The Dawn of Zen This course is a study of two early Zen texts, "Trusting the Heartmind" (Hsin Hsin Ming) and "The Merging of Difference and Unity" (Ts'an T'ung Ch'i). These texts draw our attention to actual experience and inspire us to place our trust and energy there, rather than in our time-bound, mental constructs of thought and belief.
Prerequisite: Completion of Dependent Arising and the Unlocatable Self
Recommended: Completion of First Year Basic Studies
Instructor: Steve Hagen
Class dates: September 10 to October 15, 2007
Time: 8–9 pm (meditation 7:15–7:50 pm)
Text will be provided at no charge.
For the students' convenience, the following class handouts are available for download in pdf format:
Rise of the Mahayana I(from
the Buddha to Nagarjuna) This course
surveys the various philosophies and sects of Buddhism beginning with those which developed
after the time of the Buddha to those leading up to the Middle Way school
of Nagarjuna (Madhyamika) and the wisdom teachings of the Mahayana
(the Prajñaparamita).
Prerequisite: Completion of Dependent Arising and the Unlocatable Self
Recommended: Completion of First Year Basic Studies
Instructor: Mary
Sullivan
Class dates: October 29 to December 3, 2007
Time: 8–9 pm (meditation 7:15–7:50 pm)
Either of the following texts is recommended: A Concise History of Buddhism, by Andrew Skilton, -OR- Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, by Paul Williams
Totality and Non-Obstruction What is meant by Totality and Non-Obstruction? It is to transcend the tight confines of ego with the realization that Reality is found in interrelationship rather than in discreteness. Leaving behind all dualistic interpretations of experience, this course focuses on the radical view of the world as seen by the Awakened.
Prerequisite: Completion of Dependent Arising and the Unlocatable Self
Recommended: Completion of First Year Basic Studies
Instructor: Steve Hagen
Class dates: January 7 to February 11, 2008
Time: 8–9 pm (meditation 7:15–7:50 pm)
Text: Hua-yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra, by Francis H. Cook.
For the students' convenience, the course syllabus is available for download in pdf format:
Rise
of the Mahayana II(from Bodhidharma to Dogen) This course will provide the cultural context from which Zen Buddhism arose and evolved, including brief discussions of Hua-yen, Pure Land, and Tendai Lotus schools. Significant Zen ancestors in ancient China, from Bodhidharma to Dogen, will be considered in association with our current-day studies and practice.
Prerequisite: Completion of Dependent Arising and the Unlocatable Self
Recommended: Completion of First Year Basic Studies
Instructor: Bev Forsman
Class dates: February 25 to March 31, 2008
Time: 8–9 pm (meditation 7:15–7:50 pm)
Text: Handouts to be provided.
For the students' convenience, the following class handouts are available for download in pdf format:
The
Six Perfections The Perfections, which are central to Mahayana
Buddhism, are derived from the three branches of the Eightfold
Noble Path: conduct, practice, and wisdom. The first four Perfections
(giving, morality, patience, and vitality) relate to ethical
conduct. The fifth Perfection is meditation, and the sixth
is the Perfection of Wisdom itself. Like the Precepts, the
Perfections are not rules of conduct, but expressions of the
enlightened mind.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Completion of Dependent Arising and the Unlocatable Self
Recommended: Completion of First Year Basic Studies
Instructor: Norm Randolph
Class dates: April 14 to May 19, 2008
Time: 8–9 pm (meditation 7:15–7:50 pm)
Handouts will be provided at no charge.
Please note: The instructor on the CD version is Steve Hagen.
For the students' convenience, the following class handout is available for download in pdf format: