Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 03/05/2023 - Hojin Sensei opens the Spring 2023 Ango at Fire Lotus Temple. She asks, of this Ango's theme, "Birth and Death," what is birth? what is death? These themes will be explored through readings, liturgy, art practice, and many other offerings at Fire Lotus Temple and Zen Mountain Monastery this Spring.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper, New York, Saturday 03/04/2023 - "Home Leaving" traditionally referred to a person leaving their life behind and becoming a monastic. Shugen Roshi talks about Home Leaving in a deeper, complete sense that applies to all of us on the spiritual path, using the story of Punyamitra and the teachings of Nagarjuna to the writings of Zen Master Hongzhi.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 02/26/2023 - One of the stories of Bodhidharma (the founder of the Zen Lineage) goes this way: that he sat in his cave facing the wall for 9 years. We emulate this during our daily zazen practice. We also say that we're on the Bodhisattva path, actively practicing the way of the Bodhisattva in our daily lives. So what does sitting facing the wall have to do with the activity of the Bodhisattva? What is the "activity of facing the wall?" Shugen Roshi talks about the ways in which we take up this fundamental practice, and asks: What is it to "study the self" as Dogen says? How are we facing our fears? How do we go "beyond the fear of differences?"

Degna Chikei Levister, MRO Senior Lay Student - Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 02/26/2023 - How do we live a life grounded in truth? And how does our conditioning lead us to step outside of ourselves and look for truth elsewhere? Drawing on her own experience on and off the cushion, Chikei discusses the Fourth Grave Precept, "Manifest Truth, Do Not Lie."

Bear Gokan Bonebakker, Senior Monastic and Dharma Holder - Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 02/19/2023 - Gokan invokes the Buddha's words on fear and dread, how we can't work through such mental formations and barriers without confronting them. To confront them, we can't run away when we encounter such habitual reactions. We may even need to welcome such disturbances as opportunities to really stop and see what's happening below the thoughts. This is the arena of zazen, where we can experience the bareness of sensation as we relax the mind and learn to trust that, rest in that. Gokan asks, "How much of our thinking is reactivity?" To explore this further, he brings in Yogacara teachings. The late Zen Master Bernie Glassman epitomized these teachings with the refrain, "That's just my opinion," recognizing that any reaction and opinion is based on one's own conditioned perceptions. Gokan concludes by saying, "This is the good news! This is the possibility of liberation."

Patrick Yunen Kelly, Senior Lay Student - Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 02/19/2023 - Drawing on a story from the Panchatantra, Yunen looks at the Buddha's First Noble Truth. How do we work with the teaching that life is suffering? In what ways do we try to avoid this fact? And what is our intention in practice?

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 02/12/2023 - Hojin Sensei reflects on Tilopa's Six Nails, a set of instructions for practitioners composed by the 10th century Buddhist master Tilopa. This talk reminds us to come back to the basics; abandoning thoughts of past, present or future, and not trying to analyze or control. Instead, we can learn to just rest, in our meditation and in our own awakened nature.

Danica Shoan Ankele, Senior Monastic and Dharma Holder - Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 02/12/2023 - From Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Fascicle "Komyo" (Radiant Light) - There are many teachings, elements of study, that help us with our engagement and understanding of practicing the Way. For instance, we need to know about the 5 kleshas, the 6 paramitas, concentration, mindfulness, Vipassana, Shamatha, etc., etc.... We learn about all of that and we're sorted? Liberated? Shoan kindly says no not quite, "it's not like that." So then, how and where do we encounter liberation? She brings in Master Dogen's Fascicle “Radiant Light” to delve into this question.

Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi - Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, Sunday 02/05/2023 - From Master Wu-men's Gateless Gate, Case 33 - Ma-tsu: "No Mind, No Buddha"  - These things we seek and questions we have... What is Buddha? What is enlightenment? What is peace, compassion, ... When we seek something we must know something about it, no? Otherwise how would we know to seek it? Shugen Roshi encourages us to let go of what we think we know; see what happens when we let go of our understanding. Including our understanding of "letting go".

Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei - Zen Center of New York City, Fire Lotus Temple, Sunday 02/05/2023 - Hojin Sensei officiates the Novice Monastic Ordination ceremony for Simon Sekku Harrison, surrounded by a full and joyful zendo at Fire Lotus Temple. Novice monastics receive the Bodhisattva Precepts and the Monastic Vows, which Sekku has committed to develop as he continues his discernment of the monastic life.