“When your mind is deluded, you are turned by the dharma blossoms. When your mind is enlightened, you turn the dharma blossoms. When you thoroughly experience this, it is dharma blossoms turning dharma blossoms. ”
Dogen Zenji brought Soto Zen practice from China to Japan in the thirteenth century. His writings have come to be known world-wide for their poetic and paradoxical language, and penetrating depth.
In Japanese a gathering to study Dogen's writing is called a Genzo-e. Our annual Dogen weekend retreat has grown into a five-week practice intensive. Studying Dogen together we can widen and deepen our perspectives on practice.
We are happy to announce that for the first time we will have a shuso (head monk) for the intensive, long- time sangha member, Heito Lee Lourdeaux. “I first learned to sit zazen from a Japanese fellow student named Kenji in Chicago. I later practised zazen in North Carolina with a group affiliated with the San Francisco Zen Center, before immigrating to Vancouver in 2000 and taking Jukai in 2008. I wish to express deep gratitude to Kenji who first taught me simply by sitting upright like a stone.”
You can sign up for a 30 minute online tea-with-shuso HERE. Please note that you have the option to meet individually or as a small group. If you wish to meet as a group, please have one person register and they will then be able to extend the invitation to the other members of the group. If you know Lee personally you can contact him directly for an in-person tea at his home.
Lee will give a way-seeking mind talk during regular Sunday morning practice, February 1. and his dharma inquiry ceremony will be Sunday, March 8.
Dogen often used the imagery of flowers in his writing to express the bursting forth of life, awakening, a moment of being-time, ephemeral beauty. During this Genzo-e we will read and practice with some of Dogen’s texts that feature blossoms: Dharma Blossoms Turn Dharma Blossoms, Flowers in the Sky, Plum Blossoms, Udumbara Blossom. We will draw on sections from each of these texts, and have copies available, but if you would like to read in advance an online translation by Kazuaki Tanahashi can be found HERE.
The opening weekend and will consist of a day retreat Saturday, January 31 (details and registration HERE) and Sunday morning regular practice open to all. The closing weekend will consist of a day retreat Saturday, March 7 (details and registration HERE), regular Sunday morning practice open to all, and a jukai ceremony Sunday afternoon open to all. Please register separately for each day retreat. Both are available for in-person or online attendance.
Wednesday evenings will consist of two 25-min. zazen periods, and informal talk, followed by reflection questions and talking circles, and sometimes writing exercises. Please feel free to bring a notebook and pen.
Sunday mornings will consist of two 30-min. zazen periods, a dharma talk, and chanting service.
To sign up for a practice intensive peer group, of 2-4 people who will meet twice during the five-weeks click HERE. You can indicate someone you would like to form a group with or we can match you with 1-3 others.
