Wimbledon Zen

'Zen & Compassion - Dogen's Kannon, the KKK and Larry Trapp'

Most of us want to bring more compassion into our lives. This talk examines what Zen master Dogen Zenji says about compassion; particularly looking at the 'Kannon' chapter of his Shobogenzo.

It also tells the true story of Michael Weisser and Larry Trapp to show how radical compassionate action changed the life of a Grand Dragon of The KKK for the better. Finally the talk looks at what practical advice Dogen gives on how to behave more compassionately in our everyday lives.

'Dazed and Confused: Trying to make sense of Dogen's philosophy if you're not as smart as Taigen Dan Leighton'

In this final part, Alan offers a framework for understanding Dogen's teachings, with the Zen Master's main philosophies spelt out, and a path for further readings.

Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) is one of the most important teachers in the history of Zen Buddhism.

Dogen's philosophy has been incredibly influential on generations of Zen practitioners, including many important modern day teachers, such as Shunryu Suzuki, Dainin Katagiri, Shohaku Okumura, Taigen Dan Leighton and Brad Warner.

Dogen's writings are famous for turning words on their head to try and find a way to explain Buddhist realisation, an experience that is simply impossible to describe using conventional language. This feature of his work, however, makes Dogen incredibly challenging to read. We can tell that profound truths are being explained but are often left totally baffled by the crazy, topsy-turvy way that Dogen writes about Zen.

This three part talk from Wimbledon Zen aims to assist the modern student in approaching Dogen's philosophy. In an informal way the talk looks at why we want to study Dogen, some of the reasons why he is difficult to understand and then sets out a summary of Dogen's philosophy, outlining 20 key principles that emerge from his writings. If you've ever wondered why Dogen thinks you should hit the cart rather the ox to make it move, this is the talk for you!

'Dazed and Confused: Trying to make sense of Dogen's philosophy if you're not as smart as Taigen Dan Leighton'

Alan deals with how to demystify Dogen's writings, by looking into the Zen Master's influences and the way translators have attempted to bring his writings to life.

Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) is one of the most important teachers in the history of Zen Buddhism.

Dogen's philosophy has been incredibly influential on generations of Zen practitioners, including many important modern day teachers, such as Shunryu Suzuki, Dainin Katagiri, Shohaku Okumura, Taigen Dan Leighton and Brad Warner.

Dogen's writings are famous for turning words on their head to try and find a way to explain Buddhist realisation, an experience that is simply impossible to describe using conventional language. This feature of his work, however, makes Dogen incredibly challenging to read. We can tell that profound truths are being explained but are often left totally baffled by the crazy, topsy-turvy way that Dogen writes about Zen.

This three part talk from Wimbledon Zen aims to assist the modern student in approaching Dogen's philosophy. In an informal way the talk looks at why we want to study Dogen, some of the reasons why he is difficult to understand and then sets out a summary of Dogen's philosophy, outlining 20 key principles that emerge from his writings. If you've ever wondered why Dogen thinks you should hit the cart rather the ox to make it move, this is the talk for you!

'Dazed and Confused: Trying to make sense of Dogen's philosophy if you're not as smart as Taigen Dan Leighton'

In this first section, Alan gives an introduction to the life of Dogen, and why you might be interested in the Zen Master's teachings.

Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) is one of the most important teachers in the history of Zen Buddhism.

Dogen's philosophy has been incredibly influential on generations of Zen practitioners, including many important modern day teachers, such as Shunryu Suzuki, Dainin Katagiri, Shohaku Okumura, Taigen Dan Leighton and Brad Warner.

Dogen's writings are famous for turning words on their head to try and find a way to explain Buddhist realisation, an experience that is simply impossible to describe using conventional language. This feature of his work, however, makes Dogen incredibly challenging to read. We can tell that profound truths are being explained but are often left totally baffled by the crazy, topsy-turvy way that Dogen writes about Zen.

This three part talk from Wimbledon Zen aims to assist the modern student in approaching Dogen's philosophy. In an informal way the talk looks at why we want to study Dogen, some of the reasons why he is difficult to understand and then sets out a summary of Dogen's philosophy, outlining 20 key principles that emerge from his writings. If you've ever wondered why Dogen thinks you should hit the cart rather the ox to make it move, this is the talk for you!