Classes
In addition to the daily meditation schedule, MZMC provides many different opportunities for practice and learning, including:
- Classes on Zen, Practice Periods, and Ongoing Groups
- Sesshins (Formal Retreats) and Contemporary Retreats
- One-to-one Meetings (Dokusan) and Practice Meetings
- Work Practice Days
- Guest Teacher Lectures and Workshops
All of these activities are open to the public. Where noted, fees are charged or donations requested for events. Financially supporting members of MZMC are eligible for discounts on fees for sesshins and other selected events.
Classes, Practice Periods, and Ongoing Groups
For those who are curious about meditation, or would like to test the waters, Intro to Zazen is a one-time, drop-in class offered each week that gives basic instruction on the classical Zen meditation technique.
Those looking for an ongoing group to support their efforts to establish a regular practice should try Beginner's Mind Zen Practice, which meets on alternate Tuesday evenings.
Introductory Classes
Introduction to Zazen (Sitting Meditation)
Sundays, 8:30 – 10 am
First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Cost: $5 – $10 donation requested. No pre-registration required. No one will be turned away because of an inability to donate.
Please note that Intro to Zazen is open to ages 12 and up. Parents with small children may contact MZMC to make special arrangements.
If you are new to Zen Buddhism or MZMC, this is the place to start. Learn the basics of zazen, the foundation of Zen practice. No pre-registration is required; just arrive a few minutes early. Sunday participants are welcome to stay for the public lecture at 10 am, and tea and social time afterward. Tuesday participants are welcome to stay for the second sitting period and Beginner's Mind Zen Practice discussion group afterward. These are good opportunities to meet others and get to know the community.
Beginner's Mind Zen Practice
with Susan Nelson
First and third Tuesdays each month
7:15 – 8:30 pm
Cost: Donations are encouraged; no pre-registration required.
This is a group for people seeking to establish a meditation practice and interested in meeting and talking with others about their experience. We share stories about meditation, offer encouragement, discuss mindfulness in everyday life, and learn basics of Zen Buddhism, always with an emphasis on the practice experience.
Welcome to Zen Buddhism Lecture
with Tim Burkett
Tuesday, August 24, 7:30 – 9 pm
Cost: $15 suggested donation; no preregistration is required.
Head Teacher Tim Burkett will discuss fundamental teachings of Zen Buddhism and their applicability to the modern world. This is a good place to begin; continue your study with Zen Buddhism: The Basics.
Zen Buddhism: The Basics
with Guy Gibbon and Martin Lahn
Four Mondays, September 13 – October 4
7:15 – 8:30 pm
Cost: $50 members; $60 nonmembers
Register
This class provides foundational information about Zen Buddhism and is designed for those with little or no prior knowledge. We will discuss a wide range of topics, including the life of the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, Buddhist ethics, the development of various Buddhist traditions, and Zen practice in daily life.
Intermediate Class
Ch'an Classic Teaching Poems
with Lee Lewis
This fall, Lee Lewis will discuss classical teaching poems that greatly influenced later generations of Ch'an and Zen teachings. Handouts will be provided.
Two 3-week sessions on Mondays, 7:15 – 8:45 pm
Harmony of Difference & Unity by Shih-t'ou:
August 16, 23, 30
Song of the Precious Mirror Samadhi by Tung-shan:
September 20, 27 & October 1
Cost: Members $45 per class; $85 for two
Nonmembers $55 per class; $100 for two
Register
Fall Practice Period:The Dhammapada, The Sayings of the Buddha
with Tim Burkett and Guy Gibbon
Eight Wednesdays, Sept.29 – November 17
7:15 – 8:45 pm
(Tuesdays 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. for those who cannot attend evening class.)
Cost: $120 for members; $145 non-members
Register
Important note: participants make a commitment to read and discuss the selected material; maintain a daily sitting practice; attend a minimum of two days of retreat; and attend at least one afternoon of work practice.
This fall, we will explore the Buddha’s teaching as expressed in The Dhammapada, one of the most popular texts among Buddhists for understanding the Buddha’s teaching, and one of the great religious texts of the world. Organized into 26 themes including vigilance, awareness, the self, the wise, the immature, the path, and the mind, the Buddha’s teachings are presented in the form of short verses. The text for the course is Eknath Easwaran’s translation (Nilgiri Press, 2007), which includes an extensive introduction and chapter introductions that place individual verses into the context of the broader Buddhist canon, making this text particularly user-friendly. As the translator concludes in his introduction, “if [all other Buddhist scriptures] were lost, we would need nothing more than the Dhammapada to follow the way of the Buddha.”
Practice Periods continue the 2500-year-old tradition started when Buddha and his students settled down for an extended period of practice during the monsoon season.
Advanced Class
Fall Morning Study Group: Zen Women Ancestors
with Monica Reede and Ben Connelly
September 2, 16, 30; October 14 and 28; November 11
7:30 – 9 am
Cost: $90 members; $110 non-members
Register
In this discussion group we will study the lives, practice, and teachings of inspiring women ancestors in our Zen lineage, from India through China and Japan. We will also explore the context in which their stories and teachings come to us. Together we will bring these extraordinary women's work into our lives and into Buddhist discourse. We will use Sally Tisdale's Women of the Way as our basic text as well as supplemental materials.
Work Practice Afternoons
In the eighth century in China the Zen master Pai Chang began emphasizing manual labor as a means of focused awareness and service to the community. Since that time monasteries and temples generally have been well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing due to the care put into this practice. MZMC continues to value this tradition by holding work practice afternoons throughout the year. A vegetarian lunch is provided, so please e-mail or call the office in advance if you plan to participate.
Fall 2010:
Saturday, September 18; Saturday, October 23; and Sunday, November 14
Time: 11:30 am to 3:30 pm
One-to-one Meetings (Dokusan) and Practice Meetings
Do you have questions about Zen? Do you want advice about establishing or maintaining a meditation practice? Does sitting present you with physical challenges? Are you struggling to apply your practice in your daily life? Do you wonder if you're really ready to do a retreat?
Zen Center offers meetings with experienced Zen teachers to address these kinds of questions. Teachers at Zen Center very much enjoy getting to know other Zen practitioners and encouraging others in their practice.
Two kinds of meetings are offered. Dokusan is a meeting with Zen Center's Abbott, Tim Burkett. Dokusan is available to Zen Center members, and is a bit more formal than practice meetings. Practice Meetings are opportunities to meet with the Center's other teachers, all of whom have been ordained by Tim. Anyone, members or non-members, can sign up for practice meetings. The participating teachers are: Guy Gibbon, Lee Lewis, Susan Nelson, Rosemary Taylor and Ted O'Toole.
Both types of meetings are simply opportunities for conversation. Appropriate topics might include zazen instruction, appropriate sitting posture, ritual, Zen Center programs, applying practice in daily life, or finding ways in which the practice can be helpful in difficult situations. It's also perfectly appropriate to sign up for a meeting just to get to know a teacher better. Repeat visits, to the same teacher or another teacher, are welcome. All matters disclosed in dokusan and practice meetings are kept confidential.
If you would like to attend a meeting, simply sign up on the appropriate sheet at MZMC. If none of the designated times work for you, you may contact the office and request that another time be arranged. You may ask for a specific teacher, or have one assigned to you. 612-822-5313 or info@mnzencenter.org