Zen: Koan Study with Joe Shakarchi

You are cordially invited to join us on 19 January 2026, when our friend Joe Shakarchi will be leading the Monday night meditation at Baan Aree, the beautiful location so generously made available to us by the Baan Aree foundation.

The meeting will focus on Koan study. Koans are riddles or questions, like “What was your original nature before your parents were born?” “How do you continue from the top of a one-hundred-meter pole?” and “What is the Buddha?” They are meant to help the meditator break through to other levels of thought, maybe even to satori, the Japanese term for enlightenment or “awakening.” How would you answer these questions?

This meeting will be in a classroom format, rather than lecture. Everyone will be asked to get into small groups to discuss one or more of the koans. Don’t worry--there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. If you want more background on Zen koans before the meeting, Google “The Gateless Gate” and you'll find several free PDFs of different translations.

Everyone is welcome, from beginners to experienced meditators. We meet to support and encourage each other in our practice.

Programme:
6:00 pm Baan Aree opens
6:30 pm Start of the session
7:30 pm Q&A
7:50 pm Session ends
8:00 pm Baan Aree closes

Baan Aree is a Thai Buddhist Center, please wear something that is comfortable to sit in, and avoid tight-fitting clothes, shorts, sleeveless tops, and short skirts. As Thailand is mourning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother, the Thai government asked people to cooperate in wearing black or non-vibrant tones for a period of 90 days, if possible. There may not be sufficient drinking water on site, therefore you may bring your own water in a closed container. No other food/drinks are allowed in the main room.

As is usual with Buddhist teachings, there is no charge for this event. However, the Little Bangkok Sangha follows the Buddhist custom of Dana (generosity). The teachings and the venue are offered as an act of generosity, and those receiving them can, if they wish, reciprocate by making donations. These go towards the teacher’s and venue's costs (if any). Boxes for Dana will be provided.

About the Speaker:
Joe Shakarchi has been studying Buddhism for over 40 years, including 17 years as a member of San Francisco Zen Center, and 15 years in the Little Bangkok Sangha. He has also visited temples in Japan, China, India and Nepal. Joe was the co-leader of the Little Bang Zen group from 2017-2020. In addition, he has written poetry for over 50 years, and has organized numerous poetry events and creative writing groups.

We plan a live broadcast of this talk - doesn't always work, but we do our best, on our Facebook group and the Baan Aree YouTube channel:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/littlebangkoksangha
https://www.youtube.com/@Baanaree2020
It is also recorded for later viewing.

Please see this map for directions:
https://goo.gl/maps/1FuCuvCtNdPMAL4F9