Public Talk: Religious Experience in the Light of Zen Buddhism; Zen Buddhism in the Light of Religious Experience
Friday, January, 26, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.
Jeff will explore with his audience the nature of “religious experience,” which everyone has.  What do these experiences reveal about the world and about ourselves?  How can they help us to understand and do genuine Zen Buddhist practice?
Location:  The Chapel of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 925 Mitchell Street in Conway.  The chapel entrance is located at the corner of Mitchell and Prince Streets.

One-Day Zen Retreat
Saturday, January 27, 2007, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
The retreat will include alternating periods of zazen (sitting meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation), as well as Zen talks by Jeff.  There will also be an opportunity for individual interviews with Jeff.  He requests that those participating in the retreat attend the Friday evening talk and plan to stay for the entire day on Saturday.
Location:  The Chapel of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 925 Mitchell Street in Conway.  The chapel entrance is located at the corner of Mitchell and Prince Streets.

Jeff Shore is an American living in Kyoto, Japan.  After studying and practicing Zen in the States for a decade, in 1981 he moved to Japan to live and train at Rinzai Zen monasteries.  He is a lay Zen man and Professor of International Zen at Hanazono University in Kyoto (the sole Rinzai Zen-affiliated university in the world), where he has taught since 1987.

Based on 35 years of Zen study and practice, the focus of his work is accurately expressing and transmitting Zen Buddhism in the West.  This includes critically evaluating that tradition.  While he has trained extensively in Rinzai Zen, he is not preoccupied with sectarian concerns.  Rather, he directly points out the very core of Zen and the heart of living Buddhism.

For additional information and to register, visit http://ebslr.org/event_jeff_shore.html