Buddhist Student Resources
What is Zen?
“Zen is very simple… What are you? In this whole world everyone searches for happiness outside, but nobody understands their true self inside.”
~ Zen Master Seung Sahn
The Origin of Zen
“The Buddha is said to have given a ‘silent sermon’ once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it. After a while, one of those present, a monk called Mahakasyapa, began to smile. He is said to have been the only one who had understood the sermon. According to legend, that smile (that is to say, realization) was handed down by twenty-eight successive masters and much later become the origin of Zen.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
Zazen is the practice of sitting meditation. It cultivates awareness, concentration, self-knowledge, compassion, and peace. It allows the mind to calm and worries to dissipate, giving rise to compassion and allowing us to be present for our fellow human beings.
At the weekly sessions, we begin with a brief meditation on the wisdom of the practice, which is followed by two 25-minute sitting meditations with a 5-minute walking meditation in between.
Once a year, the Prayer From Around The World Series offers a special zazen orientation and meditation session. Please join us on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, from 7:00 – 7:45 pm in room 330 of Coleman-Morse Center at this 45-minutes Zen Meditation experience led by Dr. Thomas Petersen of South Bend.
All zazen gatherings are open to Notre Dame students, faculty and staff. All faiths are welcome!
Weekly Gathering:
Thursdays, 5:15 – 6:15 pm
Meditation Room, 102 Coleman-Morse Center
For information:
Robert Van Horn
