The Heart of Living the Way | Koshin Paley Ellison

“I love birthdays because they remind us: I was born, and I’m going to die. This is my one shot.”

In this talk from his birthday this past Sunday, Koshin Sensei reflects on the gift of being alive and the simplicity of a nourishing life.

Drawing on the teachings of Bodhidharma (who, legend has it, share's Koshin Sensei's birthday), he explores the four all-inclusive practices: suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and practicing the Dharma.

Through humor, tenderness, and vivid stories—childhood friends reuniting in the zendo, watching the sunrise, creating our own suffering by dragging favorite stories out of the cupboard—Koshin reminds us that awakening begins in the ordinariness of our lives.

What happens when we stop laying on the horn of our feelings and trust our actual experience rather than our preferences?

Discover why feeling unimportant is liberating, and how to give your time and attention without needing recognition for it.