• An NYZC Course Offering

Zen Studies:
Dogen's Teachings for Everyday Life

with Koshin Paley Ellison

Wednesdays, January 29th – May 14th, 2025
4:15 – 7:15 pm ET

Wednesdays, Jan. 29th – May 14th, 2025 | 4:15 – 7:15 pm ET

Learn more & register

Honoring Our Lineage, Honoring Our Lives

Join us this January in a weekly exploration of Dogen Zenji’s profound teachings with Volume II of the newly revitalized Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. As we honor the 100th Anniversary of Soto Zen in North America, this program invites us to engage deeply with the timeless wisdom of our lineage.

 

In this lively discussion-based course, we will dive into Dogen’s reflections on the practices, teachings, and historical figures of Zen. Through an intimate study of Volume II, we will uncover how Dogen’s profound insights and grounded commentary reveal the living heart of Soto Zen.

 

Together, we will explore how these teachings can deepen our relationships and energize our capacity to remain fully human in an often inhumane world. 

 

 

What You’ll Discover

  • Living Lineage: Explore how Dogen draws on the teachings of Zen predecessors to illuminate our own path.
  • Practical Insights & Zazen Instruction: Engage with clear teachings and reflections on zazen, practice, and strengthening the heart-mind to meet life’s challenges.
  • Essential Soto Zen Lessons: Cultivate deeper understanding and appreciation of prolific Zen texts, koan study, and inherited teachings that form the bedrock of our tradition.
  • Awakening in Daily Life: Reflect on the awakening path and its practical application in your everyday life.

 

 

Zen Studies is for Everyone!

Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or new to the awakening path, this course welcomes all. No prior background in Soto Zen is required. It’s an opportunity for all who are open to awakening their innate treasures and living with greater intimacy and compassion for themselves and others.

Course Details

Jan 29th | Feb 5th | Feb 12th | Feb 19th | Feb 26th | Mar 5th | Mar 12th | Mar 19th | Mar 26th | Apr 2nd | Apr 23rd | May 7th | May 14th

 

This hybrid model class allows students to attend the program remotely or in person. There are a limited number of in person spots available.

  • Weekly live classes consisting of teaching, discussion, and breakout groups*;
  • An online learning platform and discussion forum with fellow students;
  • Weekly reading assignments;
  • Participation in NYZC’s weekly evening meditation on Wednesdays (6:00 pm – 7:15 pm ET portion of class time).

 

*Recordings of the class, not including breakout room discussions, will be made available to registered students.

The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye is a masterpiece by Dogen Zenji, the founder of the Soto Zen lineage. An eight-volume set, re-released in 2023 by a team of distinguished translators, commemorates the 100-year anniversary of Soto Zen in North America. This course will focus on the second volume.

 

Each week, select readings from the text will be sent to you so there is no need for you to purchase the books.

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.

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

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Class Registration

  • Master's or Certificate Credit $1,400
  • Audit - Supporter Level $1,080
  • Audit - Standard (Actual Cost) $760
  • Audit - Scholarship Level $470
Register here

Financial Support: NYZC endeavors to make our programs accessible. If the cost of this program is prohibitive, please choose the scholarship level. 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.

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 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… Only near the end of the course was I aware of its impact on my practice.”

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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