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Zen Club Meeting #10
Zen in Stories and Poems
Sunday 23rd April 2017
@little Bangkok Meditation Center, Ekkamai
Zen club meets more or less monthly. You don’t need to be experienced – it is for anyone and everyone interested in exploring some of the tenets of Zen Buddhism.
- 1:30-3:30pm at the little Bangkok Meditation Center, Ekkamai
- There is no charge for this event, and no need to book in advance.
- You do not need to take anything along. We’re all ready for you!
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Zen Club #10
Sunday 23rd April 2017
Zen in Stories and Poems
Zen has always been associated with the arts: poetry, painting, music and theater. All of these forms have been used as tools to transmit the spirit of Zen teachings. In this meeting, we will focus on the use of poetry and stories, from ancient China to the present. Some of the writers we might discuss are Japanese poets like Ikkyu, Issa and Ryokan, and modern Western writers like Robert Bly, Mary Oliver, and Leonard Cohen. We’ll also take a look at the Turkish Sufi poet Rumi, and how the spirit of Zen can be present in non-Buddhist cultures. You can bring your own favorite poems to share if there is time.
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About Zen Club:
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Shunru Suzuki The Zen Study club will be a beginners Zen Buddhism study group based around the teachings of historical Zen masters as well as contemporary Zen teachers, including the founder of San Francisco Zen Center, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and teachers from this lineage in America.Zen is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism that started in India, then was brought to China about 1500 years ago, where it developed into a distinct school. It then spread to other Asian countries, especially Japan, before arriving in the West in the 20th century.The club will informally explore Zen thought, practice and teachings from the perspectives of Zen sutras, stories, poems, koans (riddles), and teachings from contemporary teachers, that will be taken selectively from a large body of Zen literature. Besides an informal and fun exploration of Zen philosophy, we will incorporate some guidance on the Zen method of meditation, which is the heart of the practice.In addition, we might show videos of dharma talks from the San Francisco Zen Center and other American Zen teachers.Joe, Sid and Reggie will lead the session – all are long time Zen students, and although not formally trained as Buddhist teachers, have had many years of Zen practice and study. They have a strong interest in developing their own Zen Buddhist practice and sharing it with others in Thailand who might not know about Zen and its practical and ancient wisdom. There will be more focus on interaction and group discussion than lectures.They always put in a lot of effort for these meetings – which is well appreciated!The group is open to all who seek a beginners mind approach to an ancient and revitalized Buddhist practice as it applies to contemporary life. |
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Location:
‘APARTMENTS’ Little Bangkok Meditation Centre is a 4 minute walk from Ekkamai BTS Station.
Enter Ekkamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63). Turn left into the second soi (lane). Bourbon street restaurant is on the corner. We’re the third building on the right, in the ‘APARTMENTS’ building. Go up to the top floor.
Follow the excellent map – it is very precise!
if you can’t see the map directly above, click here
or if you prefer Google maps click here
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