Dharma Field Zen Center

Zen Q & A

Are you curious about Zen and meditation but haven’t yet made it to a Zen center? Are you starting a meditation practice but wondering how to keep it going? Or have you been at Zen for a while and are interested in joining an open conversation about it? Then join us at Dharma Field for four weekly panel discussions addressing Zen and the three major legs of Zen practice: meditation, studies, and everyday life.

The discussions will be held on four consecutive Tuesday evenings in July and early August with a different topic each week:

July 14—What brought you or brings you to Zen?
July 21—What Buddhist teachings have resonated with you?
July 28—Why did you take up Zen meditation?
August 4—How do you practice Zen in daily life?

Discussions will open with questions from a moderator directed to a panel of Dharma Field members and then will open up to audience questions and reflections.

The discussions will begin at 7:45 pm and are preceded by a 35-minute meditation period that starts at 7:00 pm. Meditating before the discussion is encouraged but not necessary. Discussions will last as long as they sustain themselves but will not exceed one hour each night. They are free and open to the public, though donations are always welcome. In-person and on Zoom: https://www.dharmafield.org/public-talks--zoom-links.html

Sunday Talk - June 7 at 10 a.m. (Central Time)

We are honored to welcome Myo On Hagler, who will give a talk live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. She began her Zen practice in the autumn of 1980 at MZMC. She went there to find a place to meditate and hit the jackpot when encountering Katagiri-roshi and the MZMC sangha. She is a priest at the Clouds in Water Zen Center.

We hope you can join us.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87533441406?pwd=8eYLIqhzyuuHbbR3N3BzsAoaaf5aom.1

Hey Everyone,

Recently, while working on what it means for someone to take up Zen lay and priest ordination, I was reminded of a conversation that arose during a discussion group on The Dhammapada a couple of years ago. There was a question about what it means to stray from the path and so what it means to be on the path. Surely, one of the participants remarked, when one is behaving badly, acting in a way that is at odds with the precepts, one has strayed from the path. Coming back to this moment is to step back on the path.

I suggested, however, that one who sees with Right Wisdom realizes there is no straying from the path. Everything is on the path. Sure, there is behavior, even bad behavior, that arises from confusion, but with Right Wisdom, it can be seen that, good or bad, confused or enlightened, it is all the path.

It was a point I’d found reiterated in a short piece titled “Everywhere,” from a collection of teachings compiled and translated by Thomas Cleary titled The Pocket Zen Reader:

Ta-sui was asked, “Buddha’s truth is everywhere; so where do you teach students to plant their feet?”

He replied, “The vast ocean lets fish leap freely; the endless sky lets birds fly freely.”

There is no place, no particular path, no Buddha’s path, which excludes where we are when we are confused, consigning ignorance to some other path, say the path of Mara, or to wandering around in the brambles. It’s all reality; it’s all an opportunity to practice.

That doesn’t mean we should act recklessly, that “it’s all good,” it’s all just reality expressing itself. In fact, in the passage of The Dhammapada that inspired our conversation, Buddha reminds us that “the mindful ones exert themselves.” We must make an effort, or it will be as if we are wandering around in the brambles. It is only for one who sees with Right Wisdom that the path can be truly seen, the Way traversed.

What makes this teaching especially timely is that it can also remind us, as we embark on our various travels this summer, seemingly leaving the zendo behind us: wherever we go is our zendo.

While our class offerings aren’t as profuse in the summer as at other times of the year, we continue our discussion and study groups on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings, respectively. This July, I also plan to offer a short class on a teaching of the Buddhadharma. I haven’t settled on a topic yet, so please keep your eye on your inbox for a separate announcement, which I hope to have soon. Finally, know that all summer we remain open for our full sitting schedule, and offer free, public talks on Sunday mornings.

Take care and be well,

Steve Matuszak, Dharma Field head teacher

Sunday Talk - May 31 at 10 a.m. (Central Time)

Steve Hagen will give a talk live at Dharma Field and via Zoom. Steve is a senior teacher at Dharma Field, which he helped to found in 1998.

We hope you can join us.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87533441406?pwd=8eYLIqhzyuuHbbR3N3BzsAoaaf5aom.1