The Three Jewels

Buddha

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:

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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.

Dharma

“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few. …The true purpose is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.“ Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki

In Buddhism, the word “Dharma” has many meanings, the most important of which is “the living teachings” that are passed down from generation to generation, from person to person. There are certainly written teachings, Sutras, Koans, and texts that we study, but they must come alive in our hearts, supported by our meditation, study, and engagement with the sangha and teachers. This is not the teaching and study of the classroom in which information is packaged and delivered from one person to another. What is handed down is an experience of the Living Dharma, a direct experience of the same awakened life that the Buddha had. It comes alive, is made real, and active as Sangha, students, and teachers experience it together.

A student of the Dharma cultivates “beginner’s mind” (Zen Master Sunryu Suzuki 1904-1971) so that every corner of their life is encountered with an absolute freshness that is free of bias, preconceived notions, or just plain old habitual ways of thinking.

But this is not enough. We also must engage our ‘inner teacher,’ the Wisdom of the awakened life that has been and is always present within us. At Infinite Circle Zen, we take this very seriously. We often hear our teacher say his role is to help activate the ‘inner teacher’ of our awakened self, and our role is to help activate the ‘inner student’ of his awakened self. This is Living Dharma!

The primary ways we cultivate this are:

• Study: Every week we gather for an online Zen Study Group, where we study the works of Zen Master Eihei Dogen (founder of Japanese Soto Zen) and other historical and contemporary Zen Masters. The meetings have a combination of input from our teacher and discussion among members. Recordings are made available for those whose schedule prevents them from attending.
• Individual Meetings With a Teacher: (As noted above)
• Dharma Talks: When we meet for Chanting Service, on retreat days (Zazenkai) and longer 3 to 5 day silent retreats (Sesshin), Sensei Mitsudo and Senior Students, Novice Priest Daisho, Dharma Holder Sansui give Dharma Talks.
• Finding Your Way Workshops – Spirituality and Emotional Wholeness: In the Spring and Fall of each year, Infinite Circle hosts workshops that provide information and skills for navigating and integrating elements of spirituality and our psychological life. This offering is for the wider public and community members. Past workshop offerings, mostly from a Jungian perspective, included: dream work and dream embodiment, mid-life transition, working with internal parts (Internal Family Systems), and Active Imagination. If you are interested in receiving notices about these workshops, be sure to contact us .

Sangha

There is a Lakota First Nation saying that highlights the importance of Sangha (community): “If you want to go far, go together; if you want to go fast, go alone.“ When it comes to the spiritual journey, we revise it to say, “If you want to go far, go together; If you want to go in circles, go alone.” At one time or another, most of us at Infinite Circle experienced periods of moving in circles trying to find our spiritual path and home. We also experienced how sitting, studying, and just being with each other have opened us to important, life-transforming possibilities.

Zen is essentially communal, a living dialogue among fellow travellers, who together activate the ever present potential for Awakened Life. But this “communal” dimension is so much broader than interactions among members of the Infinite Circle Sangha. For us and all Zen practitioners, the entire world is our sangha. As we journey ever more deeply into the Path of Awakening, we experience the profound Wisdom that we are one with all creation and that all creation is our “kin!” Our hearts expand with compassion and love for all beings, not only for our family and friends but for every dimension of creation, from people we might have called “enemies” to every living creature and non-living manifestation of Earth and the Universe. We find ourselves inspired to make a difference.

We cultivate this by

• Our Hybrid Model: ICZ has worked diligently to develop a mostly virtual approach, which is supplemented by frequent in-person meetings. When we meet in person, no one could miss the bonds of shared purpose and friendship that have developed.
• Zen Study Group: Every week we gather for an online Zen Study Group, where we study the works of Zen Master Eihei Dogen (founder of Japanese Soto Zen) and other historical and contemporary Zen Masters. The meetings have a combination of input from our teacher and discussion among members. Recordings are made available for those whose schedule prevents them from attending.
• Sunday Services: We have developed an approach for our Chanting Service that is a shared experience despite the limitations of the virtual platform.
• Open to All: Our sangha is particularly enriched by people who have been or continue to be nurtured by faith traditions other than Buddhism, have no previous religious affiliation, or who have just begun to explore their spiritual life.
• Community Service: Many Infinite Circle Members are involved in community service through volunteering, their career choice, and other forms of engagement, including working as a hospice chaplain, prison chaplain, teacher, therapist, working with members of the armed services and veterans, political engagement, and advocacy for environmental and animal rights issues.
• Precepts: Our community is devoted to the Precepts (traditional guides for living, see FAQ), which we believe is where true Zen meets everyday life, and meets the world as Sangha. We do this through Dharma talks, study, a monthly service (Fusatsu, see FAQ), but most of all in opening ourselves to the Wisdom and Compassion that we strive to bring to all our interactions.