Spring Practice Period
Spring Practice Period: Lotus Sutra with Ted O'Toole and Keido Jeromy Thotland
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, read the assigned text(s), and have regular meetings with an assigned practice partner.
The topic of the spring Practice Period will be the Lotus Sutra, using the translation by Gene Reeves. The Lotus Sutra is one of the world's great religious texts and has been highly influential in the development of Mahayana Buddhism. The Practice Period will be led by Ted O'Toole and Keidō Jeromy Thotland, and will end with Keidō's shuso ceremony. There will be an opportunity for an optional "Tea with the Shuso."
We will study the second half of the Lotus Sutra in the Spring Practice Period. Although we studied the first half in the Fall 2022 Practice Period, that Practice Period was not a prerequisite for this one. In our initial meetings in the spring we will summarize the offerings from Fall 2022 in order for new participants to catch up, and prior participants to be reminded. Anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with the first half of the Lotus Sutra may take a look at pages 1-217 of the book.
Offered online and in person
- Wednesday evenings, March 29 – May 17 , 7:15 – 8:45 pm OR
- Thursday mornings, March 30 – May 18 , 7:30 – 9:00 am
Please register five days in advance.
Suggested donation: $150
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.
