On Monday and Tuesday evenings, from September through May, Dharma Field offers courses on Zen Buddhism and related topics.
To take courses online, see here for more information.
To take courses online, see here for more information.
Classes
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The Bodhisattva’s Four Methods of Guidance
Tuesdays Jun 21-28 & Jul 12-19, 7:45-8:45 pm (CDT) Led by Steve Matuszak How do we live harmoniously with others? It seems quite difficult to do, especially during times that we may believe are more contentious than ever. But misunderstanding and conflict have long defined human behavior. It is no surprise, then, that Buddhist teachings get right to the heart of the matter. In this four-week course, we will be looking at a relevant teaching by Dōgen, “The Bodhisattva’s Four Methods of Guidance,” from Shobogenzo. In it, Dōgen recommends four methods to guide one to live in peace and harmony with others. Text for class Available live at Dharma Field or via Zoom. Seniors, students $5 discount: Use code SEN or STU. Zen Poetry of Wang Wei with Paul Rouzer
Tuesdays Aug 2 & 9, 7:45-8:45 pm (CDT) Led by Paul Rouzer Author of the new book, The Poetry and Prose of Wang Wei Volume I *, and University of Minnesota Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Paul Rouzer will be leading a class in the works of Zen Chinese poet Wang Wei. Text will be provided by the instructor. * In conjunction with the U of M, and De Gruyter publishing, a digital copy of his new book is available for free here. Available live at Dharma Field or via Zoom. Seniors, students $5 discount: Use code SEN or STU. 
CLASS AUDIO for all classes:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online, click icon to access the talks, and use the password that was provided in your registration email. |
2022-23 Curriculum
2022-2023 Curriculum Classes will be offered both live and via Zoom. MONDAYS Genjokoan (Steve Hagen), Sep 12-Oct 17 Everything Is Reality (Steve Matuszak), Oct 31-Dec 5 The Hidden Lamp (Mary Sullivan), Jan 9-Feb 13 The Diamond Sutra I (Steve Matuszak) Feb 27-Apr 3 The Diamond Sutra II (Steve Matuszak) Apr 17-May 22 TUESDAYS Taking Refuge (Steve Matuszak), Sep 27-Oct 18 The Wisdom of Sound Understanding (Jed L.), Nov 1-Dec 6 Living Practice (Beau Elkington), Jan 17-Feb 21 A Vocabulary of Enlightenment (Steve Hagen), Mar 7-28 Way-Seeking Mind (Jed Larson), Apr 18-May 23 2021-22 Curriculum
2021-2022 Curriculum Classes will be offered both live and via Zoom. MONDAYS The Dhammapada: The Teaching of the Way (Steve Matuszak) Sep 13-Oct 18 The Teachings of Huangpo (Steve Hagen) Nov 1-Dec 6 The Six Perfections (Steve Hagen) Jan 10-Feb 14 Zen Roots: The Rise of the Mahayana (Mary Sullivan & Steve Matuszak) Feb 28-Apr 4 Zen Roots: The Way of Zen (Jed Larson) Apr 18-May 23 TUESDAYS Day-by-Day Zen (Jed Larson) Sep 28-Nov 2 Jewel Mirror Awareness (Steve Matuszak) Nov 16-Dec 7 The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching (Beau Elkington) Jan 18-Feb 22 One Bright Pearl (Steve Hagen) Mar 8-Mar 29 Silence (Steve Matuszak) Apr 12-May 3 |
Courses Recently Completed
Mondays Apr 18-May 23
Zen Roots: The Way of Zen
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm, led by Jed Larson
Curious about what Zen is?
A great confluence of wisdom unfolded when Buddhism traveled east to China. Buddhism’s Teachings of the Awakened, and the powerful and dynamic insights of Taoism are evidenced in the tradition of Zen that resulted.
This six week class will dive into the deep waters of a teaching that is said to cut straight through all confusion, a teaching with a singular focus on direct experience and the unencumbered Truth of Reality.
Available live at Dharma Field or via Zoom.
Seniors, students $5 discount: Use code SEN or STU.
Zen Roots: The Way of Zen
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm, led by Jed Larson
Curious about what Zen is?
A great confluence of wisdom unfolded when Buddhism traveled east to China. Buddhism’s Teachings of the Awakened, and the powerful and dynamic insights of Taoism are evidenced in the tradition of Zen that resulted.
This six week class will dive into the deep waters of a teaching that is said to cut straight through all confusion, a teaching with a singular focus on direct experience and the unencumbered Truth of Reality.
Available live at Dharma Field or via Zoom.
Seniors, students $5 discount: Use code SEN or STU.
Tuesdays Apr 12-May 3
Silence
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Matuszak
Silence
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Matuszak
learn more
Left unattended, our minds get caught up in chatter, affecting how we understand and act in our everyday lives. But we also experience silence, too—in those moments when we are no longer enrapt by the chatter and even when we are, if only we could notice. In this four-week course we will explore Buddhist teachings on silence, both, as Katagiri Roshi tells us, through human eyes and through Buddha’s or universal eye.
