Jiun Zenji will give brief talks during Summer Ango at 6:00 a.m. on the following dates.

Jiun Varant Arslanian

Jiun has been training at Rinzai monasteries in Japan for nearly twenty years. He began at Heirinji and now trains at Shogenji where he is the head monk. He has lead several sesshins and events at Rinzaiji and since January of this year has been a practice advisor for the training at Rinzaiji.

Opening 5-day Sesshin: Tuesday, July30 – Saturday, August 3

Kozesshin (Zazenkai): Tuesday, August 6 – Thursday, August 8

5-day Sesshin: Tuesday, August 13 – Saturday, August 17

Please join us via Zoom with the following link

ONLINE ZENDO

About Summer Ango

At the heart of Zen monastic training period is the biannual 3 month intensive training period called Ango “peaceful dwelling”. The practice dates back over 2500 years to India where the Buddha and his disciples spent the rainy season in one place focusing on their studies and meditations.

The two resident monks of Rinzai-ji have both participated in Ango within the traditional setting of a Japanese monastery and from Monday, July 29 to Wednesday, September 4, will take on the challenge of completing a 37 day Ango here at Rinzai-ji. It will not be as long as a traditional training term, but it will involve intensive sittings and several sesshins. We realize that it may be difficult for community members to participate in the same way as our resident monks but we encourage you all to commit to a schedule that works for you and to sit and practice with them (whether in person or online) as much as possible. Doing such a training period within the busyness of a modern city provides each of us with an opportunity to reach deep within ourselves and see what it is that does not move even when the winds blow from all directions.