Zen Buddhist teachings are filled with numbers, like the Four Noble Truths, the Six Paramitas and the Eightfold Path.
Led by Hokuto Osho, this eight-week course offers a survey of Buddhism's core concepts, each presented in relation to a number — starting with zero for mu and sunyata, and going all the way to 12 for the 12-link chain of dependent origination.
Each 90-minute class will include zazen, a Dharma talk and group discussion.
Bodhidharma is perhaps the most pivotal figure in the development of Zen, yet so much of what we know (or think we know) about him is based on myth and
legend. In this course, we will explore what has come down to us regarding Bodhidharma: the koans in which he is featured, the four “sermons” attributed to him, and the significance of his life and example. The goal of the class is to come closer — through words that go beyond words into silence — to the famous definition of Zen attributed to Bodhidharma: Read more »
THE HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, AND PRACTICE OF JAPANESE RINZAI ZEN: ZEN MASTER HAKUIN EKAKU
WEDNESDAYS, MAY 19 – JUNE 30, 7-8 PM
Instructor: Masaki Matsubara Osho (Ph.D. in Asian Religions, Cornell University)
This class will explore Japanese Zen Buddhist traditions in general, and the Rinzai Zen school in particular, focusing on the seminal figure Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769). Hakuin is regarded as the founder, reformer and reviver of contemporary Japanese Rinzai Zen. Read more »
As practitioners of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, we all have a profound debt to the “Mountain Monk” who gave his name to one of the two great schools of Zen that have come to America by way of Japan. Still, many Zen students are intimidated by the compilation of his teachings called the Rinzai Roku, or The Book of Rinzai. His words seem as austere and uncompromising as the sheer face of a granite cliff — where and how to grab hold? Read more »
Learn to reduce stress through meditation and mindfulness training, yoga and stretching, body awareness and visualization, and methods of integrating change into daily life. The training helps with daily stress of many types, high blood pressure, chronic pain, and major life-changing situations. Two additional individual sessions may be scheduled to set specific goals and respond to individual needs. Read more »
