Fall 2022 Practice Period at City Center: Residential, 10/4 - 12/10

Practice Center
Date / Time
Oct 4, 2022 / 7:30pm - Dec 10, 2022 / 6:00pm
Event Type
Practice Periods
Description


An Appropriate Response: Encountering Suzuki Roshi’s Teachings on The Blue Cliff Record


“Finding out the significance of everyday activity is the great matter.”  —Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

This is a traditional intensive training period common in the schools of Buddhism. Participants can engage in this training period in one of two ways; this page is for Residential participation:

Residential (this page): Move in and live at City Center and follow the daily schedule. Application deadline extended to September 2
Visitor/Online: Visit City Center for practice period events, or participate online, as you choose. Registration deadline: September 26

On-site participation is open to residential and visitor participation; Covid Health and Safety Guidelines for City Center's congregant living environment will apply.

About the Fall 2022 Practice Period

Compiled in the 12th century, the The Blue Cliff Record/Hekiganroku has been a training text in the Zen school for several centuries. The one hundred koans were selected for their ability to bring about insight and awakening. While these traditional turning stories are not easy to interpret, an encounter with them can offer hints for waking up, clearing our minds, and facing reality directly.

During these ten weeks, we will be considering about two dozen of the koans and using Suzuki Roshi’s translations and commentaries to help elucidate them. His commentaries are primarily drawn from short talks given from 1962 to 1965 at Sokoji Temple in San Francisco.

The practice period will begin with an orientation, available both on-site and livestreamed, at 7:30 pm PT on Tuesday, October 4.

Abbot Ed and Abbot David will teach an eight-week class, Encountering Suzuki Roshi’s Teachings on the Blue Cliff Record, on Tuesdays, October 11 – November 29, 7:30 – 9 pm PT. The fee for the class is included in the practice period fees and does not require separate registration.

All practice offerings are included in the residential option. This includes two one-day sittings on Saturday, October 8 and November 12, and a concluding seven-day sesshin beginning the evening of Saturday, December 3 and ending on Saturday, December 10. Also included are residential small discussion groups, and access to the Online Portal for curricula and recordings of all the classes and Dharma talks.

Fee Information


These fees include residency, meals, and all practice offerings.

Full Schedule Resident / WPA: Includes full-time work practice at City Center

  • $2,829

Limited Schedule Resident: Not working at City Center

  • $4,105

For payment of residential participation fees, information will be provided with notice of acceptance into the practice period.

Registration Information


Please review:

Residential Application

Residential Application —includes link to pay the $30 application processing fee

Deadline for residential applications has been extended to September 2.