Hello Friends !
I had the opportunity to give a series of Dharma Talks for Tricycle magazine,
The topic is “ How to be selfless in a selfish world “
Sensei José Shinzan Palma breaks down the false dichotomy between practice in the meditation hall and life “in the real world,” and shows how this realization of practice’s immediacy can transform our lives into a compassionate expression of service.Right here are the link to watch the videos
Hello Friends! Happy Valentine's Day. I would like to inform you, that I moved in at Sweetwater Zen Center, 2727 Highland Ave. National City, CA 91950 I am very grateful to be living close to a Zendo (Meditation Hall) So I will be sitting with the community almost daily, mornings and evenings, and also I will be offering Dharma Talks once a month on Sundays. Usually Wednesday eveninings I will be offering daisan (One on one support practice). For the north county San Diego friends I will be sitting in Encinitas as well Fridays at 7pm at California Institute for Human Science. https://www.facebook.com/northcountyzen.fourvows/
Right here is the webpage of Sweetwater Zen Center http://swzc.org.Check it out and looking forward to see you here. Enjoy the day!!!! Thanks!
Hello Friends ! Many of you have been wondering and questioning if I am still in Dharma Bum Temple. For your information I have moved out from Dharma Bum Temple since last May and also stopped teaching there since last June. It was good and grateful to be in DBT. I am still in San Diego County. I am been sitting at Sweetwater Zen Center, Mondays and Wednesday at 7pm and offering daisan ( One on one practice support), I have been giving once a month Dharma Talk. For more information on Sweetwater Zen Center Schedule
and we created a sitting group in Carlsbad, so we are sitting Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, and giving monthly introductory class to Zen Meditation you can follow us at Facebook at 4 vows Sangha
Hello Dear Friends!
I hope this email finds you well. I want to share some news and an update on my Dharma Path in the past 12 months. A year has already passed since I left Upaya, (after living there for almost 9 years)! I feel gratitude towards Upaya and Roshi Joan, because I was able to meet and form a friendship with you! I don't like sending out lots of emails or bothering people with weekly newsletters, so my intention here is just to connect with you and share some of my recent life events.
Some of you may already have heard that 2015 was a wonderful year for me. It was a very new and wonderful experience to be like a traveling monk, sleeping on couches, and living life simply and easily. I felt so much appreciation and awe (we really don't know!), and tried to stay intimate with the experience and to meet other beings to share both suffering and happiness. I am very grateful for all that happened. It was more than I was expecting. I had the opportunity to travel to see new places in the US, Mexico and even Brazil, and to meet new people and make new friends as well as share the Dharma, and give some talks, workshops and retreats. Thanks to iBme (www.iBme.info) I had the chance to co-teach 3 teenager retreats, so I am still following my dream to help youth to develop better choices in their lives by planting the seeds of the Buddhadharma. My health is good and I continue to sit zazen-- so that too, is great!
I have created a website http://www.joseshinzanpalma.org/ where I am posting news and a calendar of activities. I am also posting recordings (bilingual!) of dharma talks, however, I don't edit them, so forgive me if you find them too noisy or low quality, but I do hope my words serve and that the dharma still comes through. Last year I was very busy, but this year I have fewer trips, because I realize that my gift is to be a “home base” teacher, not a traveling teacher. Last year was more like a sabbatical to explore what might unfold.
Recently, I spent 2 months in Mexico where I sat Rohatsu with Zoketsu Norman Fischer (and several Upaya friends) at Mar de Jade, It was fantastic to reconnect with my roots, and I am being invited to return and teach in different cities of Mexico. So the vision is to go back in the near future, but since I just applied for American citizenship, I need to be in the north for awhile (the next 6 months?) until it is finalized.
Last, but not least, is the news that my new home is in San Diego. I am living in an inner city Buddhist Temple, and teaching regularly, plus hoping to open the Dharma Gate in Spanish too, thanks to Jeff Zlotnik, who is the founder: www.thedharmabums.org
If one day you are around San Diego, I would be very happy to see, sit and have some coffee with you. :)
Thank you friends. I hope all is well, Be happy, healthy and peaceful.
if you have a chance, I would love to hear from you too, about how you have been,
Sending you a deep bow, much love, and Hugs!
Sincerely,
Shinzan
c/o Dharma Bum Temple
541 2nd Ave Suite A
San Diego, CA 92101
(P.S.) Thinking of you
As many of you know, after living eight years in Upaya Zen Center, I completed residential training and decided to embark upon a solo journey in February of this year.
I left UZC feeling very grateful to Roshi Joan, Upaya residents, and all the people that I met throughout my years in service there. But I also left with fear -- a good fear!-- to embrace the unknown and trust the path.
The beginning was rocky; my car broke down near Las Cruces and I saw it was a "reality check" experience. I had to let go of my gift car and my initial plans! But it seems to me now that the universe held something else for me.
As soon I got to Cordoba, Veracruz (my hometown), people started asking me to offer Zen meditation workshops, so I said yes! Soon I presented 3 talks and 2 workshops in Mexico City, Cordoba and Tepeaca, Puebla. In the last 2 cities, sitting groups formed as a result, and are now meeting weekly. I am planning to do some teaching with these Sanghas this winter.
The trail south also took me to Mar de Jade in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. It is a beautiful place where Laura Del Valle the founder, has created a resort for Yoga and Zen retreats. Roshi Norman Fischer has been holding zen retreats there for the last 20 years, as does Ven. Gou Yan Fa Shi, (successor of the late Zen master Ven, Sheng Yen). It has been in operation for the last 30 years and is a source of employment for people in the region. Laura is a Bodhisattva, really, she is so much into engaged Buddhism, serving many people through health, education and employment offerings.
During my stay, I volunteered in an after school program supported by Mar de Jade: "Club de Niños". I also had the opportunity to co-teach with Laura, Rick Slone and Reiren (priests from San Francisco Zen Center). We did a day of sitting, and a 5-day Sesshin for Mexican people. It was very well received.
I returned to the U.S. in May to do a Zazenkai for the Southern Palm Zen Group in Florida, thanks to the invitation of Sensei Jane Fayasash. After spending 2 months in Mar De Jade working with children from the very poor village of Las Varas, Nayarit, arriving in Boca Raton, FL. was shocking for me. However, the Zazenkai was well attended and I spent much of the time doing practice interviews. Afterwards, I headed to the Northeast, to hold a Zazenkai at High Meadow Farms (thanks to Charlie and Holly Watts for the opportunity and for welcoming me to this beautiful land) in New Hampshire. To be continued ....
