YOU ARE THIS LIGHT
Our classes will help you embody the dharma.
To study the Buddha way is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.
When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind
as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away.
No trace of realization remains,
and this no-trace continues endlessly.
– Dogen
2026 Classes
Intro to Zen
Each meeting features a short meditation, an overview of introductory topics, and then an open forum for Q&A. Resources will be provided for further study.
First Sundays
9:00-10:15 (CT)
Intro to Mondo
“Curious about the Mondo process? Once a month, our priest Kevala Deb Hoffmann hosts an open meeting to answer your questions about the practice. Find out why “Your angst is your liberation!”
Second Tuesdays
6:00-7:00 p.m. (CT)
Shakyamuni to Jun Po Roshi
In this five-week program, we will trace the history of Buddhism from the Buddha’s birth to Jun Po Roshi and the formation of The Hollow Bones Zen Order.
March 15 – April 12
Everyday Zen Dialogues
Each meeting features a short meditation, an overview of introductory topics, and then an open forum for Q&A. Resources will be provided for further study.
Beginning in April
First Tuesday of every month
6:30 pm-7:30 pm (CT)
A Gradual Path
Applying the Ten Ox Herding Pictures & the Dasabhumika Vibhasa to the Koans of Mondo Zen
The Ten Ox Herding Pictures and the Dasabhumika Vibhasa come from different Buddhist worlds, yet they map remarkably similar territory. Their shared ground lies less in doctrine and more in how awakening unfolds in lived experience.
April 19 – July 5
Monthly Metta Practice
Each meeting features a short meditation, an overview of introductory topics, and then an open forum for Q&A. Resources will be provided for further study.
Beginning in April
Third Tuesday of every month
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (CT)
Precepts Renewal Ceremony
Traditionally held on the full moon, Precepts Renewal Ceremonies offer practitioners the opportunity to recommit to the ethical principles of Zen Buddhism and serve as a reminder of the ethical conduct expected in Hollow Bones Zen practice.
Beginning in April
Last Tuesday of every month
6:30 pm-8:00 pm (CT)
Zen & Facing Death
In this class, we will examine fear and how Zen practice and the Mondo Zen process can dissolve the grip that so often paralyzes us into denial and disconnection when faced with sickness, old age, and death.
Coming in Fall 2026
The Five Training Elements
This class will be an overview and introduction of the five elements of our practice: Sacred Stewardship, Philosophical Reorientation, Emotional Koan, Conscious Embodiment, and Genuine Insight.
Coming in Fall 2026
The Precepts: Intensive Study
Precepts are sets of injunctions, guideposts or standards of conduct that practitioners of Zen seek to live by. As part of the Jukai Ceremony and the Ordination Ceremony to become a Hollow Bones Priest, committing to live by the precepts provides a guide to the Hollow Bones dharma teachings in daily life. Familiarizing oneself with these commitments through daily intention and practice is a necessary step in deepening ones path of awakening beyond zazen and Mondo Zen Facilitation.
Registration opens in 2026
Maranasati Meditation
Join Vicara Mary Connelly Roshi and Reishin Denise Leong for another season of Maranasati Meditation – death awareness. For these gatherings, we will read and discuss A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last by Stephen Levine.
We will have an open forum with guiding questions and Zen teachings as we explore Levine’s strategies and guided meditations to help live mindfully, knowing that death awaits us all. We work on our life review, unfinished business, engage more deeply in our connections with others and relationship with life, and make this a poignant, meaningful year to live.
Offered annually. Next class in 2027.
The Sutra Book of Hollow Bones
Join us in February for a class that will discuss the core teachings of Hollow Bones found in the Sutra Book. Topics include the morning service, chants and prayers, and selected readings. The training will be conducted in eight online sessions of 90 minutes, each with presentations and large and small group discussions.
Annually in February. Next class in 2027.
Why Study?
While the emphasis of Zen practice is on meditation and realization through direct experience, it is still important, especially at the beginning of practice, to study the Dharma. Through reading and discussions with teachers and sangha members, one can create an intellectual and conceptual foundation of the practice, as well as develop a rich background in history and an affectionate acquaintance with our Zen ancestors. Studying Buddhist teachings allows practitioners to gain knowledge of the deeper truths that underlie their practice.
But Zen Buddhism is not just a topic to be studied; it is a wise and heart-felt guide for living. The readings offer valuable insights into facing the challenges of everyday life with wisdom and compassion. Through study, guidance from teachers, and shared sangha experiences, practitioners learn how to live the Dharma, being ever present with equanimity, loving-kindness, and mindfulness.
The Parable of the Raft
In this parable, a man traveling down a path comes to a large body of water. He sees that the shore he is on is full of danger and discomfort, but that the other shore appears serene and safe. To cross the water, the man gathers twigs, branches, and grass to build a raft which he uses as a support to paddle across. Once he arrives at the other shore, he leaves the raft behind and continues on his journey.
The Buddha explained that the dharma is like a raft:
In the same way, monks, I have taught the Dhamma [dharma] compared to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Understanding the Dhamma as taught compared to a raft, you should let go even of Dhammas, to say nothing of non-Dhammas. – Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation
This is not to say that we let go of the teachings when we awaken on the other shore, but that we do not become attached to our conceptual interpretations of them, letting those go like the raft. We can then continue on our path with the confluence of study, meditation, deep insight, awareness, and clear intention lighting the way.