In this series, the teachers of Chosei Zen will bring to life through their own experience the important Zen and Buddhist texts in our lineage. This month, Heather Meikyo Scobie Roshi will present Lankavatara Sutra.

The Lankavatara was the first quintessential Zen Sutra passed down from Bodhidharma to his successor as the essence of Zen, but later fell out of favor. The sutra describes how our traditional way of seeing is backward in that all things are manifestations of the Mind. A major point of emphasis is that the truth is to be realized by oneself. Scobie Roshi will connect how these principles make Zen training in the Virtual Dojo possible and what we can apply from the sutra to our own training.

The public is welcome to join. No prereading  is required, but you may find the talk even livelier if you read the text ahead of time. An abridged version of the text which can be found here or as a chapter in the Manual of Zen Buddhism. Priests-in-training are expected to do their assigned prereading, attend the public talk, and be prepared to discuss its significance to their training in a subsequently scheduled meeting.  

These talks will occur on the 2nd Sunday of even-numbered months at 1-2:30 pm CT (8-9:30 pm CET). You can register here and use the same link to join this and future Fresh Talks.

Events through Chosei Zen are donation-based and open to all regardless of ability to pay. All donations are very much appreciated and help keep our dojos running. You can donate here.