Foundations of Practice
Four Noble Truths: How do we walk the path from suffering to peace?
The first and most fundamental teaching of the Buddha is the Middle Way: the alleviation of suffering through compassionate action, meditation and mindful living. The Four Noble Truths of dissatisfaction, its cause, its cessation, and the path to end it explain how and why to practice this Middle Way. In this class we will investigate how suffering is caused by desire and aversion, by wanting things to be other than how they are, and how we can follow the Buddhist Eightfold Path to move towards a deep and quiet joy.
Awakening the Heart: How do we practice the bodhisattva way?
Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the path of seeing through our preconceptions and conditioning so that we may give ourselves to the joy of serving others. Bodhisattavas are those who have given themselves to this path. In this class we'll study the Heart Sutra, chanted in Zen temples daily all over the world, which expresses the Bodhisattva ideal and the Buddhist concept of emptiness. We'll also explore the Paramitas (perfections of practice) and the formless precepts, guideposts for compassionate action.
Original Zen: What were the first Zen teachings?
1500 years ago in China, Buddhism took a new and dynamic form called Zen that still thrives to this day. Direct knowledge beyond words, spontaneity, harmony with nature and bare attention to just this moment are hallmarks of this tradition. We'll study some of the earliest and most influential Zen teachers, each with a unique and beautiful expression of every person's ability to awaken now.
Mindfulness in Daily Life: How do we bring awareness to our lives?
Mindfulness is a fundamental component of Zen practice and it is also widely recognized in the psychological community as an excellent tool for alleviating stress and all the problems that follow behind it. This class will help us develop day-to-day mindfulness practices so that we may more deeply experience and enjoy our precious and fleeting lives.
Zen Ritual and Liturgy: What is at the heart of bowing and chanting?
Ritual is a basic component of our traditional style practice at MZMC and has been central to Buddhist and Zen practice for thousands of years. This class is an investigation of both how and why we do ritual: bowing, chanting, tending altars, and others. We'll also study the meaning and purpose for some of the chants we use at our Center.
Creativity and Zen: How de we express our practice?
Art and Zen have always been intimately connected. This class will be designed uniquely each time it is taught by the instructor and will provide a study of either a particular art form, such as writing or sewing, or how creativity in general relates to our Zen practice.
Click here for our current class offerings.
The first and most fundamental teaching of the Buddha is the Middle Way: the alleviation of suffering through compassionate action, meditation and mindful living. The Four Noble Truths of dissatisfaction, its cause, its cessation, and the path to end it explain how and why to practice this Middle Way. In this class we will investigate how suffering is caused by desire and aversion, by wanting things to be other than how they are, and how we can follow the Buddhist Eightfold Path to move towards a deep and quiet joy.
Awakening the Heart: How do we practice the bodhisattva way?
Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the path of seeing through our preconceptions and conditioning so that we may give ourselves to the joy of serving others. Bodhisattavas are those who have given themselves to this path. In this class we'll study the Heart Sutra, chanted in Zen temples daily all over the world, which expresses the Bodhisattva ideal and the Buddhist concept of emptiness. We'll also explore the Paramitas (perfections of practice) and the formless precepts, guideposts for compassionate action.
Original Zen: What were the first Zen teachings?
1500 years ago in China, Buddhism took a new and dynamic form called Zen that still thrives to this day. Direct knowledge beyond words, spontaneity, harmony with nature and bare attention to just this moment are hallmarks of this tradition. We'll study some of the earliest and most influential Zen teachers, each with a unique and beautiful expression of every person's ability to awaken now.
Mindfulness in Daily Life: How do we bring awareness to our lives?
Mindfulness is a fundamental component of Zen practice and it is also widely recognized in the psychological community as an excellent tool for alleviating stress and all the problems that follow behind it. This class will help us develop day-to-day mindfulness practices so that we may more deeply experience and enjoy our precious and fleeting lives.
Zen Ritual and Liturgy: What is at the heart of bowing and chanting?
Ritual is a basic component of our traditional style practice at MZMC and has been central to Buddhist and Zen practice for thousands of years. This class is an investigation of both how and why we do ritual: bowing, chanting, tending altars, and others. We'll also study the meaning and purpose for some of the chants we use at our Center.
Creativity and Zen: How de we express our practice?
Art and Zen have always been intimately connected. This class will be designed uniquely each time it is taught by the instructor and will provide a study of either a particular art form, such as writing or sewing, or how creativity in general relates to our Zen practice.
Click here for our current class offerings.
