This is an (online) event for WOMEN of the sangha with Guest Speaker: Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
What:
Women in our sangha are invited to hear Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei teach ‘An Evening Entering the Poetry of the First Buddhist Women.’
“The Therigatha are a collection of poems by the first Buddhist women ordained at the same time of the Buddha. These poems are called udanas, inspired utterances about the joy of realizing freedom from suffering. They are also great literature in the way that Ezra Pound meant when he said “Literature is news that stays news”. Let us join together for this evening to both meet each other as we bring these womens’ poemes to life and see how much they may delight us today and experience how they are also able to change how we see ourselves” ~ Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei.
Schedule and Registration:
The evening will start at 7.00pm with a 25min zazen led by Mokurei Jan Pearse, followed by a short kinhin, after which Hojin will lead us in exploring the teachings of the Therigatha.
If you would like to join us looking at what is to practice the Way in our female form by exploring the poems of the first buddhist nuns, then please register your interest with me, Shin Yu Claire Ruddick, by email at rhyowen@live.co.uk. I will email you a pdf of the poems we will be looking at along with the Zoom link and password.
We will be offering a fuse to Hojin and the Zen Mountain Monastery in gratitude for this wonderful opportunity so I will send you the details to enable you to make a voluntary donation.
About Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei:
Sensei Jody Hojin Kimmel received the Precepts from Daido Roshi, who began the process in 2009, and from Shugen Roshi, who completed the transmission in 2012. In 2017, she received full dharma transmission from Shugen Roshi. She is currently the Training Director for the Mountains and Rivers Order and co-Director of the Zen Center of NYC. Hojin Sensei began her artistic career early and has taught drawing, ceramics, and painting, opening people up to the wonders and mysteries of the creative process. She has been in full-time residential training at the Monastery since 1990.
Normally at this time of year Hojin would be leading a women only sesshin at Zen Mountain Monastery, New York, during which the women in their sangha would come together to live, practice, study and explore the teachings of our female ancestors through the Therigatha (Poems of the Elder Nuns) and other sources. Unfortunately this year, due to Covid-19, this will not be taking place but instead Hojin will be giving zoom teachings on the Therigatha and she has kindly accepted our invitation to share these teachings with us in this IZAUK organised event.