“To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by the myriad things of the world. When actualized by the myriad things, the body-mind of self and other drop away. No trace of realization remains, and we express this ungraspable trace endlessly.”

– Dogen Zenji, Genjo Koan

The self is the starting point for both writing and Zen practice. In this workshop we’ll look at the ways in which we construct our selves through our narratives and, conversely, how we construct our narratives from our selves. We’ll use mindfulness and writing exercises to help us tap into our stories, and then use them as a ground from which to investigate the porous boundaries between fact and fiction, history and memory, the imaginary and the real. We’ll also talk about how the self can get in our way and hinder our creative expression, and what we can do about it.

This workshop is suitable for anyone interested in writing in any genre—in fiction, nonfiction, memoir, or poetry.

Registration closes at noon on 4/25.

For more information and registration, please visit the Brooklyn Zen Center website.