Frederick P. Lenz Foundation Distinguished Lecture in Buddhist Studies and American Culture &Values

"Five Expressions of Zen: A Path to Service"
Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara, PhD

This public lecture is free and open to the public.

Friday, April 3, 2009
7 p.m., Nalanda Campus, 6287 Arapahoe Avenue

Abstract: While many people express the desire to serve the world, they are often stymied by conflicting demands on their energies and resources.  Roshi’s work with social activists, teachers, therapists and chaplains led her to design a template for an awakened path of service. The Five Expressions of Zen (Meditate, Study, Communicate, Act and Care) is a Buddhist practice that balances individual expression with service in the world. The ability to wisely and compassionately express the Way in our everyday life and in our service to the world is the culmination of this path.

This lecture is open to the general public; no tickets or reservations are required.

Enkyo Roshi will also teach a weekend intensive for the Department of Religious Studies.

REL 156W/552W, “Zen Intensive Weekend:
The Bodhisattva Vow as Koan,” may be taken on a for-credit or noncredit basis.

Saturday, April 4, 2009, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, April 5, 2009, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Course description: Throughout Zen history, there has been a dialectic between self as unique expression and self as interrelated being. The Bodhisattva Vow is a clear expression of this relationship. This workshop will investigate the question of what it means for each of us to serve as a Bodhisattva, to be ourselves and at the same time liberate all sentient beings. How do we sit like the lotus on a bed of muddy water?

Students will learn about three traditional Buddhist concepts that are of great use in today’s world:  Bodhisattva vow, shifting notions of self, and koan as a method of learning. Students will learn Dogen’s four tenets associated with serving humanity. Students will gain a more nuanced understanding of the subtleties involved with helping others—be they clients, students
or others who enter into the condition of “being helped.”

Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, founder & abbot of the Village Zendo in downtown Manhattan, holds a PhD in media ecology from New York University. A Soto Zen Priest, she has taught meditation to many special-needs groups, including people with HIV/AIDS, young people in drug treatment and women in an alternative facility to incarceration. In her work Enkyo Roshi endeavors to join Buddhist practice and social response.

Click below to register*
Noncredit, $195 for the weekend.
Undergraduate credit, $714 for REL156W.
Graduate credit, $726 for REL552W.

* Space is limited and reservations can only be made online through the links above.