This talk was given at the opening of the 7th 90-day Everyday Bodhisattva Practice Period at the Boulder Zen Center, as participants were clarifying guiding intentions for the months ahead. Zen practice—and life more broadly—organize themselves around what we commit to. Rather than emphasizing goals, intention is presented as direction: the way attention is shaped and sustained. From this view, positive change does not come from forcibly fixing or cutting away what is unwholesome. Practice is instead to nourish what is already wholesome, allowing what is unwholesome to wither from lack of attention. Nourishment becomes a guiding orientation: staying in the zone of nourishment, investigating what truly supports life, and trusting one’s own sense of it—while recognizing that personal nourishment and true wholesomeness is inseparable from the well-being of others and the living world.

Welcome to Zen Mind!

Love the dharma talks and want to hear more? Become a Premium Podcast subscriber for only $9/month. Dive deeper into the topics through Q&A sessions related to each of the talks. You can even ask questions of your own through the 'Ask Me Anything' platform and gain access to previously unpublished talks from intensives. Learn more here: https://zenmind.supercast.com/

Our annual Everyday Bodhisattva Practice Period is now underway! This three-month period offers an opportunity for Sangha members to come together and deepen their practice through individually designed schedules, supported by Dharma teachings and peer-to-peer Sangha dialogue. Practice Periods are guided by Zenki Roshi together with members of the Practice Council. The 2026 Practice Period emphasizes the study of Dōgen’s fascicle Being Time (Uji). Learn more here: https://www.boulderzen.org/practice-period-2026

See all events and join our mailing list at www.boulderzen.org. Email us at office@boulderzen.org.

If you're enjoying these talks, please subscribe and leave us a rating or review!

Zenki Christian Dillo Roshi is the the guiding teacher at the Boulder Zen Center in Colorado, USA. This podcast shares the regular dharma talks given at the center. Zenki Roshi approaches Zen practice as a craft of transformation, liberation, wisdom and compassionate action. His interest is to bring Buddhism alive within the Western cultural context, while staying committed to the traditional emphasis on embodiment.