The talks during the month of May will all focus on the influence of ancestral Zen teachers. Modern Zen practice is the creative expression of an unbroken river of teachings by Zen teachers going back for more than two thousand years.
We are very honored to host several distinguished speakers during May who will each teach us something about the history of the ancestors. Their teachings are foundational to Zen, and support flows to us even today from the courageous and creative teachers of the lineage.
May 3: Dōjin Sarah Emerson, a Soto Zen priest and the co-Head Priest of Stone Creek Zen Center in Sebastopol, California will open the discussion with teachings on the Buddha and his circle of influence.
May 10: Koun Franz, a Soto Zen priest, leads practice at Zen Nova Scotia in Halifax, where he also works as deputy editor of Buddhadharma. Koun Sensei has devoted years of study to Bodhidarma, the founder of Zen in China, and has written a dissertation about this important Zen master.
May 17: Abbot Konjin Godwin will bring the topic to Japan, with a dharma talk about Dōgen Zenji and his circle.
May 24: Shuso Zengetsu Vicki Glenn will bring the topic to the West with a talk about Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and his profound and subtle teachings of daily practice.
May 31: Koun Matt Brownlie a senior Zen practitioner and long-time leader at HZC will open the topic to influences on our lives today, with a focus on the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Ancestor.