Online: Bodhidharma—Reality Has no High or Low

An Eight-Week Course Taught by Hokuto Sensei

Bodhidharma is perhaps the most pivotal figure in the development of Zen, yet so much of what we know (or think we know) about him is based on myth and legend. In this course, we will explore what has come down to us regarding Bodhidharma: the koans in which he is featured, the four “sermons” attributed to him, and the significance of his life and example. The goal of the class is to come closer — through words that go beyond words into silence — to the famous definition of Zen attributed to Bodhidharma:

A special transmission outside the scriptures
Not depending on words and letters.
Pointing directly to the heart-mind
Seeing one’s true nature and realizing Buddhahood.

Each 90-minute class will include periods of meditation, exploration of a text and group discussion. The reading for the class will be The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, translated by Red Pine, and selections from Two Zen Classics translated by Sekida; the first class will focus on case 1 of the Blue Cliff Record (Hekigan Roku) from the Sekida.

Starting Jan. 30, the course will meet Sundays from 4-5:30 p.m. for eight weeks. The suggested course fee is $100 for Zen Studies Society members and $125 for non-members — more, if you can afford it, less if you cannot.

Enrollment has been closed for this series of classes. Please check our calendar for classes on other topics.