What is Zen?

In this seminar we’ll explore Sangharakshita’s The Essence of Zen and his approach to some of the central ideas of the Zen tradition.

 

Zen has often emphasised direct experience over theories and explanations: not rejecting words or teachings, but asking what happens when we look beyond them and encounter our experience more directly.

 

We’ll explore questions such as:

 

What might it mean to go beyond words and ideas?

 

Can someone else actually communicate spiritual insight to us?

 

What does Zen mean by “seeing into one’s own nature”?

 

And what might a more direct way of experiencing ourselves and the world look like in everyday life?

 

An accessible introduction to Zen, with meditation, discussion and space to explore these ideas together. No previous experience of Buddhism is needed.