Ancestral Presence: Zen Practice as Family Healing, Online 3/15–3/22

The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions.

Two Mondays, March 15–22, 6:00–8:00 pm PT

A new offering from the SFZC Family Sangha

This two-part online series invites exploration into the intersection of Zen practice, ancestral memory, and the liberation of our personal and collective family systems.

During our time together, we will frame family practice as a radical form of ancestral engagement, a way to tend the living ecology of our lineages.

Drawing inspiration from the works of Bayo Akomolafe, Lama Rod Owens, and Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, we will examine how ancestral currents flow through our present-day family systems. We will explore the entanglements of our history and the ways in which our practice can become a site of collective healing.

Guided by the insights of Dr. Paula Arai and others, we will look to the Japanese tradition of the butsudan (home altar) to emphasize the potential impacts of lay practice. In this tradition, ancestors are not distant memories but active, personal Buddhas, sources of guidance, support, and ongoing relationship. By centering these practices in our own homes, we move from a place of disconnection to one of deep, ancestral intimacy.

We will explore:

• The Ancestral Ecology: How our individual practice ripples outward, placing us within a lineage that extends far beyond the boundaries of our own lives.
• Reframing Karma: Moving from a view of trauma to one of tending, we will investigate how intentional practice can help us transform, heal, and ultimately free our family lines from cycles of ancient, inherited karma.
• The Home as Practice Ground: Practical ways to integrate ancestral remembrance into daily life, turning our family systems into a dynamic space for liberation.

By bringing our ancestors into the center of our practice, we participate in a process of collective liberation, healing not just for ourselves, but for the larger web of life from which we emerge.

This class is appropriate for parents, caregivers, aunties, and uncles, grandparents, adult children, people of all backgrounds, people in chosen families, people without children, and those grieving and tending to family estrangement and cut-offs. It is best suited for people age 18 and older.

Recordings:
All course sessions will be recorded, and registered participants will receive temporary access to the recordings for later viewing.