The Dharma
Event Registration
Download Registration Forms
Talks, workshops, and retreats are open to the public. The suggested donation for a talk is $15. The workshop fee is $75, and the retreat fee is $400. DLZ members get a discount on the retreat fee, and scholarships are available. For Additional information about the talks, the workshops and retreats, contact Carla via telephone number 480.961.3761 or email address carla@desert-lotus-zen.org.
Events
Weekly Meditation Services
Mondays from 7:15 PM to 8:30 PM (meditation & sutra service); Thursdays from 6:15 to 7:15 PM (meditation only)
Location: Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 6400 Del Rio, Chandler, AZ, Office/Classroom complex, Building B, on the west side of the parking lot.
Monthly Events
First Saturdays: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, drop in for half-an-hour or stay the morning for sitting and walking meditation.
First Saturdays: from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM is a no-cost introduction to Zen Buddhist meditation. We supply the cushions, and you will get an overview of the technique, the theory, and the path of Zen meditation. For furtrher information contact Deb Saint at deb@desert-lotus-zen.org.
Talks, Workshops & Retreats for 2008
January 11-12, 2008: Talk & Workshop
At our Chandler location on Friday evening, January 11th at 7:30 PM, John Tarrant will speak on developing a practive through meditation and koan study. On Saturday, January 12, he will lead a koan and meditation workshop from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. On Sunday John will work with individual DLZ members on their practice.
January 18, 2008: The Buddha-Matters Salon
Reading, watching films, sharing poetry, art and inquiry as a means to deepen our community and our practice. Pizza, wine, and a small donation at 6:30 PM. Discussion or readings from 7 - 8:30 PM, the third Friday of every month, beginning January 18th with The Heart Sutra.
RSVP: Deb Saint, deborah.saint @gmail.com or Libby Howell, lhowll14@cox.net.
Here is a flyer for the event: Buddha-Matters Salon Flyer.
February 15, 2008: The Buddha-Matters Salon
Readings, art, conversation to help our practice. Look for announcements on this event scheduled for the third Friday of every month.
March 7-8, 2008: Talk & Workshop
In Chandler on Friday, March 7 at 7:30 PM, Rachel Howlett, Sensei, of the Pacific Zen Institute will speak on meditation and koan study. On Saturday, March 8, she will lead a koan and meditation workshop from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. On Sunday, Rachel will work with individual DLZ members on their practice.
March 21, 2008: The Buddha-Matters Salon
Readings, art, conversation to help our practice. Look for announcement on this event scheduled for the third Friday of every month. On March 21, you are invited to bring and share a poem or reading of transformation that is important to you.
April 18, 2008: The Buddha-Matters Salon
In April we discuss Stephen Batchelor's book, Buddhism Without Beliefs. Batchelor's fresh and contemporary view of Buddhism grew out of his practice as a Tibetan monk, a translator, and later as a Korean Zen monk. Buddha-Matters Salon is reading, watching films, sharing poetry, art and inquiry as a means to deepen our community and our practice.
Pizza, wine, and a small donation at 6:30 PM. Discussion from 7 - 8:30 PM. RSVP: Deb Saint, deborah.saint @gmail.com or Libby Howell, lhowll14@cox.net.
May 16-19, 2008: Saguaros in Bloom Sesshin at Lake Pleasant
Join us for meditation, koan study, dharma instruction, conversation, and work practice in a desert retreat at Lake Pleasant, Arizona. The saguaros are in bloom during this beautiful time of year, and we walk among them in silent awareness. Each evening the teachers give a dharma talk under the stars in the amphitheater overlooking the lake.
We will be led in the retreat by John Tarrant, Roshi, and Rachel Howlett, Sensei. Come for a day, an evening, or for the entire retreat. The retreat fee is $400, or $375 for members prior to April 16, 2008. The fee includes meals and lodging at the Desert Outdoor Center overlooking Lake Pleasant, located thrirty miles nore of Phoenix, Arizona. For information on the Desert Outdoor Center, please see http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/doc.
For more information or to register, contact Carla Thomas at (480) 961-3761 or carla@desert-lotus-zen.org. Use the retreat form on this page to register.
June 20, 2008: The Buddha-Matters Salon
The May 2008 Shambala Sun carried an article on meditation titled "Surprises on the Way" written by DLZ's senior teacher, John Tarrant, Roshi. Our Buddh-Matters Salon of June will discuss the article. If you need a copy, you can get a .pdf version by following this Pacific Zen Institute link to John's writings and talks. Download "Surprises on the Way." Writings and Talks
Buddha-Matters Salon combines reading, watching films, sharing poetry, art, inquiry, and conversation as a means to deepen our community and our practice. Pizza and wine at 6:30 PM for a small donation. Discussion or readings from 7 - 8:30 PM, the third Friday of every month.
Please RSVP by sending an email to salon@desert-lotus-zen.org.
August 23, 2008: "Meditation and Creativity: Practices that Refresh and Free the Mind" Workshop with John Tarrant, Roshi
In Chandler on Saturday, August 23, John Tarrant, Roshi, of the Pacific Zen Institute will lead a koan and meditation workshop titled "Meditation and Creativity: Practices that Refresh and Free the Mind." The workshop starts at 9:30 AM and ends at 4:00 PM. On Sunday, John will work with individual DLZ members on their practice. Please note John will not hold the usual Friday evening talk.
This retreat looks at meditation as a creative act. The idea of practice is a way to put a new possibility in your life on an every day basis. This is both healing and refreshing. A spiritual practice anchors us in the greater current and meaning of life; it also allows us to approach life as we would a work of art, something that doesn't have to make sense to be beautiful. Creative leaps are often very small shifts that have large effects because a spiritual practice allows us to notice them. In this retreat a new approach to Zen koans encourages us to fall into the beauty that we meet every day. No previous experience with koans is necessary to attend.
For more information or to register, contact Carla Thomas at (480) 961-3761 or carla@desert-lotus-zen.org. See the events section of this site for the registration form.
October 29 - November 2, 2008: Lake Pleasant Retreat - Please register by September 29th.
We are adding an extra day to our Autumn Sesshin at Lake Pleasant, starting on Wednesday and concluding on Sunday. John and Rachel of the Pacific Zen Institute lead discussions on koans and the dharma, and sesshin participants practice intensive meditation in the beautiful desert setting overlooking Lake Pleasant. Students develop their practice with work assignment and through individual meetings with John or Rachel. The sesshin fee of $500 covers the cost of bringing our teachers to Arizona as well as the cost for student room and board.
For more information or to register, contact Carla Thomas at (480) 961-3761 or carla@desert-lotus-zen.org. See the events section of this site for the registration form.
December 5-7, 2008: Talk & Workshop
In Chandler on Friday, December 5 at 7:30 PM, Rachel Howlett, Sensei, of the Pacific Zen Institute will speak on meditation and koan study. On Saturday, December 6, she will lead a koan and meditation workshop from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. On Sunday, December 7, Rachel will work with individual DLZ members on their practice.