https://forum.treeleaf.org/ en Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:21:52 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/574208-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-the-end Sat, 15 Aug 2026 19:09:19 GMT Dear all, I want to thank you for your dedication to this group. You have made this Book Club a vibrant activity for the past 7 months. What a... Boo Club screenshot.jpg Book Club Screensot 2.jpg Dear all,

I want to thank you for your dedication to this group. You have made this Book Club a vibrant activity for the past 7 months. What a ride it has been, and what an insightful journey.

Even though the book didn't resonate with the majority of you, all of you made an effort, remained engaged, and continued to show up, week after week.

We went through 29 weeks of discussions and 15 live meetings. We travelled through history from the time of the Buddha to the modern day. We examined the oldest sutras, followed the thread of dharma through the creation of the Mahayana, to China, Japan, and right into our homes. I've enjoyed this tremendously, and it's exceeded all my expectations. I wanted to try a different style of Book Club, a different approach, and all I could hope for was that it would resonate with you all. I've felt supported continuously throughout this year.

My most sincere gratitude to you all for making this a success, for being good teachers to me, and for helping me polish my skills. Now we put down the book, mark it as read, and turn towards the fall practice period. Please sign up for Ango, if you haven't yet, and let's continue to do our best!

I will end the same way we began, by sharing with you our Study Page for the 2026 Book Club. It is now a fully baked, delicious cake.

Love you all, and thank you (I tried to grab a couple of screenshots from our live meetings where we had a larger attendance, to capture as many of you as possible, but many more who couldn't be there live have participated with reflections, and I acknowledge and appreciate everyone.)

With metta, and in gassho
Bi
]]> “Beyond Words and Letters” Book Club Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/574208-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-the-end https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/573900-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-28-universal-sage-boddhisattva Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:16:17 GMT images-8.jpg Hello, friends. This is the end! We've made it to the end of this book together. We've had 14 live discussions over the past months and 28 weeks of forum interactions, reflecting and debating as a group! You've all been wonderful. Time to open the last chapter of the book. You can read the acknowledgements of Mr. Reeves on your own later!

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 28 - Universal Sage Boddhisattva

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We end our discussions by looking at another bodhisattva whose name we know both as Samantabhadra or Fugen bodhisattva, from our homage verse, during the Fusatsu ceremony!
Please read what the Sutra says about this character and what Mr. Reeves has to say as well, then return and comment. Fun challenge for you all: guess how many times the name Rissho Kosei Kai appears in this chapter!

The last live meeting of our fantastic Book Club is scheduled for next Saturday, August 15th. I hope you're able to be there. It's gonna be fantastic!

Happy reading and reflecting

With metta, and in assho
sat lah]]> “Beyond Words and Letters” Book Club Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/beyond-words-letters-book-club/573900-stories-of-the-lotus-sutra-chapter-28-universal-sage-boddhisattva https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/zen-of-everything-treeleaf-podcasts/573810-treeleaf-podcast-ten-unfathomable-talks-series Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:21:28 GMT
A new episode of the Treeleaf Zendo Podcast is now available. We begin a new series, based on Master Tong'an Changcha's little-known "Ten Talks of Unfathomable Depth". Sekkei Harada Roshi reflects that "These Ten Verses of Unfathomable Depth ... written by Master Tong’an Changcha and represent a work of pure Sōtō Zen. The first five verses set forth the principles of Sōtō Zen, while the second five are concerned with matters of practice. Thus, taken together, these verses encapsulate the whole teaching of Sōtō Zen." (More information)

Listen to the new episode here.

Gassho
sat lah]]> Bion https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/zen-of-everything-treeleaf-podcasts/573810-treeleaf-podcast-ten-unfathomable-talks-series