Study & Practice
MEDITATION
Sitting meditation, or zazen, is the cornerstone of our practice. Eihei Dogen, the13th century Zen master, referred to it as “the backward step that turns your light inward to illuminate your Self.“ As an active lay sangha with work, friends, and family we come to the meditation room not just to pause and be still, but to actively engage in a practice that unifies our body and mind, that focuses our concentration on the Self.
One of our dharma ancestors, Hakuun Yasutani Roshi, said that people come to meditation for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s for your health, stability, peace of mind, the meaning of life, or actualizing the Way of Awakening, all these gates are open wide and meditation is the path through them. Once we go through, we discover the true meaning of intimacy.
PRIVATE STUDY
Private study is available for members with Dharma Holder Suzanne Shunryo Webber and Rev. Sensei Sally Sonen Kealy. While Zen koans are a traditional form of study, other study paths are also available.
COUNCIL
The Way of Council is a practice of speaking and listening from the heart. It was originally used by the Iroquois Confederation in the Northeast; we have learned it from council trainers certified by the Ojai Foundation.
Council, or meditation in speech, is an essential part of our practice. It cultivates awareness of what arises this moment and speaking it without rehearsal or preparation. On the listener’s part, it calls for deep listening, or bearing witness, without judgment or prescription. This form of empathic communication evokes the nen, or this-very-moment essence, of the circle manifesting through speech. It also evokes profound compassion, intimacy, and love.
SHARED STEWARDSHIP
The Green River Zen Center is a living mandala for the awakening of all, part of the timeless work towards liberation that began long before we arrived and will continue long after we die. We steward the Center out of the consciousness of the oneness of life, including gratitude for those who have come before and those who will come after.
In a model of shared stewardship, personal differences are appreciated for what they are, doorways to different perceptions, dreams and talents. The Center is organized according to the Five Buddha Wisdom Families: Buddha, Karma, Padma, Ratna, and Vajra. We translate them as: Not-knowing, Social Action, Relationship and Arts, Resources, and Study. Each is a circle of life emphasizing its own wisdom but also incorporating the other four. Together they make sure that the needs of the sangha are served in balance and harmony. Each family has its own steward or co-stewards to take care of the needs and issues related to that family. The practice of shared stewardship is to bear witness to the diversity of all our members and participants, and the one sangha that emerges.
All members are invited to participate in Stewards’ meetings, which take place every three months, and to participate in the work of the family they would like to support. Like Kannon who has many hands and hears all the sounds of the universe, this model of self-governance trains stewards and all Zendo members to hear as many sounds as possible, and then use our different skill sets and capabilities—our many arms—to take care of ourselves and the world.
DHARMA TALKS BY ROSHI EVE are available here
Sitting meditation, or zazen, is the cornerstone of our practice. Eihei Dogen, the13th century Zen master, referred to it as “the backward step that turns your light inward to illuminate your Self.“ As an active lay sangha with work, friends, and family we come to the meditation room not just to pause and be still, but to actively engage in a practice that unifies our body and mind, that focuses our concentration on the Self.
One of our dharma ancestors, Hakuun Yasutani Roshi, said that people come to meditation for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s for your health, stability, peace of mind, the meaning of life, or actualizing the Way of Awakening, all these gates are open wide and meditation is the path through them. Once we go through, we discover the true meaning of intimacy.
PRIVATE STUDY
Private study is available for members with Dharma Holder Suzanne Shunryo Webber and Rev. Sensei Sally Sonen Kealy. While Zen koans are a traditional form of study, other study paths are also available.
COUNCIL
The Way of Council is a practice of speaking and listening from the heart. It was originally used by the Iroquois Confederation in the Northeast; we have learned it from council trainers certified by the Ojai Foundation.
Council, or meditation in speech, is an essential part of our practice. It cultivates awareness of what arises this moment and speaking it without rehearsal or preparation. On the listener’s part, it calls for deep listening, or bearing witness, without judgment or prescription. This form of empathic communication evokes the nen, or this-very-moment essence, of the circle manifesting through speech. It also evokes profound compassion, intimacy, and love.
SHARED STEWARDSHIP
The Green River Zen Center is a living mandala for the awakening of all, part of the timeless work towards liberation that began long before we arrived and will continue long after we die. We steward the Center out of the consciousness of the oneness of life, including gratitude for those who have come before and those who will come after.
In a model of shared stewardship, personal differences are appreciated for what they are, doorways to different perceptions, dreams and talents. The Center is organized according to the Five Buddha Wisdom Families: Buddha, Karma, Padma, Ratna, and Vajra. We translate them as: Not-knowing, Social Action, Relationship and Arts, Resources, and Study. Each is a circle of life emphasizing its own wisdom but also incorporating the other four. Together they make sure that the needs of the sangha are served in balance and harmony. Each family has its own steward or co-stewards to take care of the needs and issues related to that family. The practice of shared stewardship is to bear witness to the diversity of all our members and participants, and the one sangha that emerges.
All members are invited to participate in Stewards’ meetings, which take place every three months, and to participate in the work of the family they would like to support. Like Kannon who has many hands and hears all the sounds of the universe, this model of self-governance trains stewards and all Zendo members to hear as many sounds as possible, and then use our different skill sets and capabilities—our many arms—to take care of ourselves and the world.
DHARMA TALKS BY ROSHI EVE are available here