To study the Way of enlightenment is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened
by all creation.
Zen Master Eihei Dogen,
the 13th Century founder of Soto Zen in Japan:
_______________________
People new to Zen Buddhism often inquire about the role of Buddha, the Awakened One, or the historical Siddhartha Gautama. They wonder if he is a deity, a divine messenger, or a teacher who shares sacred truths that we must believe. However, the answer to each of these questions is “No!” The Buddha was a trailblazer of the human soul. He experienced a profound realization 2,500 years ago during his Awakening: he and all creation are one, and what he had called his “self” was a web of ever-changing interconnections with every dimension of creation. He realized that the experience of awakening and liberation from suffering he had experienced was not unique to him; it is a possibility for all of us.
The heart of everything we do at Infinite Circle Zen supports this radical and liberating shift in our emotional, cognitive, and spiritual center of gravity. This shift is grounded in a living connection to our unique, awakened nature and rooted in a living kinship to everything in our world, its people, countless forms of life, and the stunning array of nature’s forms.
We cultivate this by:
- Individual Meetings With a Teacher: People new to Zen are first invited to meet, individually or in small groups, with Sensei Mitsudo, Senior Students, and members of the Sangha to be introduced to Zen practices and to get to meet other Sangha members. Afterwards, they are invited to meet regularly with a teacher to continue their study, which will support their unique unfolding.
- Zazen: We offer training in and support for the practice of Zazen Meditation,which is the core transformative practice of all Zen communities. While helping members establish their home meditation practice, we also offer opportunities to sit together, both virtually and in person.
- Silent Retreats (Sesshin), twice each year: These retreats of three to five days offer the opportunity to deepen our practice and to step out of our busy and demanding lives so we can return and mindfully step back into them. During these retreats, we do Zazen meditation (a good deal of it), have talks, meetings with our teacher, QiGong or Yoga, and private time.
