Skip to main content

Get to Know Yourself Presentation at Sparta Public Library

By Soshimsa
Those of you who follow our activities know of our community outreach efforts and just how much we emphasize giving back. As a monk one does not possess much of material goods but sharing the teachings is one of the primary task of a monastic life. To this extent we make the best effort to accept all invitations from the community to provide teachings via lectures, workshops and presentations. One of our presentations initially given at Drew University seems to have struck a note with the public library circuit. On July 24, So Shim Sa gave a presentation at the Sparta Public Library entitled Get to Know Yourself; Mind, Body and Soul. The 1.5 hour presentation received a thunderous ovation and plans for more programs were discussed. Piscataway Public Library has scheduled a four-part Stress Reduction training workshop to be held in Nov. If you or your organization is interested in any of the programs we offer feel free to contact the Zen Center at 908 377-9803 or via email at info@soshimsa.org. Many of the programs are customizable to fit your specific needs.

Popular posts from this blog

Moment-to-Moment Reincarnation

By Soshimsa
Do you think that the sages, the spiritual masters are ordinary, or do you think there are extraordinary? Do you think they are special, unique, or do you think they are just normal? If you think the masters are just normal, you will never reach enlightenment. If you think the masters are extraordinary, you will never reach enlightenment. If you think that the masters are normal, you will not pursue the goal of spiritual practice correctly. In Zen tradition, this is illustrated in almost graphic ways. “The one who set their mind on the goal of enlightenment is to practice as if their hair was on fire and they’re looking for a lake into which to dive into”. It is with this urgent energy that one is to pursuit Enlightenment. So, if you think masters are just ordinary, you won't have the necessary energy to pursue it. If you think masters are extraordinary. You won't even start the journey. “Ah, these lofty goals are for a select group of people, some special fantastic spiritual V...
Read more
By Soshimsa
March 2024 Soshimsa HoriZen Newsletter is in! Click HERE to view the Newsletter with clickable links.
Read more

Founder's Day 2023 (Abbot's Address)

By Soshimsa
I have, from time to time, on the rarest of occasions, been accused of being...verbose. I know! I was as shocked then as you are now. So, we are in imminent danger of the lunch getting cold. Yet, I don’t have the words (imagine that!) to express how fortunate we are to be in the mere presence of a Dosa. This is the stuff we each have to stick our head through the mystical curtain of mystery to glimpse. So, we won’t go there now. I thought to myself… if I absolutely had to, choose a single quality of IlCho Dosanim that I would want to highlight. What would that be? And of course, we go through the usual list: wisdom, compassion, knowledge, patience, etc. Yet, as much as all of these are true, today they won’t do. And so, I went on, sifting through and I think I found it. So here it is, the single most impressive quality of Il-Cho Dosanim, for me….expressed in a single word… succinct. Succinct. Never have I met someone who can distill the esoteric and the complexities of our human condit...
Read more