Classes, Workshops, Retreats,
and More
Practicing Together
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Practicing Together 〰️
No one is turned away for lack of funds. We REALLY want you to take advantage of our programs!
From Sosan, our Guiding Teacher:
Some people have told us that they don't attend as many classes as they'd like because they can't afford to pay the full asking price (the price we say covers teacher payments and Clouds admin/staffing). If you are such a person, please know this: your attendance at any of our programs is a huge benefit in and of itself. All the teachers give the dharma freely. It doesn't save Clouds any money in admin and staffing if you don't attend. If you decide not to attend, then we lose your valuable input, and your fellow Sangha members lose the opportunity to practice with you. Attitudes like "I don't deserve to attend if I can't pay full price" come from a mindset of separation and scarcity. This is not the Buddha Way.
So, what is the Buddha Way with regard to giving? Giving and receiving have to do with realizing that we are not separate. That we cannot exist on our own.
Thank you for the generous gift of your presence and supporting our practice with your own!
Please note that processing fees for EFT payments are lower than credit card fees. You can elect to cover fees as part of your donation. Many thanks!
Various Dates
Getting Started in Zen
Wednesday, November 13th
(In Person Only)
7 - 9 pm
Registration closes 11/11/2024.
Wednesday, December 11th
(Zoom Only)
7 - 9 pm
Registration closes 12/9/2024.
Wednesday, Jarnuary 8th
(In Person Only)
7 - 9 pm
Registration closes 1/6/2024.
Getting Started in Zen
In this 2-hour workshop, you receive all the tools you need to get started on your personal journey in Zen practice.
Instruction will be given in zazen meditation, basic Buddhist philosophy, developing a home practice, as well as practicing as part of a community.
There will be plenty of time for questions and conversation!
Nov. 12
Poll Dancing
November 12
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Poll Dancing
Poll Dancing: Moving through election anxiety and against Christian nationalism with intention, resilience, and community care
Are you noticing rising or ongoing anxiety about the upcoming U.S. presidential election? Are you doomscrolling through social media or YouTube videos to see the latest polls? Are you feeling despair about wars, genocides, and the global rise in Christian nationalism and Christian Zionism? Do you desire a different way to move through this election season– before, during, and after?
Join us for Poll Dancing!
We will engage in the practice of Don’t You Feel It Too? (DYFIT), a work by behavioral artist Marcus Young 楊墨
DYFIT “is the simple and beautiful act of dancing your inner life in public. It is a form of movement meditation that transforms the self while taking action in the world.”
We will repurpose our phones for listening to music we love rather than doomscrolling
We will check in and care for ourselves and each other, emotionally, physically, spiritually
We will engage with how the rise of Christian nationalism and Christian Zionism is impacting this U.S. election cycle and all of us living through it
We will trust that, when we give ourselves room to breathe and to move freely, our bodies know how to traverse difficult feelings and realities
Plan to bring:
A charged portable music device (e.g. phone) with access to some of your favorite music
Earbuds
Water bottle
Suggestions: comfortable clothes for movement, protective shoes, layers for weather
All are welcome and invited to join us.
If you have not participated in DYFIT before, you are warmly invited to come for the first time! Every session will provide an intro for newcomers.
While we are bringing the particular focus of Christian dominance and how it is impacting our U.S. presidential election season, you do not need to have a particular affiliation to participate—you may be a person with Christian lineage, a practicing Christian, or have no personal/family connection to Christianity.
Poll Dancing Fall 2024 is a collaboration between Don’t You Feel It Too?,
Ceasefire Choir, and MN Christians for a Free Palestine.
Read about each of these groups here.
Nov. 17
“PEACE IS EVERY STEP: Buddhist Responses to War”
Sunday, November 17th, 1-3 pm
Clouds in Water Zen Center, 445 Farrington Street, St. Paul
Organized by Keika Karín San Juan.
“PEACE IS EVERY STEP: Buddhist Responses to War”
This hybrid event is free and open to the public. Please register here. A zoom link will be provided upon registration.
A collaboration between Clouds in Water Zen Center and Macalester College, this event will involve a panel discussion and a guided walking meditation. The panelists will present information about the dissident movement of Buddhists often remembered for their acts of organized protest and self-immolation during the Vietnam War, also referred to as the U.S. War in Vietnam. We will explore how the concept of “engaged Buddhism” continues to evolve across Buddhist lineages and to influence ongoing peace and anti-war movements around the world. The event will close with a ten-minute guided walking meditation led by Rev. Keika Karín San Juan based on the book Peace is Every Step by the Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. and a reflection circle as a way “to touch peace directly” and to build a resource for waging peace in the world.
