Buddhist Studies
Spring 2026:
Crossing to the Other Shore
Wednesdays
7:00-9:00 P.M.
Apr. 1 – May 20 (8 sessions)
Taught by Genpo O'Neal, with Joen O'Neal
Genpo and Joen O’Neal are ordained Zen Buddhist priests and Guiding Teachers at Compassionate Ocean Zen Center.
Consider our life as it is with its crying and laughing. There is in each case a trace left; of crying it is a trace of crying, and of laughing the trace of that laughter. Our living leaves these traces. What I emphasize always is that even when it is laughter, we should laugh with a truly empty heart. But we never do so.​
— Ryoun Obora, On the Heart Sutra, from A Second Zen Reader
In This Course...
The Heart Sutra is one of the major presentations of Buddhist insight. Only one page long, it has been described as "Buddhism in a nutshell." It is chanted daily at Zen centers around the world, including ours.
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In this course we will study a commentary on the Heart Sutra written almost a century ago by Ryoun Obora, a Japanese Zen priest. Going through the sutra line by line, Abbott Obora Illustrates how the meaning of the sutra can come alive in our daily lives as a central practice of compassion.
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Each class will include zazen (sitting practice), presentations by the instructor, and discussion.
Registration Information
Buddhist Studies Course #B117
Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 P.M.
March 31 – May 19 (eight sessions)
$185 (members $165)
Course Text: A Second Zen Reader by Trevor Leggett
Also Recommended: Living by Vow by Shohaku Okumura and The Heart Sutra by Red Pine
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Member rates apply to members of all local Buddhist centers. Reduced fees are offered as needed; please contact the Center at (612) 781-7640
This course will be held in-person at Compassionate Ocean Zen Center, with an option for remote participation via Zoom if requested.