Eight-week class led by Ian Case, Xian’ai and Xian’an
Class dates: Thursdays 2/20, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9
Class time: optional zazen from 6:30 to 7pm, class from 7:15 to 8:45pm
The Lotus Sutra is one of the foundational scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism and is of
central importance in East Asian Buddhism especially. It was also hugely influential for
Dogen, the founder of our Soto Zen school in Japan.
In this class, we will explore the vast universe of The Lotus Sutra, its poetry and prose,
and its parables and stories. Along the way we will unpack its central themes and
teachings: the notions of skillful means and the one vehicle, the universality of
buddhahood as a human (and even non-human) capacity, and the dynamics of faith and
devotion in the life of the bodhisattva.
The recommended text for the class is The Lotus Sutra (translated from the Chinese of
Kumarajiva by Burton Watson), Columbia University Press, 1993.
Class fee: $200 Sustaining / $150 Base / $110 for BZC members (more than 3 months)
To register, please click here. Please note that registration for this class closes February 27.
Please note our cancellation policy for this offering: To request a refund for this class, you must notify BZC in writing by the start of the first class. Refunds will be issued in the total paid less a $15 processing fee. Please note that there are no refunds for events with registration fees under $50. This policy supports the organizing effort involved in managing registrations and cancellations and the largely volunteer-based structure of the Brooklyn Zen Center. Please see our complete cancellation policy here.
About Ian Case
Ian has been a student at Brooklyn Zen Center since its inception in 2005. During this time he has taken on various administrative and practice roles at the center, including serving for several years as Ino (head of the meditation hall). He was in residence for 15 months at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in 2015-2016 and was ordained as a priest by Teah Strozer in October 2016. He served as shuso (head student) at BZC for the fall 2019 practice period. Ian holds an MA in Linguistics from the City University of New York and is now pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree at Union Theological Seminary.
Access Notes: There is one short flight of stairs leading to the Carroll Street entrance of the building; please press 3-0 to be buzzed in. From there, the center is located at the top of a longer flight of stairs. A ramp and elevator are available via an alternate entrance on President Street; please email us in advance if you need access to the ramp. Chairs, benches, and extra support cushions are available. We are not yet a fragrance-free space; our hand soap is scented with essential oils. Visit our Accessibility Page for more detailed access info. If you have any additional questions about accessibility, please contact us at info@brooklynzen.org.