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2022-04-12 Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha (Richard von Sturmer)

How Zen masters approach death and how their dying can act as their final teaching. Shortly before his death, Master Mazu (Ma) and his attendant had this famous exchange, recorded in the Blue Cliff Record:

Blue Cliff Record, Case 3

Great Master Ma was unwell. The temple superintendent asked him, “Teacher, how has your venerable health been in recent days?” The Great Master said, “Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha.”

In this Dharma talk given at the Auckland Zen Centre, Richard von Sturmer explores this exchange and what we can learn from it.

Automated transcript

https://otter.ai/u/dLq33lJrz09DGO_OCI6BP4KCCWc

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About the Podcast

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AZC Weekly talks
In this podcast you can find almost all the talks given at the Auckland Zen Centre, back to 2016. Most talks are by Roshi Amala Wrightson, but there are also talks from Sensei Richard von Sturmer and senior students too.

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Roshi Amala Wrightson

Roshi Amala Wrightson is the full-time teacher at the Auckland Zen Centre. Amala-roshi began her Zen training at the Rochester Zen Center in 1989, shortly after completing an M.A. in Italian at Auckland University, and was ordained as a priest there in 1999. In late 2003, upon completion of formal koan training under Roshi Kjolhede, Amala-roshi returned to resettle in New Zealand. She and her husband, Sensei Richard von Sturmer, co-founded the Auckland Zen Centre in 2004. The Centre offers regular sittings, talks, zen meditation workshops, retreats (sesshin) and opportunities to engage in compassionate action. All Roshi's talks are shared in our "AZC Weekly Talks" podcast.