On Tuesday, June 9, we expect to finish our study of  Seeds for a Boundless  Life: Zen Teachings from the Heart, by Zenkei Blanche Hartman. We found her teachings touching and relevant to our lives. Recommended for Zen students of all levels, and welcoming to beginners!

About the book:

"A polarized global society wracked in pain calls out for the caring engagement of all its members, no matter what religious tradition, if any, we belong to. This book reflects on the healing power of Zen, a gift to the world from the Buddhist tradition. Zen is a form of spiritual practice, a way of life, and a vision of reality that not only can launch us in our inner work of personal healing, but also at the same time enhance and intensify our engagement in tasks of global healing. "  - Ruben Habito

"I am grateful to Ruben Habito for sharing his cogent insight into the perennial, healing inspiration that rises now as Buddhist, now as Christian."  - Robert Aitken, Roshi

"Among the finest Zen teachers in the West today."   - James Ishmael Ford, Roshi

Born in the Philippines in 1947, Rubén Hábito is a former Jesuit priest who served in Japan under the guidance of the great spiritual pioneer Father Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle and studied Zen with renowned teacher Koun Yamada.* He completed koan studies with Yamada Roshi in 1988 and was given dharma transmission by him. Habito relocated to Dallas, TX, in 1989 to assume a teaching position at the Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. In 1991 he founded the Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas. Following his retirement from SMU, he moved to Santa Fe, NM. Habito remains a prominent figure in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue.

Please note:  We will be using the 2006 edition of Habito's book, published by Wisdom Publications (Boston, MA). It contains new material not included in earlier editions. Print copies are difficult to find, though e-book versions are readily available through commercial booksellers. Because we use a shared reading practice to present the teaching of the day, you do not need to have your own copy of the book to participate. There is no expectation to read ahead or to catch up with the group - whatever we encounter when we show up is just right.

* Ruben Habito is our Dharma "cousin" of sorts:  Yamada Roshi was the student of Hakuun Yasutani, who was the student of Daiun Sogaku Harada. Yamada Roshi was also one of Robert Aitken's teachers, and gave him dharma transmission. Aitken brought the Sanbo Zen stream and its Yasutani-Harada Koan curriculum to Hawaii, where he established the Diamond Sangha lineage. Aitken's first dharma heir was John Tarrant (later renounced by Aitken), who was James Ford's koan teacher.

General Information about our UUC Zen meditation group:

The UUC Zen Group sits as Bright Cloud Zen, an affiliate of the Empty Moon Zen Sanghas and a member sangha of the UU Buddhist Fellowship. Bright Cloud Zen practice groups are supported by the Rev. Janine Seitetsu Larsen, a UUC Covenanted Community Minister who retiredat the end of June, 2025, as Director of Ministries at UUC. She is a long-time UU and a former regional staff member of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Ordained by James Myoun Ford, Roshi, she was installed by Empty Moon Zen in 2019 as Bright Cloud's Resident Zen Priest in Seattle. Janine has received initial transmission (Denkai) as a Zen Teacher in the Empty Moon lineage.

Our two-hour meditation & study group on Tuesdays & Fridays are the most widely attended of our various practice periods. It includes simple opening and closing chants, two periods of silent sitting, walking meditation, refreshment, and teaching. Most often, our teaching of the day is a shared reading from a selected Dharma Text; sometimes there may be a dharma talk or other discussion.

Dress comfortably. Most participants sit on chairs, which are provided. Floor sitting supplies are also available, or bring your own cushions or meditation bench – just remove a chair and replace it with your supplies. A variety of sitting supports and light blankets are also available for your comfort.

Arrive 5-10 minutes early if possible. We do our best to greet visitors, ask about meditation experience, and help you find your seat and settle into your posture. If you arrive after the sitting period has begun, please enter quietly and take any available seat. The practice leader may lead a guided meditation for all; if there's need, we may offer instruction in a separate room for those who wish assistance. Otherwise, simply follow this general advice for meditation practice:

Sitting still, just pay attention to what is going on around you and within you. Notice your breathing or other sensations in the body. Allow curiosity to arise in its own time. Be gentle with yourself. Just start again when the mind wanders.

Rev. Janine Seitetsu Larsen, Osho
Bright Cloud Zen Resident Priest

Empty Moon Zen Teacher

UUC Covenanted Community Minister

Deepening Zen Practice:

Precepts Study:  The Bright Cloud Zen practice groups regularly offer precept study for those who wish to receive the first five precepts (sewing the Wagessa and vowing to live ethically), or Jukai (sewing the Rakusu and committing to the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts and the Empty Moon Zen lineage). Talk to our Sewing Practice Leader Marla Yuki Murdock, or one of the other Empty Moon Zen Teachers to learn more about joining the study group or receiving the precepts.

Koan Introspection:  Empty Moon Zen offers the Harada-Yasutani Koan Curriculum as an option for students who are ready to engage a direct and intimate experience of opening to the boundless. This practice is recommended for those who are solidly grounded in meditation practice and have some familiarity with foundational Zen teachings.

Talk to Rev. Seitetsu, a Bright Cloud Practice Leader, or one of the other Empty Moon Zen Teachers to learn more about receiving the precepts or exploring Koan Introspection.

Over and over again, Zen is not about having the answer but about moving in the darkness of
what is unknown and uncertain and trusting both your moves and the darkness that opens as you enter it.   
- John Tarrant (James Ford's Koan Teacher), commenting on Koan Study