The Sudden Teaching of the Platform Sutra in Our Daily Life, Online 3/2–3/23

Practice Center
Date / Time
Mar 2, 2026 / 7:00pm - Mar 23, 2026 / 8:30pm
Event Type
Classes & Extended Courses
Description

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.


The Platform Sutra is a foundational text of Zen Buddhism, establishing the value of sudden awakening and realized activity in daily life. It arose from earlier teachings with a voice that speaks directly to human experience. At the center of the Platform Sutra is the teaching that prajna and samadhi are one, and that the formless precepts are manifesting in our life. Practically speaking, it addresses such questions as:

  • How do what is sudden and what is gradual manifest in our practice?
  • How are skepticism and doubt functioning as a benefit or a hindrance?
  • What is the function of not-knowing mind in the midst of not-knowing mind?

In this vein, we will be studying the historical context of the Platform Sutra from a practice perspective, and exploring its hagiography, teaching stories, and verse as continuing encouragement and inspiration for us in our current practice life.

Suggested Readings:

Participants may wish to consult a few complementary texts, including translations by Yampolsky and Red Pine, as well as Readings of the Platform Sutra (ed. Morten Schlütter and Stephen Teiser). Our primary focus, however, will be on close engagement with the sutra text itself (selected translations will be provided) and on koan-based inquiry inspired by the Platform Sutra. The emphasis is on practice-oriented study rather than academic analysis.

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

Fee Information
  • General Ticket Price: $168
  • Member (Become an SFZC Member): $151
  • Sliding Scale 1: $101
  • Sliding Scale 2: $42
  • Current SFZC residents and qualified SFZC retirees may attend this course for free. To register, please email onlineprograms@sfzc.org at least 72 hours before the program begins.

Register Online

Or call 415-354-0360.

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