If I had to point to one Web resource that has enriched my life this past year, hands down it would be the podcasts of the Rochester Zen Center.

In part this is because last January, to my astonishment, I rejoined the Center after 22 years away. More importantly, however, they are really, really good — helpful and inspiring — my bet is to anyone interested in Zen. Bodhin Roshi says of books that you know it’s good if it gets you on the cushion practicing Zen (i.e., meditating). Well guess what…. I haven’t found a book that comes even close to these streaming Zen talks (teisho) for getting me on the mat.

Then today, wonder-of-wonders, I discovered they go back to 2007. I about fell over. I’ve been to the main page many times and from it had the impression that the streaming began in 2015. But this morning I clicked on the “Archives” dropdown and oh my heavens….

I did this partly out of desperation to find more on the Buddhist Precepts, which I’m currently studying. I’ve found very little aside from Roshi Robert Aitken’s book The Mind of Clover. And here are twelve — count them, twelve! — podcasts on the Precepts by Bodhin Roshi.

In the end, this Google search proved the most efficient way to uncover them. My guess is quite a number of people aren’t aware of the earlier podcasts, so I hope to unbury all of them soon. Meanwhile, here are the ones on the Precepts.

1. Nov. 24, 2007 Great Jukai 2007: Morality and the Precepts
2. March 30, 2008 Sex and the Third Precept – Part II
3. April 20, 2008 Sex and the Third Precept – Part III
4. Nov. 23, 2008 Precept Five: Not to Abuse Alcohol or Drugs
5. Nov. 29, 2008 The Sixteen Precepts – Overview
6. Nov. 28, 2009 The Ceremony of Receiving the Precepts
7. Nov. 20, 2011 Taking Refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
8. Nov. 26, 2011 Repentance and the Precepts
9. Nov. 24, 2012 The Precepts: Working With Habit Energy and Beyond Guilt
10. Nov. 30, 2013 An Overview of the Sixteen Precepts
11. Nov. 29, 2014 Jukai and the Precept on Not Lying
12. Nov. 28, 2015 Jukai and the Precept on Not Withholding Aid
13. Oct. 16, 2016 The Three Essentials of Buddhism

My deepest gratitude goes to Bodhin Roshi and the Rochester Zen Center staff for all that they do, including making these teisho available to people like me.