Ben Connelly on Flower Garland Buddhism
8500 NE Siskiyou St
Portland, OR 97220
USA
Flower Garland Buddhism:
Interdependence, Social Engagement, and Abundance
Huayan Buddhism arose in the sixth century in China rooted in the Mahayana Flower Garland (Huayan) Sutra. Huayan is relational, practical, and positive. Its emphasis on interdependence, celebration of the sensual world, and diversity of people and practices provides inspiration for what Thich Nhat Hanh called “engaged Buddhism.”
With Inside the Flower Garland Sutra, Zen teacher Ben Connelly explains the significance of Huayan teachings for Buddhist practice, providing a broad overview of Huayan teachings and their practical implications for contemporary life, with a mix of testimonies from real-life situations and references to influential Buddhist texts. During this event, Ben will illustrate the teachings with stories and lessons from his recent involvement with an array of nonviolent community responses to the violence ICE brought to his hometown Minneapolis over the last few months.
“In this jewel of a book, Ben Connelly does what he knows how to do so well—he shows me that my own twenty-first-century life and a seventh-century Buddhist text can talk to each other. Whether you are a scholar of Buddhism or someone who has just begun to meditate, this book will encourage you.”
– Susan Moon, co-editor of The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84276596014?pwd=kjWUaeFjmcBvb7CCQDbmUY3fATkkVD.1
Meeting ID 842 7659 6014
Passcode 513682