EVENTS
49-day Talk: You are time (Ryan Roshi)
Have you ever felt like you were racing against the clock or running out of time? Join professional futurist and reformed chronic latecomer Rebecca Ryan Roshi as she deconstructs the myth of “time" and re-orients us as “time beings.”
49-day Physical Training
Joe Pittelli Sensei will lead the group in physical exercises that help build energy during the 49-day Being Time to Renew Time Training.
49-day Talk: Antidote for the Weary (Scobie Roshi)
Heather Scobie Roshi will give a talk that expands on her writing “Antidote for the Weary” during the 49-day Being Time to Renew Time Training.
49-day Physical Training
Joe Pittelli Sensei will lead the group in physical exercises that help build energy during the 49-day Being Time to Renew Time Training.
Talk: That Asshole at Work
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will host a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human- - from fighting with your love ones to dealing with jerks at work. This month her talk is: “That Asshole at Work.” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
Talk: Taking a Stand/Activism
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will host a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human- - from fighting with your love ones to dealing with jerks at work. This month her talk is: “Taking a Stand/Activism.” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
Talk: The Child (or Puppy) That Cries Through the Night
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will host a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human- - from fighting with your love ones to dealing with jerks at work. This month her talk is: “The Child (or Puppy) That Cries Through the Night.” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
90-day Talk: I don’t have time!
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will host a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human. During the 90-day Habit of Freedom Training, Ryan Roshi will address themes around habits. This month her talk is: “I don’t have time!” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
90-day Talk: Why do I Keep Killing Houseplants?
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will host a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human. During the 90-day Habit of Freedom Training, Ryan Roshi will address themes around habits. This month her talk is: “Why do I Keep Killing Houseplants?” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
90-day Talk: When my Spouse Drives me Crazy
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will host a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human. During the 90-day Habit of Freedom Training, Ryan Roshi will address themes around habits. This month her talk is: “When my Spouse Drives me Crazy.” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
Webinar: The Elegance of Not Enough
Historically, Zen training temples didn’t have much money or resources. As a result they had to figure out how to keep people fed, sheltered, clean and warm in a frugal way. Unexpectedly, that frugality led to some highly elegant solutions such as the traditional outdoor bath. In this webinar, Gordon Greene Roshi will talk about ways that is relevant to us today at the Spring Green Dojo.
Talk: Am I Depressed?
Rebecca Ryan Roshi will kick off a monthly series called Stuff I’d Rather Not Talk About where she offers her perspective on different everyday experiences of being human - from fighting with your love ones to dealing with jerks at work. This month her talk is: “Am I Depressed?” Questions and discussion are welcome. No Zen experience is required to attend.
Webinar: Calligraphy Zen
Training in Shodo from a Zen point of view means that our kiai development must coincide with technical ability to project our spirit (ki) into a work of art. Therefore, Shodo can be a tool of spiritual refinement. In this webinar, Esteban Martinez Sensei will discuss the benefits of training in calligraphy and how it can benefit one's Zen training.
From Keishin to Sesshin: What's different about training in person?
An opportunity for in-person sesshin is likely to land in the fall. What's the difference from keishin and the training in the Virtual Dojo you've been used to? Join in a discussion with teachers who are big fans of training in both worlds to better understand what's unique about in-person training and whether it calls you.
Webinar: Karate Zen
Our Canon says, “Zen without the accompanying physical experience is nothing but empty discussion. Martial ways without realizing the "Mind" is nothing but beastly behavior.” In Japanese, “Ken Zen Ichi Nyo” means "Karate Zen as One." In this Webinar, Jim Anzan Dardouni Sensei and Joe Kizan Pittelli Sensei will discuss their experience of karate training with and without training in Zen.
Webinar: Ceramic Zen
In this webinar, Scott Kou-un Kiel Roshi will draw on his experience to explore how and why we train in Zen with ceramics.
Webinar: Zen and Leadership
Our line of Zen has long been associated with the martial arts, a connection beautifully articulated by Omori Sogen in Zen and Budo. In this webinar, Ginny Jiko Whitelaw Roshi will draw on her deep experience to make the case that Zen and Leadership is the new Zen and Budo (martial way). She will explore how we need to approach Zen leadership to live up to the high standard of being a Way, or "do" in Japanese.
Webinar: Okyo (chanting)
In our tradition, we approach okyo (chanting) from a musical and energetic perspective. You can listen to the choka, or series of okyo that we do here. In this webinar, Heather Meikyo Scobie Roshi will address the how and why we train in okyo. She will also present different ways to practice and what to focus on during your practice. Participants will be asked to do different exercises, so please dress accordingly and be prepared to make some noise.
Webinar: Facing the Hungry Ghost
Gordon Hakuun Greene Roshi recently conducted keishin during the early January chaos in American politics. His evening teachings centered on the ways in which a variety of cultures face the kinds of greed and selfishness that threaten survival. This webinar revisits the topic and discusses ways we can face selfishness/greed head-on.
