4-part Sunday series on koans
November 3, 17, 24 and December 1
Plus additional Q&A session with Henry on November 26
(This series is still open – recordings of previous sessions will be emailed after registration)
Online
Imagine your own life without shame or judgment
Or any kind of hierarchy — instead, a radical simplicity, an openness that allows you to appreciate each moment, and to meet each person as they are. What if we could wake up in the morning and meet the world on equal terms, as a simple person, free from judgment, free from competition or envy, free from mental commentary, assessment, criticism? With a quiet mind and an open heart.
The great ninth century Zen master Lin-Chi (aka Rinzai) had a central koan in his teaching: What is the True Person of No Rank? In other words, is there someone or something within us, within our very experience, that is free from any sense of ranking, judging, measuring and assessing, that can meet all experience with a wide open heart?
Over the four weeks of this course we will explore this classic koan and see how it can shape and illuminate different dimensions of our life and practice. We’ll examine the wisdom it can impart, through the lens of each of the four zones of practice that we follow on The Way and in the Original Love program.
Finding trust and calm in troubled times
Zen and its koans were forged in extreme times. The Tang Dynasty of China (618-908) was a period of great flourishing, of prosperity and cultural achievement. But it was also a time of great disruption and uncertainty, as one of the most destructive civil wars in history ravaged the empire.
And right now we are also living in our own deeply uncertain times. In this course we will explore Lin-Chi’s koan and others, and discover how they can help us.
We will come back to a deep place of trust and calm within ourselves, and get introduced to practices that can open us up to glimpses of a boundless reality that is always close by, where our troubles and uncertainties are seen from a very different perspective – one full of compassion and radical trust.
Course details
There will be four Sunday sessions and an additional live Q&A session with Henry, all beginning November 3. This course will offer a great opportunity to deepen our practice, to connect with other students of The Way and the Original Love program, and to explore some of the ways ancient wisdom can inform our lives today.
Specifically, we will cover:
- tasting the possibility of life without self-judgement and shame
- getting glimpses of a life free from competition, envy and mental commentary
- discovering how koans can introduce us to states of trust and unconditional well-being
- understanding the background and context of koan practice
- working with koans in our daily practice
A course designed for all levels
Over the course of these four weeks we’ll bring these approaches into our personal practice, and see for ourselves how practice can become operationalized in the course of daily life.
This course is designed for all levels. It’s a perfect companion for students of The Way, readers of Original Love and One Blade of Grass, and Henry’s teachings on koans.
Each Sunday session will include a guided sit, a talk and Q&A. This course includes a special additional Q&A session with Henry on Tuesday, November 26, to help answer any questions that come up about applying koans to your meditation practice.
Cost for the 4-part series
$149
(This series is still open – recordings of previous sessions will be emailed after registration)
New! For subscribers of The Way, we are offering a 20% discount for this course. To access your discount, go to the Events page in The Way app – then click on the True Person of No Rank course listing
The cost includes:
- 4 Sunday Sessions (November 3, 17, 24, December 1)
- Additional 45 min Q&A session with Henry on November 26
- Access to the session recordings for 3 months
Each session will be recorded if you can’t attend live, and made available within a few days after each session.
Please note! This is series is included in the Original Love One Year Program; there’s no need to register separately.
Schedule
- 10am – 12pm MST on November 3, 17, 24, and December 1
- 10-10:45am MST on November 26
Questions?
If you have any questions about this Sunday session series, please contact our program manager 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 our 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 Emeritus 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.
