Mountains, Rivers and The Great Earth: 3 Sundays with Henry
August 18, 25, and September 1
10am – 12pm MDT
(This series is still open – recordings of previous sessions will be emailed after registration)
Online
A deeper exploration of Support
This series is grounded in a deeper exploration of the second zone of practice that students on The Way encounter — Support. Picking up on some of the practices in Trails 3 and 11 on The Way, as well as the teachings on Support and Connection in the Original Love program, it will dive into a deeper exploration of our connectivity with the natural world, as well as our connectedness with other beings, our interdependence with the biosphere, and our dependence on the world of which we form a part.
Mountains and rivers figure in the Zen tradition as deep teachers of our true nature as human beings alive in this world. Mountains suggest the unmoving steadfastness of our original nature. Rivers suggest the unceasing flow not just of the mind, but of the ceaseless flux and flow of all phenomena arising and passing.
Nature as a support for our practice
This world is a constantly moving flow of events and things, beings and stories. Yet the great earth holds and sustains all of it. Are there ways our practice can embody both? Can our practice teach us how to stay steady in the face of uncertainty? Can we learn to flow like the rivers with whatever arises, and trust that the great ocean is large enough to hold all of it?
How in fact do we allow the natural world around us to shape our practice?
In these three sessions we will explore what the traditions say mountains, rivers and the great earth have to teach us, and ways we can enact those teachings in our ordinary daily lives.
The peace of our true nature
Sunday Sessions are a chance to gather in community to investigate our true nature, and settle into the deep rest and peace that it can provide.
Each session offers an exploration, from the heart, of various themes and practices inherent both in the Original Love program and in the pathway of The Way meditation app.
In these sessions there is a guided meditation and a talk that is often infused with poetry, with teachings old and new, with quotes from beloved authors and inspiring Zen masters, as well as poignant stories from daily life.
Sunday Sessions end with a Q&A period where students will have the chance to ask questions, and hear answers to the questions that other students have on their minds and hearts.
Cost for the 3-part series
$75
The cost includes:
- 3 Sunday Sessions (August 18, 25, September 1)
- Access to the Sunday session recordings for 3 months
Each Sunday will be recorded if you can’t attend live, and made available within a couple days after each session.
(This series is still open – recordings of previous sessions will be emailed after registration)
Please note! For members of the Original Love One Year Program, there’s no need to register separately for this series.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this Sunday session series, please contact Jeremy. We’re happy to answer any questions and look forward to having you join us!
Scholarships
We warmly welcome you to contact us if a scholarship would allow you to attend this Sunday session series. Please contact the Original Love program manager Jeremy for details about how to apply.
About your teacher
Henry Shukman
Henry is an authorized Zen Master in the Sanbo Zen lineage, and is the Spiritual Director of Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to teaching meditation, Henry is an award-winning author and poet. His struggles and traumatic experiences as a youth, combined with a spontaneous awakening experience at 19, paved the way for Henry to develop a well-rounded approach to healing and awakening through meditation.
