Cuke Audio Podcast

With Guest Vanja Palmers - an Encore Presentation

Vanja Palmers is a Zen teacher who was at the SFZC centers for years, ordained by Richard Baker, transmission from Kobun Chino. He talks about his life, his way-seeking mind story, work with animal rights, and psychedelics, and dangerous hang gliding. He has a center in the Alps near Lucerne named Felsentor and the Ecumenical House of Silence he and Brother David Steindl-rast founded in Austria. This is an encore presentation of a June 2020 podcast.

With Guest Paul Rosenblum - an Encore Presentation

Ryuten Paul Rosenblum was a student of Shunryu Suzuki and is the vice abbot of Johanneshof, Richard Baker's retreat in the Black Forest. He lives half time in Germany and half time in Northern California. His website is ryutenpaulrosenblum.com. This is an encore presentation of a podcast from July 2020.

With Guest Nicole Baden - an Encore Presentation

Tatsudo Nicole Baden is a Dharma Successor of Zentatsu Baker in the Dharma Sangha Soto Zen Lineage. She has been practicing Zen since 2001 and received Dharma Transmission in 2017. She graduated as a psychologist from the University of Oldenburg in 2008. She also trained at the ‘School for Body Mind Centering’ for four years. Since 2009 she has been living and practicing either at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center or at the Zen Buddhist Center Schwarzwald (ZBZS) in Germany. At present, she is Director and a resident teacher at the ZBZS. Early this September Richard Baker will be stepping down and Nicole Baden will be stepping up to be the abbot of Dharma Sangha in Germany and the US. This is an encore presentation of a podcast talk with Nicole that was posted on March 20, 2021.

With Guest Kelly Chadwick

Kelly Bernard Chadwick grew up in and around Tassajara, the SFZC City Center, and Green Gulch Farm. He is my older son. His mother is my first wife, Daya Goldschlag, called Dianne back in 1973 when Kelly was born at Green Gulch Farm. Dianne has a Zen group now in Spokane Washington and Kelly is an arborist in Spokane and has a business there called Spirit Pruners - <spiritpruners.com>. In this podcast he talks about his youthful ZC memories but more about his recent experience of Tassajara where he takes a crew in the spring to trim trees. Deep stuff.

Jane and Peter Schneider

Jane and Peter Schneider are the founding teachers of the Beginner's Mind Zen Center in Northridge, a part of greater Los Angeles. <beginnersmindzencenter.org>They were students of Shunryu Suzuki. This is the third podcast with both of them and the third with Peter. In this podcast we focus on Jane's way-seeking mind story and then branch out to other reminiscences.

With Guest Stephan Bodian

Stephan Bodian runs an annual school for awakening. In this podcast he talks about his spiritual path, his teachers including Shunryu Suzuki, Kobun Chino, Taizan Maezumi, Sogyal, and Jean Klein. He's a marriage and family therapist but mainly a teacher of awakening. His website is stephanbodian.org.

With Guest Frank Kilmer

Frank Kilmer first meditated with Chogyam Trungpa then Dainin Katagiri then Richard Baker. He studied with other Zen and Tibetan teachers. He lives in Santa Fe where he managed Upaya's plant for some years. He's a a great plumber too. He has a lot of juicy tidbits to share from all these years of Buddhist study and practice. Check him out in this podcast.

With Guest Frazer Bradshaw

Frazer Bradshaw was a student at Tassajara in the summers for years, starting off when he was still a student at the SF Art Inst. He'd made some experimental films and at Tassajara he made his first documentary, Tassajara: a Meditative Portrait at Tassajara in the late nineties. It's in his Vimeo section with 209 others <vimeo.com/frazerbradshaw> and there's a link to it in the film/video section of cuke.com. He went on to make many other films. Check him out at frazerbradshaw.com or his film biz site, <peculiarpelicula.com> or on IMDB. Thanks Tano Maeda for letting me know about Frazer's Tassajara film which he featured in the 2003 (I think it was) Buddhist International Film Festival. Check out what Frazer has to say about Zen practice and film and Tassajara and more in this podcast.

With Suzanne Suarez Hurley

Suzanne Suarez Hurley heard Shunryu Suzuki give lectures in 1969 then joined Steve Gaskin as a founding member of the Farm in Tennessee. In 1975 she practiced with Dainin Katagiri in Minneapolis then headed back to SF to practice at the SF Zen Center with Richard Baker. With Baker's blessing she started a sitting group in Florida where she practiced law defending midwives. Through the years she has continued her connection to Zen and the Farm. She talks about all this and more in her podcast.

With Guest David Weinstein

David Weinstein is the founding teacher of the Rockridge Meditation Community in Oakland, California. (See their Facebook page) He's a teacher in the Pacific Zen Institute and a therapist (check Psychology Today website "Find a therapist.") His spiritual journey started in a bar in Germany. His path led to Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and the Bay Area.  Listen to his podcast and hear his story.