Living Dharma Podcast Ep 4: Roshi Joan Halifax — Practice, Activism, and Meeting Death with an Open Heart
Feb 14, 2026
Roshi Joan Halifax, a Zen teacher and anthropologist who founded Upaya Zen Center, reflects on practice as continuous, embodied presence. She discusses integrating contemplation with social activism, sitting with death and serious illness, and cultivating tenderness and resilience amid crisis. Short, clear reflections on mutuality, non-separation, and meditating inside the life you actually have.
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Practice Without A Goal
- Do practice with no gaining idea and rest in present-moment wholeheartedness rather than driving toward outcomes.
- Emphasize embodied sitting: upright, stable back and a soft front that lets experience be transparent to you.
Dogen On Studying And Forgetting Self
- Dogen's Genjo Kawan frames practice as studying and then forgetting the self until myriad things actualize you.
- This process culminates in non-separation where no trace of enlightenment remains and continues endlessly.
Meditate Inside The Life You Have
- Meditate inside the life you actually have rather than waiting for an ideal setting.
- Clark Strand's guidance: if you're an accountant or policeman, practice precisely within that daily context to illuminate it.