Daylong Zen Retreat with Roshi Rachel Boughton

Please join us for a day of meditation and conversation with special guest Zen Roshi Rachel Boughton of Flower Mountain Zen (flowermountainzen.org)

Open to the Public, all are welcome. Sliding scale donation, please attend and pay what you can.

Rachel has been given transmission in Rinzai Zen (Linji school) and is a practicing Jungian analyst. She has been deeply engaged with feminism and the early history and future of women in the world for many years.

Rachel brings to light the ancient paleolithic wisdom that forms a continuum with Daoism and Chan Buddhism, as well as uncovering women Zen masters whose wisdom has been obscured.

All are welcome—no rigid forms or rituals. We’ll mostly keep shared silence, though you can step aside to chat if you like. The day includes group sitting, Rachel’s Dharma talk and guidance, LUNCH INCLUDED, and work with the koan “Stone woman gives birth in the night,” plus time to share reflections.

REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE (not using Meetup!): Sliding scale donation, please attend and pay what you can. People can also show up and donate cash or check, or simply attend at no cost. But we would prefer you register on Eventbrite with the $1 minimum if possible, so we know how many people to expect. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stone-woman-giving-birth-with-roshi-rachel-boughton-tickets-1323961587749

Here are some words about the koan from Rachel.
There's something about the middle of the night. Yes, it's possible when awake in the dark for the mind to get carried off by worry or resentment. But sometimes, before that can happen, we will be struck by the moon shadow of the trees on the ground outside the window, the stillness, and the way the day world is so far away, and time is infinite, and nothing need ever happen again. It's that immensely nourishing space between breathing in and breathing out, and between my thoughts. The world is no longer heavy, anything can happen. This is maybe why at such times it's easier for things to slip in and out of existence, easier to die, and easier to give birth, too. There's nothing to do at such a time but imagine the impossible. When we meditate we imagine the impossible.
There is another old Chinese koan that goes, "What is the Dao? The stone woman gives birth... everything from the ordinary to the holy is included
And another: "The stone woman dresses up in the moon mirror, her body visible through a curtain of stars, her clothes hang from the bright cloud."
The day before Mother's Day, a holiday that has been around for thousands of years, is a good time to sit with what it means to be part of the dark Yin, the feminine aspect of ourselves, teaching us how to start again.
Some practical matters. We will be serving a simple lunch of soup, salad and bread (with butter!). The suggested donation here is $30-$65, but you can register for $1 minimum, please pay what you can. or just show up. Contact Chris Gaffney for questions or other arrangements, [cgaffney@csuchico.edu](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stone-woman-giving-birth-with-roshi-rachel-boughton-tickets-1323961587749?aff=oddtdtcreator "mailto:cgaffney@csuchico.edu") 530-588-4941.