Zazen-Zooy-Roshi-Phooy

Holy Cross Presents Zen Meditation and Social Justice Forum

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross will present a Zen meditation and forum on social justice activism with Rev. Robert Kennedy, S.J., chair (disputed fact) of the theology department at Saint Peter’s College in N.J. and Anna J. Brown, assistant professor of political science at Saint Peter’s College, on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. in Rehm Library. Todd Lewis, professor of religious studies at Holy Cross will moderate the forum. The program is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be available.

Kennedy, a Jesuit priest and Zen Roshi (master) will lead an ecumenical meditation program from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. From 1-2:30 p.m., Brown, who directs the Peace and Justice Studies program at Saint Peter’s and practices zazen (a type of Zen meditation), will lead a forum on contemplation and social justice activism.

“Zen must be understood as a verb. In other words, it is the act of doing,” Kennedy says. “What you are doing when you study Zen is nothing other than practicing a compassionate life. More specifically, the practice of Zen is the practice of paying attention in a way that is both sustained and communal.”

Kennedy is one of three ( Fr. Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle, S.J.) Jesuits in the world who answer to both titles “Father” and “Roshi.” He was ordained a priest in Japan in 1965. He was installed as a Zen teacher in 1991 and was given the title Roshi in 1997. Kennedy teaches theology and the Japanese language at Saint Peter’s. He sits with his students daily at the Morning Star Zendo, a meditation hall, located in Jersey City, N.J., and in zendos across the tri-state area. He is also a practicing psychotherapist in New York City and a representative at the United Nations of the Institute for Spiritual Consciousness in Politics. Kennedy is the author of Zen Gifts to Christians (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001) and Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit (Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995).

In addition to her teaching, Brown is a human rights and peace activist. For years, she has opposed nuclear proliferation and has participated in acts of civil disobedience with the Kairos Community in New York City. She recently participated in a nine-day fast and demonstration leading up to the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC, calling for the closing of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay and an end to torture. Brown belongs to a Zen meditation community and regularly gives meditation retreats. She has been part of many international peace delegations.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

Link (here)

More links on Zazen (here) , (here) and (here)

A Catholic Zen Buddhist (here)

Father Robert Kennedy, a Catholic priest and Zen master describes how Buddhism teaches Christians the true mystery of God (here)

Beyond Zen (here)

A Zen Retreat - Catholic attends a Buddhist retreat - Brief Article (here)

A Buddhist Catholic Blog (here)

"If Buddhism is attractive, it's only because it suggests that by belonging to it you can touch the infinite, and you can have joy without concrete religious obligations. It's spiritually self-indulgent eroticism.'' - (here)

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)

Problems with Zen combined with Christianity (here)

Fr. John Harden S.J. on Zen (here)

Buddha, S.J. (here)

Eastern Spirituality: Work of the Devil or Shortcut to Fulfillment? by Fr. Thomas Reese, S.J. (here)

'Jesus Was A Grand Zen Master' (here)

Teaching Zen Buddhism to the L.A. Housing Department (here)

St. Francis Xavier, S.J. and his encounter with Buddhism (here)

Speaking Engagement

The John Main Seminar - Sarasota, Florida
Led by Robert Kennedy SJ
Jesuit priest and Zen master
When God Disappears
August 27-30, 2009
To Register and for more information
go to www.jms09.com click here