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Zen and Ecodharma Talks by Kritee KankoAuthor: Boundless in Motion
Kritee Kanko, Ph.D., is a climate scientist, educator-activist, grief-ritual leader, and a Buddhist Zen priest who lives in Colorado (United States) and Rajasthan (India). This podcast offers her teishoes/talks that were given during residential retreats as well as half-day sits. She addresses how we can prepare ourselves spiritually and psychologically to confront the societal challenges of our times, how do contemplative practices need to change to be able to offer a non-dual response to our socio-ecological predicament and what will it take to create a spiritually rooted movement. Language: en Genres: Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Hyakujo and a Wild Duck - Hekiganroku 53
Saturday, 29 November, 2025
Is it possible that no one, including our loved human or non-human friends to beings in the warzones, dies at a wrong moment for a wrong reason? Also, how are “We the middle of forever”, with no birth and no death? Important note: Engaged Buddhist or Ecodharma teachers, including Dr. Kritee, emphasize the importance of compassionate “Bodhisattva” actions for social and environmental change without attachment to results. This is so even for causes where our efforts are inclined to “fail” or when people or groups of people we support will die. We must act in support and healing of all life even if our efforts are not “successful”. So even though, at the “absolute” level, this talk suggests that it is not possible for anyone to die at a wrong moment for a wrong reason, our actions in support of alleviation of suffering in the moment are crucial for anyone on a spiritual path. Our actions, when rooted in wisdom and compassion, create conditions that lead to better outcomes—even if they are only marginally better outcomes as compared to without such actions.How to stay motivated to undertake compassionate actions is an important question. In addition, if it is not possible for anyone to die at a wrong moment for a wrong reason, how do we hold both human grief and trans-human acceptance? How do we honor the truths of devastating losses and injustices while accessing deep spiritual equanimity? In this talk, addressed to experienced meditators in the middle of a long residential silent meditation retreat, Dr. Kritee focuses on these profound questions related to death and impermanence. Speaking from a place of authenticity and deeply flowing spontaneity, she explores the classic koan "Hyakujo and a Wild Duck" where a teacher pinches his student's nose to embody that nothing truly flies away. Drawing on personal stories of paralysis, grief around events of October 7th and ongoing violence in Palestine, and teachings from her own spiritual teachers, Sensei Kanko guides practitioners through the territory where everything feels like it's flying away—democracy, health, loved ones, peace of mind. She offers practical guidance on creating altars for grief, differentiating between guilt and shame, and working with the phrase "We are the middle of forever." The talk weaves together themes of impermanence, oceanic consciousness, trauma-informed practice, and the invisible realms that root for us even in our loneliest moments, inviting us to work with one breath at a time while trusting in a wholeness that exists even amidst heartbreak.Sensei Kanko gave this talk on the fourth day of the Fall 2025 Zen retreat (sesshin).Thank you for listening to the Boundless in Motion podcast. You can access more information about our programs and retreats by going to www.boundlessinmotion.org or www.kriteekanko.com
