Zoom Zendo Schedule
(all times are per the Mountain Time Zone)
Meditation in the Koan Way
Sunday, February 21 : No Meditation
Monday, February 22 : 9:00-10:00 am
Tuesday, February 23 : 6:00-7:00 pm **Celebrating Community**
Wednesday, February 24 : 9:00-10:00 am
Thursday, February 25 : 9:00-10:00 am
Friday, February 26 : 9:00-10:00 am
Monday, February 22 : 9:00-10:00 am
Tuesday, February 23 : 6:00-7:00 pm **Celebrating Community**
Wednesday, February 24 : 9:00-10:00 am
Thursday, February 25 : 9:00-10:00 am
Friday, February 26 : 9:00-10:00 am
Due to updated security protocols with Zoom, links, meeting IDs and passwords will be sent out daily. If you would like to be on the email list to receive them, please get in touch at [email protected]
Your support is deeply appreciated and vital for sustaining what is offered here - Thank You!
Speaking on koan practice, 20th Century Zen teacher Shibayama Zenkei said “the term koan means the place where the truth is.” Another way of stating this is the place where we connect with what is real, with the reality of what is. Whatever time we are in, whatever the circumstances, being in touch with the reality of the situation is valuable and beneficial. Whether it’s a peaceful calm, a strained anxiety, a weighted fear, a bubbling excitement, or any other condition, meeting such fully and directly helps us find our feet beneath us more solidly, and supports us as we continue making our way along. While doing so, we discover that, whatever time we are in, whatever the circumstances, we possess and can access just what is needed to make our way through, right here in the very life we’re living.
As to the format of koan practice we’ll engage in here, we’ll sit together for a period of meditation, into which I will periodically bring the words of a koan to accompany us. Nothing is required beyond hearing them, receiving them, letting them in, and noticing what happens, what rises to meet them, is sparked by them, accompanies them. It’s good to simply stay with your direct experience, not looking for or attaching meaning or significance beyond what speaks for itself, no translation needed. Once the period of meditation concludes, there will be time for sharing our experiences and discoveries, our conversation naturally offering nourishment and encouragement for all.
In the course of our time together these past months, here are some things we've found to be inherently present in our conversations and mutual explorations, which support us in nourishing and encouraging one another:
What we are developing and growing here is truly wonderful, heartening, and enlivening. I look forward to seeing how it all continues to unfold and deepen as we continue journeying along together.
As to the format of koan practice we’ll engage in here, we’ll sit together for a period of meditation, into which I will periodically bring the words of a koan to accompany us. Nothing is required beyond hearing them, receiving them, letting them in, and noticing what happens, what rises to meet them, is sparked by them, accompanies them. It’s good to simply stay with your direct experience, not looking for or attaching meaning or significance beyond what speaks for itself, no translation needed. Once the period of meditation concludes, there will be time for sharing our experiences and discoveries, our conversation naturally offering nourishment and encouragement for all.
In the course of our time together these past months, here are some things we've found to be inherently present in our conversations and mutual explorations, which support us in nourishing and encouraging one another:
- notice, attend to, hold/be held by your own experience
- no need to reach for anything beyond what's here or for something beyond what's yours
- speak from the heart, of what is alive for you, without necessarily knowing why/how/if it connects
- no need to say something clever, to find some meaning or lesson, or to condense/reduce your experience to some pithy words of wisdom
- continue the curiosity, inquiry and exploration, in the midst of speaking, in the midst of listening to others, and on into the day/life beyond our time together
- no need to come to a clean finish, no need to have a tidy and well-ordered something to carry forward, no need to end the wondering, inquiring, discovering
What we are developing and growing here is truly wonderful, heartening, and enlivening. I look forward to seeing how it all continues to unfold and deepen as we continue journeying along together.
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For additional opportunities to connect online for meditation and teachings:
