Spring Practice Period
Gandavyuha Sutra: Continuous Practice of Relationship
with Ben Connelly
Wednesday evenings, April 2 – May 21 , 7:15 – 8:45 pm OR
Thursday mornings, April 3 – May 22 , 7:30 – 9:00 am
Offered online and in person
Please register five days in advance.
The Gandavyuha Sutra is the final chapter of the monumental Flower Garland Sutra. It tells the story of a young pilgrim and his encounters with a diverse array of fifty three great teachers: paupers, queens, children, monastics, goddesses, scientists, artists, and great bodhisattvas. They teach through countless methods: offering food, offering words, creating perfumes, seeing beauty, freeing prisoners, doing math, meditating, and guiding people through storms. This class will take inspiration from the text, by focusing on ways to relate to the text itself, to ourselves, our sangha, and each moment of experience.
We will use this translation: Entry Into The Realm of Reality, Cleary. If you purchase a copy, that’s wonderful. However, the teacher will provide pdfs of all texts for reading, and MZMC has copies in the library you can read at MZMC.
Practice Periods are an integral part of traditional Buddhism, and trace their origins back to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, when the nuns and monks would take time during the monsoon seasons of India to devote themselves to intensified meditation, study, and community building.
Participants are expected to attend the eight weekly meetings (Wednesday evenings from 7:15 – 8:45 pm OR Thursday mornings from 7:30 – 9:00 am), commit to regular zazen practice, attend at least one day of retreat (for which there is an additional cost) and one work practice day and read the assigned text(s).
Practice Partners for this Practice Period are optional*.
A Practice Partner is an assigned individual that you elect to meet with once a week for 30 - 60 minutes, supporting one another in practice and throughout the Practice Period. Many people report this as the highlight of Practice Period.
*Practice Partners for Priests-in-Training are required.
Suggested donation: $185
A Note About Donation-only Programming
Following the Buddhist tradition of dana, or giving, MZMC offers all of our programs on a donation basis. We offer a suggested donation amount to help people understand the average amount we hope to receive to continue to make these offerings. We encourage those with more capacity for giving to make a donation above the suggested amount to support those who need to give a smaller amount.
