Joshin Byrnes & Genzan Quennell: The Continuing Stories of the Lotus Sutra Part I

As a welcome and introduction to Spring Practice Period, Senseis Joshin Byrnes and Genzan Quennell invite practitioners to step out of the hustle and bustle of everyday, conventional life and to practice deepening their spiritual practice by being together in community. They also introduce the Lotus Sutra, an enchanting text fundamental to Mahayana Buddhism. Sensei Joshin explains, “The Sutra starts out saying that this very world, all of it, is a world of enchantment. That the things we touch, the places we sit, the people we meet, the things we hear, the flowers we smell —all of it— is this world that opens up other worlds.” Sensei Genzan offers additional commentary on The Sutra; he discusses its relationship to space, time, and being, and he concludes with heartwarming words on relationality and a beautiful poem by Kenji Miyazawa titled, “Strong in the Rain.”