Intro to Meditation Class
Are you interested in learning more about meditation? Join us for this free, drop-in class. We will go over the foundations of posture and explore different methods of meditation practice.
This is a Dream: An Evening of Meditation, Dreams and Zen
This is the dream expressed within a dream, prior to all dreams.–Dogen Zenji
The Dharma teachings remind us to regard experience as dream. Could it be that our thoughts, ideas and views of separation–are as insubstantial as a dream?
During this evening we will explore the nature of experience through the lens of dream. The evening will include a dharma talk and teachings on dreams, meditation and zen, as well as guided and silent meditation.
Love+Spaciousness: A Day of Meditation and Mindfulness
Join us for a day of silent meditation and mindfulness at Spring Hollow Lodge in Sharon Woods Metro Park. We will explore the wonder of simply sitting, breathing and attending to the present moment. The practice of meditation and mindfulness reveal the clarity and openness of our original nature, allowing us to come back to our basic wholeness.
Interdependence Sesshin: A Five-Day Residential Meditation Retreat
Everything is interdependent. When we open up to interbeing, we’re opening up to our true nature. It can’t be grasped and it can’t be lost. Our true nature is boundless compassion, and it’s no different from the Buddha’s. —Thich Nhat Hanh
During this silent meditation retreat we will explore our interdependence.
This retreat will include about 8 hours of silent seated meditation, walking meditation, a daily dharma talk, opportunities to walk in the forest and sit outside, mindful eating, a mindful temple care-taking period and daily opportunities to meet with the teachers. During some of the meditation periods we will offer optional outdoor meditation sessions.
Spring Blossoms: A Day of Meditation and Mindfulness
flowers are silent
silence is silent
the mind is a silent flower
the silent flower of the world opens —Ikkyu
Join us for a day of silent meditation and mindfulness at Spring Hollow Lodge in Sharon Woods Metro Park. We will explore the wonder of simply sitting, breathing and attending to the present moment. The practice of meditation and mindfulness reveal the clarity and openness of our original nature, allowing us to come back to our basic wholeness.
Intro to Meditation Class
Are you interested in learning more about meditation? Join us for this free, drop-in class. We will go over the foundations of posture and explore different methods of meditation practice.
Awakening the Heart: Half Day Loving Kindness Meditation Retreat
May I be free of suffering, harm, and disturbance.
May I accept things just as they are.
May I experience the world accepting me just as I am.
May I serve whatever arises.
Join us for an afternoon of Loving Kindness practice. The day will begin with a dharma talk on loving kindness and the four immeasureables (loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity). We will then explore the Four Immeasureables through guided and silent periods of seated meditation and walking meditation. The afternoon will end with vegan snacks, tea and a dharma discussion.
New Year’s Sangha Potluck and Social Gathering
Join us for a Sangha Potluck and Social Gathering. We will be reflecting on the past year and envisioning what we would like to do in 2025.
Please bring a dish to share!
16 Bodhisattva Precepts Class
The 16 Bodhisattva Precepts are the ethical teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism. Far from being a set of rules, they are living inquiries to help us live a compassionate, wise life. As we attempt to navigate the complexities of our own mind and emotions, our interpersonal relationships and the ways we participate in larger societal and social systems, the precepts can offer guidance, encouragement and even a sense of refuge.
The precepts, along with meditation and insight, make up the foundational practices of Zen Buddhism. Join us for this series of study and practice as we explore the ways compassion can take shape in our own thoughts, speech and actions.
This class will be offered as part of our normal Wednesday night meditation. We will begin with meditation and walking meditation. During the Dharma Talk and Discussion we will explore the precept theme of the week, reflecting on how each precept functions in our own lives.
Light in the Darkness: Solstice Sit + Dharma Reflection
In darkness it is most bright. While hidden all the more manifest. — Hongzhi
One Zen koan invites: Everyone has their own light. When you try to look for it, it appears dark or dim, what is everyone’s light?
On these darkest nights of the year, we will explore meditating in the dark and by candlelight as we open to the wisdom of both the darkness and the light, and how they contain each other.
Bodhi Day : Potluck + Enlightenment Meditation Vigil
I, together with all beings and the great earth, awaken! — the Buddha
Bodhi Day, or Rohatsu, is celebrated every December 8 in the Zen tradition, marking the Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. To honor this, it is customary to sit zazen late into the night, chanting the Heart Sutra at midnight.
Breath is the Bridge
“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh (The Miracle of Mindfulness)
Awareness of breath is often taught as the starting point for learning meditation. It is also an essential, ongoing practice that connects mind to body and connects oneself to the world.
Dharma discussion will be led by Seth Josephson, Ph.D. Cushions and chairs will be available, but you may bring your favorite seat for meditation if you would like. There will be tea and vegan snacks. All Mud Lotus Sangha events offered for free (monetary or other donations are welcome). Please join us to share this rich mediation practice in community!
Hungry Ghost Ceremony
Calling all you hungry hearts
All the lost and the left behind
Gather round and share this meal
Your joy and your sorrow, I make it mine. --Kanromon
Join us for an evening of meditation and a ceremony to connect with, embrace and transmute the energy of the hungry ghost in our own hearts and in the world.
Silent Illumination: A Day of Mindfulness and Meditation
What is this wonder? Alertly seeing through confusion is the way of silent illumination and the origin of subtle radiance. —Hongzhi
Join us for a day of silent meditation and mindfulness at Spring Hollow Lodge in Sharon Woods Metro Park. We will explore the wonder of simply sitting, breathing and attending to the present moment. The practice of meditation and mindfulness reveal the clarity and openness of our original nature, allowing us to heal and come back to our basic wholeness.
