Liberation in the Midst of Life’s Challenges: Genjo Koan and the Six Paramitas
Though an understandable response to the hardships of life, our reactivity can seem to violate the Buddhist ideal of meeting each person or circumstance with an insightful equanimity that evokes a compassionate and skillful way of being in the world. This equanimity goes beyond the reactiveness of afflictive emotions and invites the inquiry that is described in the "Genjo Koan," a text written by the founder of Soto Zen in Japan, Dogen Zenji.
“Genjo” can be translated as realized or actualized and koan can be translated as “public case”; together they can be translated as meaning, “examining the common experience of living a human life.” Through the process of inquiry we learn how to relate to life in a way that teaches us how to live in accordance with liberation from suffering.
In this practice period we will study and engage the inquiry of “Genjo Koan” and the cultivation of the six paramitas.
This is a traditional intensive training period common in the schools of Buddhism. Participants can engage in this training period in one of two ways; this page is for Online/Visitor participation:
Residential: Move in and live at City Center and follow the daily schedule. Applications are due by September 15.
Visitor/Online (this page): Visit City Center for practice period events, or participate online, as you choose. Registration deadline extended to October 4.
On-site participation is open to residential and visitor participation. Before applying or registering, please review the current Health and Safety Requirements.
About the Fall 2023 Practice Period
You may attend any of the components below onsite at City Center or online as you prefer. Visiting City Center to attend any onsite component requires that you first review the Health and Safety Requirements.
The practice period will begin with an orientation, available both onsite and livestreamed, on Monday, October 2, at 7:30 pm PT.
Ryushin Paul Haller will teach a livestreamed class on the practice period topic, both online and onsite, on Mondays, October 9 – November 27, 7:30 – 9 pm PT. The fee for the class is included in the practice period fees and does not require separate registration.
There are two Saturday one-day sittings on October 7 and November 4, and a concluding seven-day Rohatsu Sesshin beginning the evening of Saturday, December 2 and ending on Saturday, December 9. These sittings are not included in the practice period fee and require separate registration and payment. See Fee information, below.
Also included are residential small discussion groups, and access to the Online Portal.
Online components:
- Online Portal
- Online Class
- Small Groups
- Morning and evening zazen in the Online Zendo
- Wednesday and Saturday Dharma talks in the Online Zendo
- Access to the Online Portal for curricula and recordings of all the classes and Dharma talks
Optional Onsite components included with Practice Period registration. Please review the Health and Safety Requirements
- In-person morning and evening zazen and service
- Visitors are invited to join the residents for breakfast after the morning program for an additional onsite charge, and asked to eat in the courtyard
- Onsite class
- Wednesday and Saturday Dharma talks in the Buddha Hall
- General: $375
- Current SFZC Members: $337
- Sliding scale 1: $225
- Sliding scale 2: $90
For additional discount options, please email us at rezoffice@sfzc.org.
Practice period events not included in the practice period fee and requiring separate registration and payment:
Please review these documents if you will be visiting City Center during the practice period:
Deadline for registration has been extended to October 4.
Or call 415-354-0360.
