Koun Franz is a Soto Zen priest. He leads practice at Zen Nova Scotia in Halifax, where he also works as deputy editor of Buddhadharma. His writings on parenting and Zen can be found at continuousmistake.com and nyoho.com.
Leo Golub, Kagen - Flame Regarder: The Healing Power of the Earth Our Great Opportunity
Dharma Talk by Kagen Leo Golub, senior member of HZC, chair of finance committee. Leo is also a financial advisor and parent. He is devoted to caring for the land.
Rev. Hondo Dave Rutschman: Dharma Friendship
Dharma Talk by Rev. Hondo Dave Rutschman, Shuso/Head Student of the 2018-2019 Practice Period. Hondo is also a therapist in private practice, a grief counselor, and a parent to two children, and a poet and writer.
Seirin Tim Schorre: Intention and Spring Bird Migration
Tim Schorre
Zen Priests Seirin Tim Schorre and Gyōzan Royce Johnson lead a day of intensive practice. Practicing together in a day of sesshin allows us to continue to develop and deepen practice. The cut off date for signing up is Friday morning April 23rd at 11 am. Otherwise, it is not possible to guarantee sending the zoom link to late sign ups.
The day will be focused on zazen and the practice of opening the mind and heart. Zazen can ground and support us, everyone around us, and the whole world, allowing us to open to the teachings of wisdom and compassion. The day includes zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), a dharma talk with discussion, and breaks for meals.
Shinji Mary Carol Edwards: Zen Practice Is Our Relationship With Nature
Mary Carol Edwards
Dharma talk by Assistant Teacher of HZC Shinji Mary Carol Edwards. Mary Carol is a landscape designer, wetlands restoration expert, and owner/founder of Green Star Wetland Plant Farm.
Abbot Gaelyn Godwin Roshi: The Elephant and the Dog
Dharma Talk by Abbot Gaelyn Godwin, Abiding Teacher of HZC.
Guo Gu: Silent Illumination
Dharma Talk by Guo Gu, founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in Florida.
Our natural awakening—or buddha-nature—is inherent within all of us and waiting to be realized. Buddha-nature has the qualities of both silence and illumination, and by working with silent illumination meditation you can find your own awakening. Guo Gu introduces you to the significance and methods of this practice through in-depth explanations and guided instructions. To help establish a foundation for realizing silent illumination, he has translated twenty-five teachings from the influential master Hongzhi Zhengjue into English, accompanied by his personal commentary. Silent Illumination will be an indispensable resource for meditators interested in beginning or deepening their silent illumination practice.
Guo Gu is a Chan teacher, author, and Buddhist scholar. He is the founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center in Florida and founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief (DharmaRelief.org). As one of the few teachers carrying on the living wisdom of Chan Buddhism in the West and as the trainer of all Western Dharma teachers in the Dharma Drum Lineage of Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009), Guo Gu has a unique ability to bring profound Buddhist doctrines to life through concrete methods of practice. His teachings have touched the hearts of many students across the globe where he leads multi-day, intensive Chan retreats in different countries. His personal website is www.guogulaoshi.com.
Shop for a copy of Silent Illumination from Shambhala Publications, here.
Kenkai Brandon Lamson: Practice of the Wilderness and the Lotus Sutra
Brandon's Dharma Name means Inkstone Ocean, Turning Toward the Light. He is a senior member of HZC, a former member of the Board of Directors, an adjunct professor of creative writing at UH, a poet, a yoga teacher, and a leader of Houston Dharma Collective.
Choro Antonaccio: True Person of no Rank
Dharma Talk by Zen priest Choro Antonaccio.
Choro began formal Zen practice in 1999 at Chapel Hill Zen Center, where she was lay and priest ordained by Josho Pat Phelan Roshi. Choro also trained at Tassajara, Green Gulch Farm, and City Center. She moved from North Carolina to Texas last year, and currently serves as Tanto / Head of Practice at Austin Zen Center.
Gyōzan Royce Johnson - One Day Saturday Sesshin: The Teaching of Rebirth
Zen Priests Seirin Tim Schorre and Gyōzan Royce Johnson lead a day of intensive practice. Practicing together in a day of sesshin allows us to continue to develop and deepen practice. The cut off date for signing up is Friday morning March 19 at 11 am. Otherwise, it is not possible to guarantee sending the zoom link to late sign ups.
The day will be focused on zazen and the practice of opening the mind and heart. Zazen can ground and support us, everyone around us, and the whole world, allowing us to open to the teachings of wisdom and compassion. The day includes zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), a dharma talk with discussion, and breaks for meals.