Catch Your Mind: Awakening Through Relationship

with KOSHIN PALEY ELLISON SENSEI

Once a Month on Saturdays

Sept. 14th, 2024 – July 12th, 2025

9:00am – 4:00pm ET

What can our ancestors teach us about thriving in our daily lives?

Guided by Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, Catch Your Mind is a yearly exploration of the central grounding themes in Soto Zen Buddhist practice and study.

This year’s focus will be Soto Zen’s Chinese Ancestors, twenty-five generations of teachers spanning from Bodhidharma’s import of Buddhism from India to China up until Dogen’s eventual export of the dharma to Japan. Their timeless dedication to liberation will serve as the foundation for our class.

Together, we will discover this robust stream of the Soto Zen lineage and allow it to enliven our rigorous textual study through the vitality of everyday practice. With heartening poetry and awesome teachings, these ancestors come alive now—guiding us toward connection and intimate participation with all beings, including ourselves.

What You Will Learn:

Over the course of ten monthly classes (with opportunities for practice and connection in between), we will utilize sitting meditation, commentaries on sutras, koan study, and the craft of composing poetry. We will explore teachings that offer:

Practical advice for maintaining zazen practice
Philosophical and spiritual discovery
Clear application for our daily lives
Writings rich in poetry imagery
Opportunities to reflect on what matters most to you
Ways to engage with a community of learning

Who is this course for?

Whether you are familiar with Soto Zen Buddhism or come from a place of unknowing, this course is for you. Beginner’s mind is the best! You do not need any special background knowledge to thrive in this course; you only need to want to live wide awake, to connect and learn with others.

Join us for this enriching journey into the wisdom of the Chinese ancestors of Soto Zen and discover how their teachings can guide you toward a more connected and wholehearted way of living.

Class Registration

Master's or Certificate Credit $2,100
Benefactor Level $1,260
Standard Level $888
Scholarship Level $550
Continuing Education Credit (CE) Fee $25

Financial Support: New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care endeavors to make our programs accessible. If the cost of this program is prohibitive, please choose the scholarship level. Please note that there are a limited number of scholarship seats available. If the scholarship level is not listed on the registration form, that means it is no longer available.

Course Details

Class Dates | Online or In-Person

This hybrid model class allows students to attend the program remotely (via Zoom) or in person. Please choose which option best suits your needs during registration. There are a limited number of in person spots available.

Course Schedule + NYZC Half-Day Retreats

The course schedule includes participation in NYZC’s monthly Half-Day retreats (whether virtually or in-person) from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm ET and the Catch Your Mind class from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET.

In between monthly classes, there will be required readings, discussion forum participation, and an assigned “buddy” to connect with and engage over the course material.

Additional Information

60.5 Continuing Education Credits (CEs) are available for Social Workers.

Please be sure to add this to your registration if you’d like to receive CEs for this course. You will also be required to complete an evaluation form at the end of the semester in order to receive CEs. NYZC is an approved provider of SW CEs through the NYSED State Board for Social Work. If you are licensed outside of New York State, please check with your local SW Board to make sure they’ll accept these CEs.

Master’s Level Credit

Register at this level if you need Masters Credit. You will also be required to write a 10-page paper. If you register at any of the audit levels, you can still participate fully in the class and will not be required to submit a 10-page paper.

Certificate in Soto Zen Buddhst Studies

This course is part of our certificate program which you can learn more about here.

Combine Classes for a Weekend of Practice and Study

Our Zen Precepts: Living an Ethical Life class is offered (mostly) on the same weekend of each Catch Your Mind class. Many students opt to register for both classes and treat each monthly weekend as a semi-retreat and study intensive.

Class Dates: Sept 30th | Oct 14th | (No Class Session in Nov) | Dec 9th | Jan 20th | Feb 10th | Mar 9th | Apr 20th | May 11th | June 1st | July 13th
Online and In Person: This hybrid model class allows students to attend the program remotely or in person. Please choose which option best suits your needs during registration. There are a limited number of in person spots available.
Includes NYZC Half-Day Retreats: The course schedule includes participation in NYZC's monthly Half-Day retreats (whether virtually or in-person) from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm ET and the Catch Your Mind class from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET.
60.5 Continuing Education Credits (CEs) are available for Social Workers. Please be sure to add this to your registration if you'd like to receive CEs for this course. You will also be required to complete an evaluation form at the end of the semester in order to receive CEs. NYZC is an approved provider of SW CEs through the NYSED State Board for Social Work. If you are licensed outside of New York State, please check with your local SW Board to make sure they'll accept these CEs.
Master’s Level Credit: Register at this level if you need Masters Credit. You will also be required to write a 10-page paper. If you register at any of the audit levels, you can still participate fully in the class and will not be required to submit a 10-page paper.
Combine Classes for a Weekend of Practice and Study: Our Zen Precepts: Living an Ethical Life class is offered on the same weekend of each Catch Your Mind class. Many students opt to register for both classes and treat each monthly weekend as a semi-retreat and study intensive.
Certificate in Contemplative Care: this course is part of our certificate program which you can learn more about here.

Praise for Koshin's Classes

“I love Koshin’s approach; his primary focus is not intellectual as much as it is practical. He always emphasizes, ‘how does this affect your daily life? how can you use these teachings in your relationships’. I also loved the wonderful openness that I experienced from my fellow classmates, I always felt safe and free to share from my heart. It’s rare to find such an amazing group of people in one setting!”

“As an academic I have been studying texts for over 40 years. This one (Lotus Sutra) has been the most profound and transformative for me. It has helped me wake up and given me skills to keep my heart open in daily life.”

“Deep bows. Thank you so much. I had a hard time warming up to this text initially, but it really changed me. Thank you for fostering the kind of reading that leads to that.”

“The course (Zen Precepts) challenged me in ways I’d not expected. Occasionally this grew from something in the reading, or in a dharma talk, but invariably reflecting on the question(s) posed pulled me into a deeper understanding of the precepts. With each assignment I spent quite a lot of time thinking and writing (in a journal) about what it means to embody these simple but profound guidelines for daily life. Only near the end of the course was I aware of its impact on my practice.”

I love Koshin's approach; his primary focus is not intellectual as much as it is practical. He always emphasizes, 'how does this affect your daily life? how can you use these teachings in your relationships'. I also loved the wonderful openness that I experienced from my fellow classmates, I always felt safe and free to share from my heart. It's rare to find such an amazing group of people in one setting!
Prior NYZC Courses Student

As an academic I have been studying texts for over 40 years. This one (Lotus Sutra) has been the most profound and transformative for me. It has helped me wake up and given me skills to keep my heart open in daily life.
Prior NYZC Courses Student

Deep bows. Thank you so much. I had a hard time warming up to this text initially, but it really changed me. Thank you for fostering the kind of reading that leads to that.
Prior NYZC Courses Student

The course (Zen Precepts) challenged me in ways I’d not expected. Occasionally this grew from something in the reading, or in a dharma talk, but invariably reflecting on the question(s) posed pulled me into a deeper understanding of the precepts. With each assignment I spent quite a lot of time thinking and writing (in a journal) about what it means to embody these simple but profound guidelines for daily life. Only near the end of the course was I aware of its impact on my practice.
Prior NYZC Courses Student

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ABOUT THE Teacher

About the TEACHER

Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After many years as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Koshin is a world renowned thought leader in contemplative care. He is the author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion (Balance/Hachette, 2022); Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up (Wisdom Publications, 2019) and the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care (Wisdom Publications, 2016). His work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning, and Tricycle Magazine among other publications.

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