of Practice with Primož Korelc Hiriko

    Primož Korelc Hiriko was born in 1985 in Ljubljana (Slovenia), but grew up in Dolenjska. Hiriko spent many years as a Buddhist monk abroad, specifically in Great Britain, New Zealand, Thailand and Sri Lanka. During this period, Hiriko studied Buddhist psychology and developed self-reflection, which gave Hiriko a deeper insight into the mind and psyche. Hiriko's expertise focuses mainly on phenomenological research into the structure of the mind. After ten years of studying Buddhist philosophy and psychology, Hiriko obtained the title of acharya .  In 2016, Hiriko founded the first Slovenian Buddhist monastery, Samaṇadīpa, in Goljek near Trebnje, where Hiriko was the abbot and teacher until 2023. Since then, Hiriko has been acting as its legal representative. Hiriko is also known for being the editor-in-chief of Path Press and the author of two biographical books, “The Hermit of Bundala” and “The Island Within”, as well as being a translator of ancient Buddhist texts. Hiriko is still actively working as a psychosocial and pastoral counselor and has specialized in logotherapy psychotherapy since last year. Hiriko also regularly leads meditation retreats and lectures on meditation in Maribor and Ljubljana. For more information about Hiriko and the Samaṇadīpa Forest Buddhist Monastery, please see below: https://hiriko.org/ https://samanadipa.org/sl/ For a link to Nyanamoli Thero's work that Hiriko mentioned, please see below: https://www.youtube.com/@HillsideHermitage We talked about guilt as a consequence of freedom and as inherent within the broader human experience, psychotherapy and spirituality, the experience of leaving home to pursue a monastic life and investigating the mind, founding Samaṇadīpa Forest Buddhist Monastery in Slovenia and transitioning to lay life, and the importance of knowing that the Buddhist path, though fulfilling, is not always easy.

    57 min
  3. Paths of Practice with Peace Twesigye

    SEP 16

    Paths of Practice with Peace Twesigye

    Peace Twesigye is a musician, meditation teacher and mentor, teacher of BuddhaDharma, and leadership consultant who hopes to be a part of the changes that unbind each of us from the systems that limit our momentum toward expressions of joy, love, loss, compassion, and creativity. Peace is the former Director of Programming in Buddhist Studies and of the Thích Nhất Hạnh Program for Engaged Buddhism at Union Theological Seminary. Peace is currently on the board of Lion’s Roar Foundation, and is participating in the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock retreat teacher training program from 2025-2028. For more information, please check out Peace's website: https://www.peacetwesigye.com/ We discussed developing and practicing within a self-retreat container, connecting and identifying with Thích Nhất Hạnh and his positionality as a political refugee, chamber music and surrendering to something larger than yourself, Engaged Buddhism and practicing for life, and the importance of acknowledging your connections with spiritual friends.

