The River That Holds Us - Jogen Salzberg, Sensei

In this sesshin talk, Jōgen invites practitioners to turn directly toward the living fabric of experience with wonder and open-handedness. Reflecting on the Kesa verse and the teachings of the Third Ancestor, he points out how the thinking mind masquerades as a solver of problems while actually weaving most of them—and how practice uncovers the unmoving ground that allows all states to arise. Through guided inquiry, poetry, and humor, he encourages listeners to look, feel, and experience what this moment is truly made of beyond concepts of self, struggle, and separation. Jōgen reminds us that we are always being carried in the river of being, even when fear or habit causes us to thrash about. From this recognition, compassion, trust, and genuine freedom naturally reveal themselves.
This talk is from 2025 Ancient Way Sesshin.