Buddhist Studies Classes

Class Schedules

Buddhist Studies

Transformation at the Base

Looking Deeply into the Nature of Consciousness

Taught by Joen Snyder O’Neal, Michael O'Neal, and Sosan Flynn
Mondays, September 20-November 22 (10 Classes)
6:30-9:00 P.M.
#210 Casket Arts Building 
681 17th Ave. NE, Minneapolis
Fee: $250 (members $225) + $20 materials fee

Registration

The registration form is available here for printing and mailing.

Mindful Speech and Deep Listening

Taught by Joen Snyder O'Neal

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

 Listening and speaking are at the core of our everyday lives and shape the nature of our relationships with other people.  In this seven-week class we will look deeply into the ways we create happiness or suffering with the words we speak.  By cultivating our ability to bring mindfulness to the basic human practices of speaking and listening, we will explore the opportunities and challenges that arise with every sound we utter.

 We will study excerpts from the book For a Future to Be Possible by Thich Nhat Hahn, as well as writings by other teachers, ancient and modern.  The course will include presentations by the instructor, discussion, and suggestions for home practice.  Each session will also include a half-hour of meditation practice.

 Participants should have some previous experience with mindfulness or Zen meditation.  This class has been very popular when offered in the past; register early to reserve a place.

Zen in America

In the past 50 years Zen has become established throughout the United States. How has this come about? This course will look at the pioneer teachers from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and China, and the American lineages they founded. We will look at a map of Zen practice in the United States today, relationships with parent traditions, and issues that have arisen as monastic and lay forms of practice find their way in American culture.

Ken Ford is on the teaching staff of Clouds in Water Zen Center and has a leadership role with Hokyo-ji Zen Practice Community. He is a long-time Zen practitioner, having begun his practice with Dainin Katagiri-roshi at the Minnesota Zen Center. Michael O'Neal is a Guiding Teacher of Compassionate Ocean.

Registration Information

Enrollment for classes is limited, and early registration is encouraged.