    52 min
  4. Paths of Practice with Brook Ziporyn, PhD

    SEP 12

    Paths of Practice with Brook Ziporyn, PhD

    Brook Ziporyn is a scholar of ancient and medieval Chinese religion and philosophy at The University of Chicago Divinity School and College. Professor Ziporyn received his BA in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, and his PhD from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the Divinity School faculty, he has taught Chinese philosophy and religion at the University of Michigan (Department of East Asian Literature and Cultures), Northwestern University (Department of Religion and Department of Philosophy), Harvard University (Department of East Asian Literature and Civilization) and the National University of Singapore (Department of Philosophy). He is the author and translator of several books including his latest work, Experiments in Mystical Atheism: Godless Epiphanies from Daoism to Spinoza and Beyond, which was published by the University of Chicago Press in October of 2024. (A longer list of Ziporyn's work can be found towards the end of this description.) Please see below for the link to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article mentioned in this podcast episode here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/buddhism-tiantai/ Please also see below for links to Ziporyn's book, Experiments in Mystical Atheism: Godless Epiphanies from Daoism to Spinoza and Beyond, as well as its online appendix (free): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo230169826.html https://press.uchicago.edu/sites/ziporyn/index.html We discussed walking the mandalas of sacred Buddhist sites, approaching Buddhism as both a scholar and practitioner, Tiantai meditation techniques and broken teapots, Dogen and the connections between Tendai and Soto Zen, and the importance of finding the Buddhist path that best suits you. Ziporyn is also the author of: -Evil And/Or/As the Good: Omnicentric Holism, Intersubjectivity and Value Paradox in Tiantai Buddhist Thought (Brill, 2000) -The Penumbra Unbound: The Neo-Taoist Philosophy of Guo Xiang (SUNY Press, 2003) -Being and Ambiguity: Philosophical Experiments With Tiantai Buddhism (Open Court, 2004) -Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries (Hackett, 2009) -Ironies of Oneness and Difference: Coherence in Early Chinese Thought; Prolegomena to the Study of Li (SUNY Press, 2012) -Beyond Oneness and Difference: Li and Coherence in Chinese Buddhist Thought and its Antecedents (SUNY Press, 2013) -Emptiness and Omnipresence: An Essential Introduction to Tiantai Buddhism (Indiana University Press, 2016) -Zhuangzi: The Complete Writings (Translator, Hackett 2020) -Daodejing (Translator, Liveright Books and the Norton Library 2022)

    1h 6m
  5. Paths of Practice with Brook Ziporyn, PhD

    SEP 12

    Paths of Practice with Brook Ziporyn, PhD

    Brook Ziporyn is a scholar of ancient and medieval Chinese religion and philosophy at The University of Chicago Divinity School and College. Professor Ziporyn received his BA in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, and his PhD from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the Divinity School faculty, he has taught Chinese philosophy and religion at the University of Michigan (Department of East Asian Literature and Cultures), Northwestern University (Department of Religion and Department of Philosophy), Harvard University (Department of East Asian Literature and Civilization) and the National University of Singapore (Department of Philosophy). He is the author and translator of several books including his latest work, Experiments in Mystical Atheism: Godless Epiphanies from Daoism to Spinoza and Beyond, which was published by the University of Chicago Press in October of 2024. (A longer list of Ziporyn's work can be found towards the end of this description.) Please see below for the link to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article mentioned in this podcast episode here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/buddhism-tiantai/ Please also see below for links to Ziporyn's book, Experiments in Mystical Atheism: Godless Epiphanies from Daoism to Spinoza and Beyond, as well as its online appendix (free): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo230169826.html https://press.uchicago.edu/sites/ziporyn/index.html We discussed walking the mandalas of sacred Buddhist sites, approaching Buddhism as both a scholar and practitioner, Tiantai meditation techniques and broken teapots, Dogen and the connections between Tendai and Soto Zen, and the importance of finding the Buddhist path that best suits you. Ziporyn is also the author of: -Evil And/Or/As the Good: Omnicentric Holism, Intersubjectivity and Value Paradox in Tiantai Buddhist Thought (Brill, 2000) -The Penumbra Unbound: The Neo-Taoist Philosophy of Guo Xiang (SUNY Press, 2003) -Being and Ambiguity: Philosophical Experiments With Tiantai Buddhism (Open Court, 2004) -Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries (Hackett, 2009) -Ironies of Oneness and Difference: Coherence in Early Chinese Thought; Prolegomena to the Study of Li (SUNY Press, 2012) -Beyond Oneness and Difference: Li and Coherence in Chinese Buddhist Thought and its Antecedents (SUNY Press, 2013) -Emptiness and Omnipresence: An Essential Introduction to Tiantai Buddhism (Indiana University Press, 2016) -Zhuangzi: The Complete Writings (Translator, Hackett 2020) -Daodejing (Translator, Liveright Books and the Norton Library 2022)