Webinar: Hara Development Part 2
In this webinar, Kenneth Setsuzan Kushner Roshi will continue his discussion of the hara and its role in Zen, the martial arts and fine arts. This time, Kushner Roshi will focus on intermediate and advanced exercises that can help you deepen your breathing and make the transition from abdominal to hara breathing. If you didn’t participate in Kushner Roshi’s first hara development webinar, you can watch it here. You may also want to visit his Hara Development blog to get basic information on hara and familiarize yourself with the exercises he will be teaching. As before, this is will be a highly experiential webinar, and participants will be asked to practice the exercises as they are introduced. So, dress accordingly and be prepared to breathe!
Webinar: Manual Labor of Zen Meditation
Gordon Hakuun Greene Roshi will present on the Manual Labor of Zen Meditation. He says, “When you view your Zen training as physical work, it helps you focus on the profound role that breath and awareness of gravity have in experiencing a non-dualistic world.” Greene Roshi also has a course and videos on this topic online. There will be opportunities for questions and group discussion.
The webinar (7:30-8:30pm CST) will occur immediately after evening Daily Zazen (7-7:30 pm CST). After Daily Zazen, we will switch to a different Zoom link for the Webinar. To participate in the Webinar, please register here. 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.
Webinar: Hara Development
In this webinar, Kenneth Setsuzan Kushner Roshi will discuss the importance of developing the hara (lower abdomen) in Zen, the martial arts, and the fine arts. He will also demonstrate a series of exercises that can be helpful in developing and deepening hara breathing. While the webinar will be geared primarily to beginning and intermediate students, advanced students may also find this review helpful. This is will be a highly experiential webinar, and participants will be asked to practice the exercises as they are introduced. So, dress accordingly and be prepared to breathe!
The webinar (7:30-8:45pm CST) will occur immediately after evening Daily Zazen (7-7:30 pm CST). After Daily Zazen, we will switch to a different Zoom link for the Webinar. To participate in the Webinar, please register here. 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 online here.
Webinar: Zen of Shakuhachi
During evening Daily Zazen (7-7:30pm CST) on Sunday, November 1, Joe Kizan Pitteli will play shakuhachi (bamboo flute). Afterwards (7:30-8:30pm CST), he and Wayne Kyoen Honda Roshi will give a talk and answer questions about using shakuhachi for Zen training and hara development. The webinar (7:30-8:30pm CST) will occur immediately after Daily Zazen (7-7:30pm CST) using the same Zoom link. You can register for Daily Zazen here.
We would also like to gauge interest in an online monthly shakuhachi class through the Virtual Dojo. Please contact Joe Pitteli if you’re interested in training in shakuhachi. Training through Chosei Zen is 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 online here.
Webinar: The Weight of Suffering
How much do thoughts and feelings weigh? This might seem like a silly question, since we cannot place these things on a weight scale. But we all know that some thoughts and feelings (the thought of death, the emotion of grief) are heavier than others. In this talk, Geoff Kantou Ashton Roshi will examine the relationship between suffering and weight—from the weight of our thoughts and feelings to the heaviness of the muscles that support these thoughts and feelings. The webinar will explore what we can learn from the weight of suffering in our Zen training.
The webinar (7:30-8:45pm CDT) will occur immediately after evening Daily Zazen (7-7:30 pm CDT). After Daily Zazen, we will switch to a different Zoom link for the Webinar. To participate in the Webinar, please register here. 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 online here.
Webinar: Ready, Set, Resonate
In this webinar, Ginny Jiko Whitelaw Roshi will explore the relationship between the physical body, universal energy and how they connect through resonance. She'll share how our training in sound and okyo (chanting) tune us to be more resonant beings. We’ll also have the privilege of helping Whitelaw Roshi celebrate the release of her new book on the same topic: Resonate: Zen and the Way of Making a Difference.
The webinar (7:30-9pm CDT) will occur immediately after evening Daily Zazen (7-7:30 pm CDT). After Daily Zazen, we will switch to a different Zoom link for the Webinar. To participate in the Webinar, please register here. 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 online here.
Webinar: What is Zen Art?
Gordon Hakuun Greene Roshi will present: What is Zen Art? He says, “A discussion of art these days may feel like a luxury, like a distraction, from the many crises our world is facing. But when talking about Zen art, we are talking about what it means to express something deeply human. And then what happens when we encounter such an expression. Done properly, Zen art takes away fear and that is not at all a distraction. So let’s talk about what Zen art is, how it is created, and how it has the impact that it does.”
The webinar (7:30-9pm CDT) will occur immediately after Daily Zazen (7-7:30 pm CDT) using the same Zoom link. You can register for Daily Zazen here.
Webinar: What is Zen training?
This webinar will address questions like “what is Zen?” and “how do we train in Zen?” Kenneth Setsuzan Kushner Roshi will share the history of the Chosei Zen lineage and his 40 years of Zen training experience. There will be time for questions and answers.
The webinar (7:30-9am CDT) will occur immediately after morning Daily Zazen (7-7:30 am CDT) using the same Zoom link. You can register for Daily Zazen at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYld-6uqz4iEtQH-7BLpxNKusk_Offu4dGd