Introduction to Zen - ONLINE (Week 1 of 4)

Week 1: Posture and Forms (ONLINE)

The posture of Zazen, seated meditation, is the cornerstone to Zen practice. This is the radical act of just sitting. In sitting, we experience the embodied reality of the dropping off of the mind and returning to things as they are. Learn the principles of breath and seated positions as a foundation for spiritual practice.

This workshop will be taught by Vice Abbot Nyoze Kwong.

Week 2: Buddhist Thought (ONLINE)

You will be introduced to Buddhist thought, beginning with Eihei Dogen, the monk who founded the Soto Zen lineage in 1247, Japan. Dogen taught Zen Buddhism as a practical mysticism for everyday life. We will talk about the principles of no self in Mahayana philosophy. You will learn the origins of Buddha’s noble truths: life is suffering, all things are impermanent, and liberation is possible for all beings.

This workshop will be taught by Kaian John Jennings and Genzen Ed Cadman.

Week 3: SMZC Lineage and History (ONLINE)

Learn about our lineage, the silent illumination lineage. The teachings of Buddha are transmitted from the mind to mind of teacher to student. SMZC practices as the 92nd generation of its lineage which stretches all the way back to Shakyamuni Buddha. Discover key teachers in the lineage of Zen as it moves over the centuries from India to China to Japan, and to San Francisco in the 1960s. You will learn about the founder of SMZC, Jakusho Kwong-roshi, our abbot and leader of practice for nearly 50 years.

This workshop will be taught by Nyoze Kwong and Tensan Chuck Ramey.

Week 4: SMZC Tour/Visit (ON-SITE)

Come visit the grounds at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. Using the guidelines for social distancing, our group will walk through the sacred land of the mountain. Our temple sits in 85 acres of redwoods and oaks overlooking the Valley of the Moon. We will walk in the woods to the memorial grounds and stupas for teachers Shunryu Suzuki-roshi and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Enjoy guided tours of the hundred-year-old barn which has been our original meditation hall and see our new temple currently in construction.

This workshop will be taught by Kevin Shindo Souza.