The Zoom link to participate in this event will be provided at least 24 hours before it begins. Please call 415-354-0360 if you have any questions.
Three Tuesdays, September 10–September 24, 7–8:30 pm PT
This three-part class will investigate the Dai Hi Shin Darani, a staple of Soto Zen ritual and the central chant of San Francisco Zen Center’s standard memorial service.
The course will touch on the history of protective and healing practices in Buddhism, and across spiritual practices in general. Daranis and other similar texts are often called “spells” and their traditional uses appear to be expressions of what modern viewers might call “magic.” The modern, rational, scientific mindset is generally very dismissive of so-called magical practices and these aspects of spiritual practice have often been dismissed as not essential to an understanding or experience of Zen. At the same time, the connection between spiritual practice, Buddhist awakening, medicine, and magic is extensive and much more nuanced than modern interpretations sometimes allow. It’s not merely an accident of history that the Soto Zen lineage that SFZC is a part of continues to chant this ancient Sanskrit spell.
In addition to studying from the SFZC chant book, a secondary text will be the Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī – the original source text containing the Dai Hi Shin Darani. This text goes by many names, including Mahākaruṇika Dhāraṇī or The Great Compassion Dhāraṇī Sutra, and is chanted in praise of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
This course will examine what the Dai Hi Shin Darani means to the current spiritual community of San Francisco Zen Center, as well as the deeper history of this text and its associated practices.
- General: $112.50
- SFZC Member: $100
- Sliding scale 1: $67.50
San Francisco Zen Center is committed to making Zen practice and the Dharma accessible to all who seek it by offering both a General support fund and a dedicated BIPOC support fund. Please email supportfunds@sfzc.org for more information BEFORE signing up.
Or call 415-354-0360.