Boundless Way Zen Temple Dharmacast · Boundless Way Zen Temple

Alan Richardson - Acceptance of the Field

·25 min·2 clips

Alan Richardson screams in pain after a hard fall on a Vermont trail, questioning if he can even walk.

Alan Richardson Sensei delivers a Dharma talk on the Zen practice of radical acceptance, framed by a personal hiking injury. He explores how to hold pain, beauty, and worldly turmoil within a single, undivided field of awareness. The talk begins with a reading from Hongzhi's "Self and Other the Same," emphasizing that truth is exhibited everywhere. Richardson recounts a severe fall on a Vermont trail where his left hip struck a rock, causing intense pain and profanity. He questioned if he could walk, describing a disagreement with his hip as he took measured, kinhin-like steps to a shelter. There, he sat with his pain while noticing foam flowers, wild strawberry blossoms, and unfamiliar blue bead lilies. He reflects on a prior Dharma dialogue about toggling between spring's beauty and global violence, finding a parallel in his own experience. Richardson cites "The Fruit of the Bodhisattva Way," advising not to grasp the good or reject the bad. A key insight is that acceptance does not mean inaction; he saw a massage therapist for his injury, contrasting this with a cultural tendency to "tough it out." He extends this to political protest, arguing one must first accept a situation as part of the current field to protest it skillfully. The teaching of Matsu states each encountered matter constitutes one's existence, meaning acceptance integrates experience into identity. Richardson asserts this acceptance leads to more skillful responses in personal, political, and Zen practice. The tone is contemplative and personal, blending narrative storytelling with philosophical teaching. Richardson's style is conversational and reflective, using a specific injury as a metaphor for broader practice. Listeners interested in integrating mindfulness with daily life, especially amidst pain or political distress, will find this episode valuable. Those seeking strictly doctrinal lectures or fast-paced content might prefer a different talk.

As heard by us

A patient Zen talk on accepting reality without surrendering action.

Alan Richardson Sensei uses a fall, a morning walk through Worcester, and Hongzhi's teaching to work through a difficult question: what acceptance asks when life has already been altered.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when acceptance has to coexist with action.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Boundless Way Zen Temple Dharmacast