Imagination, Interdependence and Liberation: Practicing Yogacara’s Three Natures
3041 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
USA
Dates/Times: October 21 (1-6pm) and October 22 (9am-5pm)
Location: In Person – Union Theological Seminary
Instructor: Ben Connelly
Registration Deadline: Friday, October 7
How can we harness imagination in traditions that radically emphasize present moment awareness? How can teachings of interdependence provide a basis for a deep sense of always being supported while constantly challenging us to be aware of oppressive systems and harmful patterns in which we live? These questions are addressed in Vasubandhu’s seminal Yogacara Buddhist text, “Treatise on Three Natures”. Yogacara Buddhist teachings clearly show how the path to liberation from collective causes of suffering such as patriarchy, racism, and climate change, are inseparable from the personal, momentary, experience of our lives. This course is structured around the “Treatise on Three Natures” and balances teaching, dialogue, and meditation to make space for integrated learning and transformation.
About Ben Connelly
Ben Connelly is a Soto Zen teacher and Dharma heir in the Katagiri lineage. He also teaches mindfulness in a wide variety of secular contexts including police and corporate training, correctional facilities, and addiction recovery and wellness groups. Ben is based at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center and travels to teach across the United States. He’s the author of Inside the Grass Hut: Living Shitou’s Classic Zen Poem and Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara: A Practitioner’s Guide. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.