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Event Series Event Series: Dharma Talk (Teisho)

Sangha Dialogue with Valerie Forstman and Sarah Giffin

Thursday, December 12th  |  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 and Sarah Giffin at Mountain Cloud Zen Center’s zendo, where they will be leading a Sangha Dialogue. There will be one round of sitting before the community conversation begins. This hybrid event is free and registration is not required. Please arrive five to ten minutes ahead of the scheduled time.

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.

Valerie Forstman is an Associate Zen Master of the SanboZen lineage and our Guiding Teacher here 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 came to Mountain Cloud with a shared vision of the core of the Zen path, a way of coming home to who we truly are. In keeping with the SanboZen tradition, this path or ‘way’ may include koan training, “just sitting” practice, or simple breath awareness practice, all of which funnel into what it means to undergo the immense change of heart implied by the term “awakening.” What a joy and what a rich process it can be, not just to taste this, but to embody it and live it out in lives of compassionate service.

As Guiding Teacher, Valerie is responsible for he quality and integrity of Zen offerings as Mountain Cloud. She offers dokusan to over 50 students a week, runs our sesshin and zazenkai, Alongside her guiding work at Mountain Cloud, Valerie leads sesshin (intensive Zen retreats) annually at two Zen centers in Germany.

Sarah Giffin is the Executive Director of Mountain Cloud Zen Center. In this role she drives the execution of our organization’s mission, manages our team of staff, leads fundraising and other new initiatives. She brings to the role over a decade of experience facilitating and administering non-profit programs in the field of youth and adult education. Sarah first came to the center as a Zen student in 2017 to pilot the first iteration of our Residency program. Since then, she took on a variety of roles including Facilities Manager, Curriculum Specialist, Online Program Manager, Board Director, and all the while, sangha member. She is a Master Degree candidate at George Washington University in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

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
December 12, 2024
Time
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Event Categories
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