NYZ: The Two Arrows with Jifu

A Two-Part Study of the Sallatha Sutta with Jifu Devyani Sadh

This two-part workshop offers a sacred space at New York Zendo to study the Sallatha Sutta (The Arrow Sutta, SN 36.6). Preserved within the Samyutta Nikāya of the Pali Canon, this discourse was delivered by Gautama Buddha to a gathering of monastics approximately 2,600 years ago in Shravasti, India.

Each 90-minute session opens with a brief period of zazen. In keeping with the oral teaching tradition, the text will be formally chanted in its original Prakrit dialect. The remainder of the session comprises an integrated translation, commentary breakdown, and contemplative group discussion.

This course offers a framework for the patient, humble work of observing our conditioned minds and habitual patterns. Here, we practice distinguishing between inevitable worldly difficulties and the self-inflicted mental suffering we often add to them.

Part 1: Observing the Two Arrows (October 11 at 1:30 pm)

Focusing on the first half of the sutta, this session establishes our diagnostic groundwork by examining how the untrained mind naturally duplicates its own pain. We will look closely at the classic “Two Arrows” simile and explore the three underlying latent tendencies (anusaya) triggered by discomfort: our immediate aversion to pain, our inclination to chase pleasure as an escape, and our ignorance of neutral states.

The discussion will explore ways in which these dynamics show up in daily life, identifying specific areas—such as health, relationships, or workplace stress—where simple discomfort gives way to secondary mental friction.

Part 2: Walking the Path of Non-Reaction (November 1 at 1:30 pm)

The second session shifts toward the sutta’s guidance on insight, looking closely at the qualities developed by an instructed disciple of the path. We will examine how such a person experiences identical physical pain (the first arrow) but learns to restrain the psychological reaction (the second arrow) by cultivating what the text describes as a “disjoined” mind.

The closing dialogue will focus on the ongoing work of integration, exploring how to patiently maintain this balanced awareness and view real-world difficulties not as obstacles, but as conditions for practice.

Facilitator Bio:

Jifu Devyani Sadh has practiced in the Vipassana, Tibetan, and Zen traditions for over thirty years. A student of Shinge Roshi since 2017, she has received lay ordination (Jukai) in both the Plum Village and Rinzai Zen lineages.

She is also a psychologist with over eight years of formal study in Sanskrit, Indian philosophies, and Yogic systems. For several decades, she has facilitated collaborative circles exploring Buddhist teachings and ancient Indian traditions. Additionally, she has led the Engaged Buddhism initiative at the Zen Studies Society for the past seven years.

Registration

To foster a focused, interactive environment for group dialogue, space is limited; early registration is highly recommended.

$20 for members / $30 for non-members (total cost both sessions).

Please contact jifu@zenstudies.org for more information. ZSS Health Protocols apply.