This Sunday afternoon the leadership council (board) of Boundless Way Zen voted to accept the application of the Blue Cliff Zen Sangha as a member group. I am very excited that Boundless Way will now have an official community on the West Coast. We represent an emerging Western style of Zen firmly rooted in the received traditions with lineage roots in both Japan and Korea and strive to be grateful for and authentic to the essentials of the tradition while flattening the hierarchy and developing forms appropriate to our culture. Looking at what we’ve been doing for the past decade plus in Eastern Massachusetts, I feel we’re on a good track.
And so now we’re in Long Beach. It is true there’s a ton of Zen in Southern California in pretty much all the flavors that have come West. Also, what we do looks a lot like what one might find in many White Plum Asangha communities, with whom we share lineage roots as well as the Harada Yasutani koan curriculum. But, I believe there are sufficient differences that we will be a right fit for many people for whom the existing communities are not.
An exciting time.
We will be launching our activities in February at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Long Beach and the Pacific Unitarian Church in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The notice at our website:
February 4, 2016, 7 pm
Pacific Unitarian Church, Rancho Palos Verdes
On this Tuesday evening, we will begin our
First Thursday Zen Sitting & Dharma Talk
schedule at the Pacific Unitarian Church.
“Why Zen?”
Our speaker will be Zen teacher, blogger, and author
Roshi James Ishmael Ford
Free and open to all.
February 9, 2016, 7 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach
We will begin a three-part
Introduction to Zen Buddhism, Ancient & Contemporary.
This class will be taught by
Roshi James Ishmael Ford & Senior Dharma Teacher Jan Seymour-Ford.
February 9, 7pm – Buddhism 101
February 16, 7pm – Zen 101
February 23, 7pm – Zen in the West
Free and open to all.
For more details please visit our Blue Cliff Zen Sangha website.
Actually, as a favor, please visit the site to generate some visiting history allowing us to be found by people googling for Zen in Long Beach and the greater Los Angeles area.
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