The day will include silent seated meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, opportunities to walk in the woods and meditate outside, a dharma talk and dharma sharing at the end. Though the majority of the retreat will be in silent contemplation, there will be opportunities at the end of the day to connect socially with other participants.
This is a donation-based event. A vegan lunch and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP to let us know how much food to prepare. RSVP is encouraged but not mandatory. We will also send out more details to those attending as we get closer to the day of the event. To RSVP click the button below and fill out the short form. Part-time attendance is welcome. Approximate Schedule below.
Silent Illumination Retreat Schedule
9A – Arrive + Set-up
9:30A – Orientation + Opening Words / Zazen (silence begins)
9:55A – Posture Adjustment Bell
10:20A – Kinhin (walking meditation)
10:30A – Zazen
11A – Kinhin
11:10A – Outdoor Meditation
12P – Zazen
12:30P – Chanting Service
12:45P – Lunch
1:50P – Clackers Sound for Dharma Talk
2P – Dharma Talk
2:50P – Kinhin
3P – Zazen
3:30P – Dharma Sharing / Closing Chant / Bows
4P – Social Hour/Clean-up
Exploring the Genjokoan: Meditation + Dharma Study
Zen is known as a path “beyond words and letters,” a “heart-to-heart transmission outside the scriptures.” And yet the literature of Zen carries unique spiritual potentials. Learning to connect with and activate the power of Zen texts is, for many, an essential part of practice. This calls for a different way of reading, free from the intellect’s tyranny.
Genjōkōan – the classic writing by 13 th -century Japanese monk Dōgen –offers a gateway into this intimate textual practice. In this session, we will introduce and familiarize ourselves with Genjōkōan, in the spirit of embodying its innermost meaning. This is a text that can change the quality of our presence in everyday life.
Patrick Dunn is a Zen priest and Ph.D student in Comparative Studies at Ohio State. He lived and practiced for nine years at Great Vow Zen Monastery in Oregon.
5 Precepts Ceremony
Tonight in addition to our regular meditation session, we will have a ceremony of the Five Bodhisattva Precepts.
Join us to help celebrate and support the members of the sangha who will be formally taking the Five Ethical Precepts of Zen Buddhism.
The Five Precepts are:
I vow not to kill, but to cherish all life.
I vow not to steal, but to respect the belongings of others.
I vow not to misuse drugs or alcohol, but to keep the heart-mind clear.
I vow not to lie, but to speak the truth.
I vow not to misuse sexual energy, but to be honest and respectful in my relationships.
Opportunities to study and engage with the precepts happen from time to time at Mud Lotus, if you are interested in learning more—feel free to contact us!
Stepping Into Community: An Introduction to Walking Meditation
Walking with mindfulness, we can learn to experience connectedness, community, even with the flowing streams and immovable mountains. We find that each step can be a new arrival, a moment of council with the land.
This introduction to walking meditation will be led by Seth Josephson, PhD. Seth is a student of Zen Buddhism with decades of practice and a cofounder of Mud Lotus Sangha, a community dedicated to stillness, belonging, and engagement.
We will meet at ILLIO Studio at 17 E Tulane and, after a dharma talk and a period of sitting meditation, we will move outdoors to practice walking at the nearby Walhalla ravine. The session will close with tea and discussion. All bodies and abilities are welcome. Offered by donation.
Wednesday Night Bodhisattva Precepts Class + Meditation
Join us for 50 minutes of meditation followed by a weekly discussion of one of the Five Foundational Bodhisattva Precepts
Anyone is welcome to attend!
The Five Foundational Bodhisattva Precepts are guidelines and contemplations for living an ethical life of compassion, service, integrity and wisdom. The precepts far from being rules, are invitations to open our hearts and minds, see our conditioned habits of greed, hatred and confusion, practice self-forgiveness, and embody integrity in our lives and relationships.
Embodying Love: Exploring Zen Buddhist Ethics
Zen is more than a path of meditation. It is a way of life. Join us for an exploration of the Zen Bodhisattva Precepts, which are a set of contemplations on how to live a wise and compassionate life. In an age where many of our leaders seem to be lacking a moral compass, it feels vital to practice embodying love and understanding in our lives and in the world. Anyone is welcome to attend!
Bowing to Enter: Meditation and Dharma Sharing
Meditation and Dharma discussion
By bowing we are giving up ourselves. To give up ourselves means to give up our dualistic ideas….When you forget all your dualistic ideas, everything becomes your teacher, and everything can be the object of worship. —Shunryū Suzuki
Enter a Buddhist space for the first time and one of the things you’ll notice is all the bowing. Bowing to the statue of the Buddha, bowing to each other, bowing as one leaves and enters.
Bowing is an embodied practice. It has no single, universal meaning. Putting hands together and tilting the body may be a natural way to express humility, gratitude, and awe. It is also an approach to life. We bow in reverence as we enter each new experience and honor the enlightened nature of each other and ourselves.
As Japanese-American Zen teacher, Shunryū Suzuki, wrote, “Usually to bow means to pay our respects to something that is more worthy of respect than ourselves. But when you bow to Buddha you should have no idea of Buddha, you just become one with Buddha, you are already Buddha himself.”
Please join us at ILLIO Studio for meditation and a Dharma discussion with Seth and Kisei to practice finding teachers everywhere and the Buddha nature within ourselves. Cushions and chairs will be available, but feel free to bring your favorite cushion for meditation if you have one. There will be tea, feel free to bring vegan snacks if you’d like. Offered by donation.
Together we will bow to the awakened nature within ourselves. 🙏🏼