    1h 6m
  6. Paths of Practice with Anusha Enryu Fernando

    SEP 10

    Paths of Practice with Anusha Enryu Fernando

    Anusha Enryu Fernando was born in Sri Lanka to a Theravadin Buddhist family. Her grandparents founded the Vipassana Meditation Centre located in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1957. She began practicing Zen Meditation with Hogen and Chozen Roshi in 2007, and became a dharma holder in 2021. She holds a BA in Religious Studies, specializing in Buddhism and Hinduism from McGill University, and a Masters of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of British Columbia, specializing in Sanskrit. In her dissertation, she translated a Sanskrit poem of the life story of the Buddha, called the Padyacudamani. Enryu has been a teacher and performer of Bharata Natyam, a form of Indian Classical Dance, for the past thirty years and is the founder and Artistic Director of Shakti Dance Society. She has also been the book purchaser at Banyen Books and Sound, Vancouver’s iconic spiritual and metaphysical bookstore, for the past twenty-eight years. She is the mother of an adult daughter and lives with her husband, parents, and multiple furry friends in Vancouver, Canada. For more information about the Zen Community of Oregon and the Shakti Dance Society, please see the below links: https://zendust.org/ http://www.shaktidancesociety.com/anusha-fernando/ We talked about the connections between Bharata Natyam and zazen, generosity as an expression of practice, learning Sanskrit and translating the Padyacudamani, Jizo Bodhisattva and the Jizo Garden at Great Vow Zen Monastery, the creative and meaningful challenges of cooking and eating what is given during sesshin, and the importance of remembering the joy of practice.

    59 min
  7. Paths of Practice with Bhante Sanāthāvihārī Bhikkhu

    SEP 4

    Paths of Practice with Bhante Sanāthāvihārī Bhikkhu

    Bhante Sanāthāvihārī is a Mexican-American Theravāda monk at the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center in North Hollywood, a Sri Lankan center. He is a student of the late Dr. Bhante Madawela Puññaji, and the founder of Casa De Bhavana–an outreach project to bring the Dhamma to the Spanish-speaking world. He is also the co-author of Buddhism in 10 Steps.For more information about Sanāthāvihārī Bhikkhu and Casa De Bhavana, please see the below links:https://sanathavihari.com/https://casadebhavana.com/We talked about personal expression and creativity while still operating within the Vinaya, serving in the Air Force and co-founding a Buddhist sangha while on base in Afghanistan, Casa de Bhavana and balancing pre-sectarian and non-sectarian Buddhist teachings, and the importance of believing in yourself (and if you can’t do that, knowing that the Buddha believes in you).

    1h 12m
  8. Paths of Practice with Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi

    AUG 29

    Paths of Practice with Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi

    Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western non-dual traditions. He was authorized to teach in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in 2007 and the Zen Buddhist schools of Soto and Rinzai in 2022. Mugen is a senior student of Roshi Mark Sando Mininberg and a transmitted teacher in the White Plum Asanga—the body of teachers in the Maezumi-roshi lineage. Mugen’s resonant and warmhearted teaching style engages students around the globe through in-person and online retreats, as well as one-on-one coaching. He encourages students to turn toward their true nature and, with realization of their true nature, embody their true identity. Mugen is the author of five books, including Liberating the Self, Demystifying Awakening, and Buddha’s Heart. He co-authored Practicing the Jhānas. For more information about Awakening Dharma, please visit the following link: https://awakeningdharma.org/ For Todd Mushin Lisonbee's interview with Mugen Roshi, please see the following link: https://youtu.be/pscxTP2ckeE?si=bgvZ9n1pyKCpcZbe We discussed Inka Shomei and the sacred and humbling experience of sharing a dharma eye with a teacher, koan study and working with our bull tails that are sticking out, the Enneagram and being your uniqueness without being your dysfunction, how deeper levels of awakening reveals deeper levels of work that needs to be done, and the importance of making contact with your innate goodness.

    58 min
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5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Paths of Practice (PoP) is a podcast that features interviews with people sharing their experiences with Buddhism and Buddhist practice. The podcast includes conversations with folks from a wide variety of backgrounds, both those that have been on the path for a while and those just starting out as well as everyone in between. In a way, the podcast sets out to explore the "84,000 paths to enlightenment," one Buddhist at a time. PoP was created and is hosted by Vincent Moore. Vincent is a relatively new practitioner of Soto Zen and has an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

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