Study

Book reader with tea cup and flowers.
Reading & Writing Study Group (Photo credit: Thought Catalog from Pexels)

For dates and times for upcoming study meetings, please consult our News page or the Calendar.

Opening to Oneness

Starting in October 2023, we’ll be studying Opening to Oneness: A Practical Guide to the Zen Precepts by Nancy Mujo Baker.”  For those who wish to order the book online the following link is provided:  https://www.shambhala.com/opening-to-oneness.html

For specific meeting details and reading assignments, please see our News section.

The Zen Teachings of Homeless Kodo

Starting in late March 2022, we’ll be studying the “Zen Teachings of the Homeless Kodo” by Kosho Uchiyama and Shohaku Okumura.  Looking forward to studying the text with you.  Please go ahead and start reading.  Mark any sections that speak to you and bring those to the monthly study meeting.  As of Feb 26 2023, we’ve looked at Chapters 49, 9, 66, 50, 44, (67?) …

Song of the Jewel Mirror of Awareness

Late in 2021 and early in 2022, we studied a few translations of the Jewel Mirror.

Householder Koans

Our next study group will be starting on January 24, 2021 following our usual sit. We’ll be looking at “The Book of Householder Koans” by Eve Myonen Marko and Wendy Egyoku Nakao, beginning with the section on Loss, Illness, Old Age and Death and the koan: Karen: The Old Woman Meets a Fish. We’ll be exploring various ways to engage with this and other koans. Is there another koan in this section that resonates with you? If so, go ahead and bookmark the page, as we may explore other koans, time permitting.

Dec 6 2020: Online Study “Three Step Zen Mindfulness Method”

On December 6, we will be studying and discussing the short introduction to Ryodo Roshi’s framework of the “Three-Step Zen Mindfulness Method.”  See our “News” page for further details.  All are welcome to share their reflections about their explorations of the text.

2020: Online Study “White Fragility”

We will be studying “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo, meeting about once a month.  We plan to read and discuss about 3 or so chapters each month.  Our focus will be on identifying connections between this work and our Zen practice.

2019 & 2020: Simplified Reading & Study

Now that we are all back in the same location, we are using a simpler structure for our book study, namely to read a chapter and come prepared to discuss its relation to your life at the in-person meeting.

As of March 2020, we’re meeting online. For full details, please consult our “News” items for the specific dates and chapters chosen for each month. Looking forward to studying with you!

Early 2019: Reading, Writing, and Study

The community book study series has started. Each month, we are

  • reading a chapter, then
  • reflecting in writing for a page or so on the connection between the reading, our lives and practice (using Google Docs), then
  • over a week, reading what other people have written and write a short reflection (into the same Google Doc), and finally
  • getting together in person (or via Google Hangout video) to reflect together and enjoy the Sangha Treasure.

Book:  “Making Zen Your Own,” Janet Jiryu Abels, Still Mind Zendo, NYC: https://stillmindzendo.org/  — Amazon or Wisdom Publisher: https://www.wisdompubs.org/book/making-zen-your-own

Plan:    For each month:

  • By first Sunday: Read and reflect on assigned reading, write one or two paragraphs of reflections about the connection to your own life.
  • By second Sunday:  Read other participants’ reflections.  Maybe write short paragraph of reflections in response.
  • On third Sunday:  Come together in person or via video.

Timing for video meeting (esp. for February connection with NZ):

  • 4 PM East Coast Time (Sunday)
  • 1 PM West Coast Time (Sunday)
  • 9 AM New Zealand Time (Monday!)

Meeting Dates: Jan 20, Feb 17, Mar 17, Apr 21, May 19, Jun 16, party in July,   

(at which point we’ll touch base about future dates)

We are using Google Drive, Docs, and Hangouts.  Links to the documents will be shared through our community email list.  If you have questions, email us!

How to Raise an Ox (2018)

The Zen Master Yuan-Chih of Chang-ching Hall in Fu country once addressed the monks in the Dharma hall:

“For thirty years I lived on Mount Wei and during that time I ate the monastery’s rice and gave it back in the latrine.  I did not learn the Zen of Master Wei-shan.  All I did was raise an ox.”

Zen Master Dogen,  From Shobogenzo Kajo

As a framework for our inquiry, Soshin Osho invites us to explore where in our lives today we may find ourselves in a situation like that depicted in each image.

Join us as we take up the study of The Ten Oxherding Pictures!  Dates are posted on the calendar page.  The two versions of the text we are using are listed below:

Oxherding-Yamada-cover-1-10

ox-zmm-all