Advanced Buddhist Studies: The Five Houses of Zen
Offered to Wy’East Zen Center, Summer 2020 by Rev. Jyoshin Clay
Dates: August 2, 9, 16, 30, September 13
Time: 4:00pm – 5:30pm PDT via ZOOM
Description:
Zen literature is full of beautiful phrases and imagery that are often challenging for zen practitioners to decipher. Becoming familiar with the pattern and style of these phrases is the first step to not only grasping their meaning, but also being grasped by them.
This five week course will be based on the book, The Five Houses of Zen, by Thomas Cleary. Using this text as a foundation and jumping off point for exploring the teaching stories of zen, students and teacher alike will play with the words and phrases that point rather than explain.
Course Objective: Participants will experience various of styles of zen literature, becoming familiar with common phrases and imagery used to denote deep spiritual truths.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will be able to name the Five Houses of Zen
- Participants will be able to describe each of the styles of the houses.
- Participants will integrate zen language into their own vocabulary through class assignments.
Text: Cleary, Thomas. 1997. The Five Houses of Zen. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications.
August 2: 5HZ – Intro & The House of Kuei-Yang
August 9: 5HZ – The House of Lin-chi
August 16: 5HZ – The House of Ts’ao-Tung
August 30: 5HZ – The House of Yun-men
September 13: 5HZ – The House of Fa-yen
Projects: For each class, participants will select a phrase from the readings and write a reflective response to it. Reflective responses can be prose, poetry, or artwork. Each participant will have an opportunity to share their reflective responses with the class.
These reflective responses are not an intellectual analysis or explanation of meaning. They are expressions of what the phrase brings up for you and how this phrase is being integrated into your own vocabulary and life of practice.
Grading: There are no grades. This course is to learn, explore, and play with language that leads us to truth, rather than explaining truth. What is it that is beyond the words, phrases, and concepts? In this class, we jump beyond grades and focus instead on connection, collaboration, and enjoyment of the mystery of language and the unknowable.
Cost: There is no cost for the class but a donation of $25.00 is suggested.