Bibliography
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and also available via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the online class will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Bibliography
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and also available via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the online class will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Mondays Feb 28-Apr 4
Zen Roots: The Rise of the Mahayana
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Mary Sullivan & Steve Matuszak
Zen Roots: The Rise of the Mahayana
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Mary Sullivan & Steve Matuszak
learn more
A six-week course detailing the history of Mahayana Buddhism in India. This course will survey 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 (Prajñaparamita).
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and also available via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the online class will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and also available via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the online class will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Tuesdays Mar 8-Mar 29
One Bright Pearl
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Hagen
One Bright Pearl
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Hagen
learn more
This brief essay by Dogen Zenji, the great Zen master of 13th century Japan, focuses on the total unity of being. It is here that Dogen gives full expression to his teaching of non-duality—that the world, as a whole, is ultimate reality.
Text for class: One Bright Pearl
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and also available via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the online class will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Text for class: One Bright Pearl
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and also available via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the online class will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Mondays Jan 10 - Feb 14
The Six Perfections
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Hagen
The Six Perfections
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Hagen
learn more
The Perfections are expressions of an enlightened mind and bring to completion the three branches of the Eightfold Noble Path. The first four (giving, morality, patience, and energy) relate to ethical conduct. The fifth is meditation. All five are brought to completion in the Perfection of wisdom, which is the sixth. Like the Precepts, the Perfections are not rules or dictums. If you are tired of looking further, you might be ripe and ready for this study.
Led by Steve Hagen
Syllabus
Six Perfections handout
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Led by Steve Hagen
Syllabus
Six Perfections handout
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Tuesdays Jan 18 - Feb 22
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Beau Elkington
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Beau Elkington
learn more
The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching—A six-week class examining the teaching of the Buddha as it is discussed in three seminal texts: Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught, Steve Hagen’s Buddhism Plain and Simple, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching.
Led by Beau Elkington
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Led by Beau Elkington
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Mondays Nov 1 - Dec 6
The Teachings of Huang Po
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Hagen
The Teachings of Huang Po
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Hagen
learn more
Huang Po and his followers were concerned solely with the direct perception of Truth and were not even faintly interested in arguments concerning the orthodoxy of beliefs—so says John Blofeld paraphrased in the introduction to his The Zen Teachings of Huang Po (the text for this course). In this course we will examine the words of Huang Po directly.
Led by Steve Hagen
Text: The Zen Teachings of Huang Po (Blofeld)
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Led by Steve Hagen
Text: The Zen Teachings of Huang Po (Blofeld)
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Tuesdays, Nov 16 - Dec 7
Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Matuszak
Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Matuszak
learn more
In this class, we will examine the classic Chinese poem, “Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness,” attributed to the ninth-century Ch’an master Dongshan Liangjie (Tozan Ryokai), one of the founders of Sōtō Zen. The poem, chanted by Sōtō Zen practitioners around the world, addresses Thusness, employing vivid imagery to illuminate the nature of Reality.
Text: Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Text: Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Tuesdays, Sept 28 - Nov 2
Day-by-Day Zen
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Jed Larson
Day-by-Day Zen
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Jed Larson
learn more
A six-week class exploring Zen practice and how awareness can permeate our entire life. The class will look at teachings and stories from the lives of Kosho Uchiyama, Shunryu Suzuki, Dainin Katagiri, and poems from Daughters of Emptiness, a collection of poetry by Chinese Ch’an nuns.
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
- Poems PDF #1
- Poems PDF #2
- Optional reading: Zen Mind Beginner's Mind, Chapter "Study Yourself".
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Mondays Sept 13 - Oct 18
The Dhammapada: The Teaching of the Way
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Matuszak
The Dhammapada: The Teaching of the Way
Time: 7:45–8:45 pm
led by Steve Matuszak
learn more
A six-week course led by Steve Matuszak for beginning and advanced students that looks at key teachings from the Dhammapada, a collection of Buddha’s sayings presented in verse, that is among the most widely read texts in Buddhism. Emphasis will be on how the teachings speak to our everyday lives.
Led by Steve Matuszak
Syllabus
Class text: The Dhammapada
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
Led by Steve Matuszak
Syllabus
Class text: The Dhammapada
NOTE: The class will be live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. The Zoom invitation to join the Class Meeting will be provided in an email from the Dharma Field office before the first class.
Seniors, students: Enter SEN OR STU in the discount coupon box at checkout for $5 discount.
CLASS AUDIO:
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
If you miss a class or are taking the classes online click icon to access the talks.
Online Courses
TAKING A CLASS ONLINE
Dharma Field offers its current Classes for people living outside the area, as well as for locals who are not able to attend in person. Please bear in mind, however, that our teachers highly recommend that local participants attend in person if possible.
All classes are offered via Zoom and also recorded and posted online later in the week. Classes can be streamed directly from our site, or they can be downloaded to your device (as mp3). Most handouts are available online as well.
If you missed a registration for a recent class, we normally keep them online after the class has ended. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
TO REGISTER…
All classes are offered via Zoom and also recorded and posted online later in the week. Classes can be streamed directly from our site, or they can be downloaded to your device (as mp3). Most handouts are available online as well.
If you missed a registration for a recent class, we normally keep them online after the class has ended. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
TO REGISTER…