An exploration of Dogen Zenji's Bodaisatta Shishobo and carrying out our bodhisattva vows in the world
Virtual workshops on the fourth Monday evening of each month throughout 2021
Zazen at 6:30 pm; teaching and discussion 7:00 - 8:30 pm
No cost, but dana is welcome.
Some of us are already involved in our communities, doing everything from working with arts groups, serving on boards, teaching or tutoring and volunteering with non-profits to chaplaincy, providing direct service to those in need, engaging in dialogue with elected officials and providing pro bono professional skills. For others, carrying out bodhisattva vows means fulfilling workplace responsibilities, looking after a family or caring for the earth. After a tumultuous beginning to this new century, thoughts have turned to the state of our communities and society, how we can make sense of what we're seeing and feeling, and how we can take skillful action to help liberate beings from suffering and bring wholesomeness to the world.
Commitment to beneficial action has always been a part of Sanshin's mission, but this year we're going to explore that in a whole new way. As individual bodhisattvas, we need guidance from the teachings of our tradition, a chance to do some discernment about the kind of activities and issues with which we're personally interested in being involved, and the support and encouragement of fellow practitioners in seeing that through. Using the four elements of Dogen Zenji's Bodaisatta Shishobo (The Four All-Embracing Actions of the Bodhisattva) as a roadmap, we'll engage in individual and group exploration of the practice of beneficial action and equip ourselves to undertake the activity or activities we choose to do. That activity may be new or familiar, public or private, large or small, social, political, scientific, artistic or anything else that's meaningful. Each of us may be engaged in the community in a different way, but the underlying aspiration to skillfully see, hear and lessen the suffering of the world and to undertake our community engagement as practice holds us all together.
Zazen at 6:30 pm; teaching and discussion 7:00 - 8:30 pm
No cost, but dana is welcome.
Some of us are already involved in our communities, doing everything from working with arts groups, serving on boards, teaching or tutoring and volunteering with non-profits to chaplaincy, providing direct service to those in need, engaging in dialogue with elected officials and providing pro bono professional skills. For others, carrying out bodhisattva vows means fulfilling workplace responsibilities, looking after a family or caring for the earth. After a tumultuous beginning to this new century, thoughts have turned to the state of our communities and society, how we can make sense of what we're seeing and feeling, and how we can take skillful action to help liberate beings from suffering and bring wholesomeness to the world.
Commitment to beneficial action has always been a part of Sanshin's mission, but this year we're going to explore that in a whole new way. As individual bodhisattvas, we need guidance from the teachings of our tradition, a chance to do some discernment about the kind of activities and issues with which we're personally interested in being involved, and the support and encouragement of fellow practitioners in seeing that through. Using the four elements of Dogen Zenji's Bodaisatta Shishobo (The Four All-Embracing Actions of the Bodhisattva) as a roadmap, we'll engage in individual and group exploration of the practice of beneficial action and equip ourselves to undertake the activity or activities we choose to do. That activity may be new or familiar, public or private, large or small, social, political, scientific, artistic or anything else that's meaningful. Each of us may be engaged in the community in a different way, but the underlying aspiration to skillfully see, hear and lessen the suffering of the world and to undertake our community engagement as practice holds us all together.
Our roadmap for the yearFirst quarter: Offering
Workshops: Jan 25, Feb 22, Mar 22
Second quarter: Loving speech Workshops: Apr 26, May 24, June 28
Third quarter: Beneficial action Workshops: Jul 26, Aug 23, Sep 27
Fourth quarter: Identity action Workshops: Oct 25, Nov 22, Dec 27
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A typical workshop in this series:
Participants will have access to a non-public page on our website that provides the text of the Bodaisatta Shishobo for study, a place to post information and reflections, our collective resource list, the link to Zoom workshops, and recordings of the dharma talks. The page will serve as our shared space between the workshops themselves so we can continue to stay in touch, support and encourage each other and remember to practice. Other activities in which we might engage between workshops to continue developing our practice of beneficial action
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