One or two Thursday evenings a month we gather on Zoom to explore a fragment of Zen writing through an intimate contemplative reading practice. This practice is both complex and simple: complex because it involves multiple steps and roles; simple because it falls into place not through perfect mastery but through opening an intimate field that is simultaneously gentle and powerful. It is also dynamic in a way that helps us begin to enter into communion with the textual tradition that is part of Zen.
For each session we select a short text that resonates with the teachings our roshis have been opening in their Dharma talks. Some texts come from the koan tradition, some from other ancient Zen texts, and some from contemporary Zen teachers. Each session we review the instructions, place participants in small groups for approximately 40 minutes of practice, and then convene a larger group discussion for the last 15 minutes.
The reading practice we use is adapted from one developed by John Vervaeke that he calls “Philosophical Fellowship.” It is designed to help practitioners enter into an intimate, shared flow state with each other and the spirit of the text. Utilizing repetitive chant-like reading, free association, and structured conversation, this practice helps us open a shared field that calls forth insights born of a deep felt sense. It is a language-based practice that moves us out of conventional speech into a place of emergent wonder.
Our next Wild Mountain Zen workshop is Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. MT. Find the Zoom link and sign up for our Online Sangha newsletter here.