Course: Throughout Zen history, there’s been a dialectic between self as unique expression and self as interrelated being. The Bodhisattva Vow is a clear expression of this relationship. This workshop will investigate the question of what it means for each of us to serve as a Bodhisattva, to be ourselves and at the same time save all sentient beings. How do we sit like the lotus on a bed of muddy water?

Students will learn about three traditional Buddhist concepts that are of great use in today’s world: Bodhisattva vow, shifting notions of self, and koan as a method of learning.  Students will learn Dogen’s four tenets associated with serving humanity.  Students will gain a more nuanced understanding of the subtleties involved with helping others – be they clients, students, or others who enter into the condition of “being helped.”

Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, founder and abbot of the Village Zendo in downtown Manhattan, holds a PhD in media ecology from New York University. A Soto Zen Priest, she has taught meditation to many special-needs groups, including people with HIV/AIDS, young people in drug treatment, and women in an alternative facility to incarceration. In her work Enkyo Roshi endeavors to join Buddhist practice and social response.