Dharma Talk with Valerie Forstman: “Zen’s Subverting Impulse: Overturning the One”

Thursday, October 31 | 5:30–7:00 PM
Meditation begins at 5:30 pm MT, followed by the Dharma Talk (teisho) at 6:00 pm MT.
You are invited to join us for an evening with Valerie Forstman at Mountain Cloud Zen Center’s zendo, where she will be leading our Dharma Talk. This hybrid event is free and registration is not required. Please arrive five to ten minutes ahead of the scheduled time.
On this All Hallows’ Eve, Valerie will celebrate Zen’s ancestry by sharing some impressions from last week’s ‘Evolution of Women in Buddhism’ conference at Bodhi Manda. The talk will turn to case 15 in the Blue Cliff Record, Unmon’s “A preaching in reverse” or “A preaching overturning the one.” What overturning is it that invites us home, moment by moment, to the empty-infinite reality of things just as they are?
To participate online, please click on the zoom link below.
sit.mountaincloud.org
Passcode: mountain22
Trouble logging on to our online sits? Click here for guidance. Need help with time zone conversion? Use the World Time Buddy .
If you miss a dharma talk, you can find it on our YouTube channel within one to two weeks.
Kindly consider contributing dana (a traditional Buddhist offering) to express financial gratitude to our visiting teacher. Dana can be made through paypal: paypal.me/vforstman
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Valerie Forstman is an Associate Zen Master of the SanboZen lineage and our onsite Guiding Teacher at Mountain Cloud. Her first teacher, with whom she continues to work, was Ruben Habito Roshi. Since 2003, she has also trained under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of SanboZen.
Valerie joins Mountain Cloud with a shared vision of the core of the Zen path, a way of coming home to who we truly are. This includes koan training, “just sitting” practice, and breath awareness practice, and what it means to undergo the immense change of heart implied by the term “awakening.” What a joy and what a long road it can be, not just to taste this, but to embody it and live it out in lives of compassionate service.
A first-career classical musician with degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Stony Brook in New York, Valerie changed course in response to her practice and went on to earn a Master of Theological Studies and Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation (Hebrew Bible). She recently retired from her work as Associate Dean for Admissions and Common Life at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, TX.
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Dharma Talk often referred to as a “teisho” in Zen Buddhism, is a discourse or lecture given by a teacher to convey teachings on Buddhist philosophy, principles, and practice. During a Dharma talk, the teacher may explore various aspects of Buddhist doctrine, share insights from personal experience, and offer guidance to the audience on how to apply these teachings in their lives. The purpose is to deepen understanding, inspire contemplation, and support the development of mindfulness and wisdom among the practitioners.
- Date
- October 31, 2024
- Time
-
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
- Event Categories
- Dharma, Talks & Workshops