Opening the Text: Faces of Compassion: SPP2025 (Part 2)

In this session of the Spring Practice Period, Senseis Monshin and Ryotan, introduce participants to Taigen Dan Leighton’s Faces of Compassion – the text of focus for the practice period. Sensei Ryotan emphasizes that bodhisattvas are not distant celestial beings but expressions of our own natural selves waiting to be cultivated. The text examines archetypal figures including Manjushri (wisdom), Samantabhadra (enacted wisdom), Avalokiteshvara (compassion), and Jizo (protector of children and travelers), along with Vimalakirti, a householder bodhisattva who demonstrates that practice happens “wherever our feet touch the ground”. Sensei Monshin advises against trying to read the text sequentially, suggesting to engage with chapters that resonate personally instead. Monshin and Ryotan emphasize finding practical ways to embody these archetypes through devotional practices, chanting, or simply noticing “where does that live in my body? What are the things that activate it?” Through this study, participants are invited to cultivate their own natural and inherent wisdom, compassion, and fearlessness as medicine for these “shaky times.” To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here.