Western Friend logo
Events

Zen Koans & Jesus's Parables

January 22, 2025, 7 PM US/Pacific

Sponsor(s):
Reedwood Friends Church

A workshop by Rev. Chris Bell for deepening your contemplative practice.

Online or in person
Reedwood Friends Church, Portland, OR
Wednesday, January 22, 2025

90 minutes starting at
5:00 PM Hawaii = 7:00 PM Pacific = 8:00 PM Mountain

Click here for more details and to register.

Koans are the recorded incidents of the interactions, conversations, and proclamations of various Zen masters through the centuries, first compiled in China in the 12th Century. The study of koans combined with silent sitting is a well-established path to awakening used to this very day. Rich with imagery, koans are puzzling, inviting, often funny, even shocking invitations to a direct experience of Reality as It Truly Is. As such, they are similar to some sayings attributed to Jesus, particularly in the Gospel of Thomas, which we will also consider. Come hear the sound of the single hand.

from Sean Conley, Reedwood Friends Church