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$Zen$ rooted in its tradition, individuals grounded in $mindfulness$, and community awakened by $compassion$.
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Zen event for NYU students, faculty, and alumni. 2019. 10.19
1. Slow down, settle in, & connect.
It is rare to find a gathering space on campus where the collective goal is to $quietly$ $settle$ $within$ — no pressure to talk, impress, or be restless, but simply drop back in the inner ground of wakeful awareness where everything is unconditionally okay & enough 😌.
One-day retreat @downtown Manhattan. 2023. 05. 14
The Buddhism Club is a calm and safe **place to find your Zen. Students come to meditate together in in a group setting, learn about Buddhist wisdom to help them practice mindfulness & compassion in life, and connect/share their journey with fellow meditators!
2. Zen rooted in its tradition.
All events organized by the Buddhism club are co-designed and consulted by our lecturing monk Master Jian Tan, an ordained Buddhist monk for 20 years and current abbot of the Chung Tai Zen Center of Houston, Great Dharma Chan Monastery in Boulder, and Texas Pagoda Chan Monastery.
Master Jian Tan was ordained and trained at **Chung Tai Chan Monastery —** founded by Venerable Wei Chueh, a successor to the **Linji Zen Lineage.** Venerable Wei Chueh has been instrumental in globally revitalizing Zen Buddhism in the late 20th century and early 21st century.
Grand Master Wei Chueh
Master Jian Tan
Chung Tai Chan Monastery
With the **grounded Zen tradition our meditation and lecturing events are based on, we hope to keep the **$ancient$ $but$ $ageless$ $wisdom$ $in$ $its$ $depth$ & $originality$ **— so to invite our participants to flexibly incorporate the insights and methods into the contemporary contexts and their individually unique lives.
3. Effortless composure and unconditional peace in the changing world.
In a world where the only constant is change, how do we find balance, meaning, and direction in such shifting sands? Through Zen meditation practices, the inherent clarity and wisdom of our own mind can be unearthed. We can then have a greater say over our own peace of mind & happiness in this changing world. 🧘🏻
So… what is Zen? In a few words, it’s about living in ever-expanding awareness, freedom, and compassion. Rather than focusing on theory and trappings of dogma, it’s dynamic, heavily experiential, and centering on everyday application. Thus, meditation and wisdom cultivation in Zen Buddhism can be extremely practical and productive in training us to surf the changing waves of life.
When life throws you a rainy day…
Shifu will always get you an umbrella!