https://forum.treeleaf.org/ Welcome to our book club, where we travel through helpful books on Zen without getting lost in words. en Sat, 25 Apr 2026 13:48:26 GMT vBulletin 60 https://forum.treeleaf.org/images/og/treeleaf-circle-og-logo.png https://forum.treeleaf.org/ https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/569119-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-12-ananda-and-rahula Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:57:28 GMT Hello, readers! I hope your Monday is going well. Can you believe it’s time for a new chapter in our book? This week, we’ll be meeting two of the... image-18.jpg Hello, readers!

I hope your Monday is going well. Can you believe it’s time for a new chapter in our book? This week, we’ll be meeting two of the people closest to the Buddha—Rahula, his son, and Ananda, his personal attendant.

In this chapter, we learn about both of them and the Buddha’s relationship with each, along with the usual commentary by Reeves. As you read, please notice how his commentary lands for you—does it feel accurate and helpful, or do you feel he sometimes reads too much into certain points? I’d really like to hear your impressions.

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 12 – Ananda and Rahula

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Read at your own pace and give yourself a little time to ponder. When you’re ready, come share your reflections. There are some rich topics and discussion points in this chapter, so I hope you’ll bring those into our conversation.

As an extra reflection, I invite you to consider how your own dharma practice has affected your relationships. How has your practice shifted the way you relate to others in your life, or how they relate to you?

We’ll gather for our Zoom meeting next Saturday, April 25th. I’m really looking forward to it and hope to see many of you there—hopefully, along with anyone who hasn’t yet been able to join us. We'd really love to have you with us!

For any other details regarding the book club method, please visit the Study Page.

Let’s chat!

With metta and in gassho,
sat lah
]]> “Beyond Words and Letters” Book Club Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/569119-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-12-ananda-and-rahula https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/568749-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-11-great-treasure-is-very-near Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:48:42 GMT image-17.jpg Hello, friends.

We turn a new page in our book and come across a familiar story: a gem, hidden inside a poor man's robe, makes him both rich and poor at the same time. This new chapter explores this parable in depth, along with other themes, and includes some interesting comments and interpretations by Reeves. It may be slightly longer than some of the earlier chapters, but nothing too intimidating.

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 11 – Great Treasure is Very Near

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Please read at your leisure, and when you're ready to share, come back here and let us know your thoughts. Do you feel we're circling the same topic, or are we discovering new facets of the Dharma Flower Sutra? Was the rich friend wise in the way he tried to help his friend? Do you also feel the poor man was too dumb, as Reeves says, to realize he had a gem all along? Is there something in this chapter that speaks to your own practice and life?

Last Saturday we had our Zoom meeting, and it was, as always, a wonderful gathering. If you’d like to watch the recording, you can find it on the Study Page. There is also a handout there with examples of traditional early Buddhist texts that are useful for understanding descriptions of arhats and nirvana that existed even before the Lotus Sutra was composed.

Enjoy the reading—I look forward to hearing your reflections on this chapter.

with metta, and in gassho
sat lah
]]> “Beyond Words and Letters” Book Club Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/568749-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-11-great-treasure-is-very-near https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/568455-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-10-a-fantastic-castle-city Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:03:39 GMT image-14.jpg Hello, good friends in the Dharma,

I hope you're having a wonderful post-retreat Monday.

First, thank you for participating in the retreat, the zazenkai, and the Fusatsu this past weekend. We devoted a lot of energy to nurturing the bodhicitta we’ve been discussing, and I hope you feel supported and enriched by this more intensive period of practice.

As on every Monday, we now turn to a new chapter of our book. Reeves takes up the parable of the magical city and offers his commentary on it. You’ll likely recognize themes that echo earlier chapters, as well as some clear foreshadowing of what is to come. The Dharma Flower Sutra is quite relentless in returning to certain core topics, and we won’t be straying very far from them.

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 10 - A Fantastic Castle City

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I’m very much looking forward to reading your reflections. Take your time with the chapter: read, pause, and ponder—whether something arises in you immediately or the text initially leaves you unmoved.

???? We’ll meet again on Zoom next Saturday, April 11th, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. On our Study Page, you can watch the recording of our previous meeting if you haven’t yet, or if you weren’t able to join us two weeks ago.

Happy reading, and let’s talk whenever you’re ready.

P.S. I’d still like to encourage those of you who signed up for the book club but haven’t posted yet to share a few comments when you can. Everyone will benefit from your contribution.

With metta, and in gassho
sat lah]]> “Beyond Words and Letters” Book Club Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/568455-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-10-a-fantastic-castle-city https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/568062-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-9-doing-the-common-good Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:34:14 GMT Good day, everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend. It’s time for a new chapter in our book. I want to highlight how wonderful our exploration... image-10.jpg Good day, everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend.

It’s time for a new chapter in our book. I want to highlight how wonderful our exploration of this material has been so far. Your reflections have been both enjoyable and thought-provoking, and our Zoom meetings have been immensely productive and fun.

Now, on to the next story…

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 9 - Doing the Common Good

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At this point, I doubt you need more instructions on how to approach the material, so I’ll spare you the repetition. I suspect that parts of this chapter will spark discussion, while others may stretch and challenge you. I’m curious to see whether that proves true and look forward to reading your thoughts in a few days, once you’ve had time to sit with the text.

I also know not everyone is enthusiastic about the book right now, and that’s completely normal. If you’re feeling a bit disappointed, try treating this as an opportunity to test your ability to engage thoughtfully with something you might instinctively want to dismiss. You may surprise yourself with what emerges from that effort.

The recording of last Saturday's meeting is also available for everyone on our Study Page. It was a fantastic discussion.

Happy reading,


With metta, and in gassho
sat lah]]> “Beyond Words and Letters” Book Club Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/568062-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-9-doing-the-common-good