This event is part of a series of programs that will provide a “counter-commemoration” of 50 years after the end of U.S. wars in Southeast Asia. The events will continue through 2025 and are sponsored by the departments of American Studies and Sociology at Macalester College. For more information, contact Keika Karín San Juan, keika@cloudsinwater.org.
This event is free, but can be registered for in advance. You may also register with a donation.
Nov. 28
108 Bows of Repentance, Refuge, and Gratitude. Thanksgiving Day Bowing Service.
Thursday, November 28th,
8:30 am - 9:30 am
In-person and on Zoom
108 Bows of Repentance, Refuge, and Gratitude. Thanksgiving Day Bowing Service.
Join us on Thanksgiving morning for our annual Day of Gratitude Bowing Service. Sosan Flynn will lead us in 108 bows of repentance, refuge and gratitude. We welcome people of all abilities to bow in whatever way they can fully express this wonderful practice. The bowing service is a great way to begin your holiday. We hope to see you either in-person at the zendo or on Zoom.
Zoom information:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86718955536?pwd=vFKYK1ufuLEy4exnGUezHutv7vvsdF.1
Meeting ID: 867 1895 5536
Passcode: 972388
Dec. 1 - 8
Rohatsu Sesshin
Celebrating Buddha’s Great Awakening
Sunday, December 1, (5 p.m.) through Sunday, December 8, 11:30 a.m.
With Sosan Theresa Flynn, Koji Acquaviva, Myoshin Diane Benjamin, and MyoOn Susan Hagler
In Person Only
Multiple participation options
Registration open until 11/27/24.
Rohatsu Sesshin - Celebrating Buddha’s Great Awakening
Each December, Zen Buddhist centers and monasteries around the world celebrate Rohatsu, honoring the Buddha’s great awakening. “Rohatsu” literally means the 8th day of the 12th month, December 8, which is also known as “Bodhi Day.” It is said that the Buddha sat for seven days under the Bodhi tree until he saw the morning star and attained enlightenment on the morning of the eighth day. Many temples, including Clouds in Water, honor this occasion with a 7-day sesshin, beginning on December 1st.
When the Buddha attained enlightenment he said, “I together with all beings and the great earth attain the way.” This means the Buddha’s enlightenment is not separate from our own enlightenment, not separate from our day-to-day lives. In sesshin, when we sit, chant, eat and rest together, we awaken to the truth that our everyday life is the way. Further, when participate in sesshin, we enact the Buddha’s truth of “together with all beings.” We participate in sesshin for the benefit of the whole community, and indeed, the whole world.
During this sesshin, we will be giving talks from The Transmission of Light, a book of enlightenment and dharma transmission stories from Great Ancestor Keizan Jokin. The sesshin will be jointly led by four of our transmitted teachers: Sosan, MyoOn, Koji, and Myoshin.
Participation Options:
The whole week (Dec. 1st - 8th)
Weekend only (Friday evening, Dec. 6 through Sunday morning, Dec. 8)
One or more full days of your choice
Dec. 14
Recognizing our Wholeness: A Day of Easeful Zen Meditation
Saturday, December 14th,
9 am - 5pm
with Koji Acquaviva
In-person only
Registration open until 12/11/24.
Recognizing our Wholeness: A Day of Easeful Zen Meditation
The heart of meditation in the zen tradition is the recognition of our truest nature, the ever-present abiding awareness that underlies every possible experience. Recognition of our true nature, even briefly, is like discovering that there’s a river of ease and satisfaction moving through us in each moment.
In this retreat we will take up the practice of stepping into this river together through guided meditation, teachings, discussion, and deep relaxation. Every student has permission throughout the day to rest or change postures as needed. Some members of the community have taken to calling these retreats the “Cozy Koji” retreats because they’re so accessible and restful without sacrificing the deepest intention of Zen practice.
A simple vegetarian lunch of kichadi (mildly seasoned mung beans and rice) and salad will be served.
Koji Acquaviva is a Soto Zen priest and teacher. He began practicing Zen at the age of twenty at the San Francisco Zen Center where he was a resident student for ten years. He co-founded the Mid City Zen Center of New Orleans, Louisiana and served regularly as visiting teacher at the Austin Zen Center in Texas. In addition to Soto Zen, he's studied Vedanta, Hatha Yoga, and Tibetan Buddhism in residential practice centers. Koji encourages meditators to feel empowered to develop their own syncretic practice paths, availing themselves to the most supportive methods for their temperaments and needs. Koji is a member of the teacher ryo at Clouds in Water and is a staff member of Tergar International, a community of Tibetan meditation teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. As a queer and neurodivergent person, Koji makes his best effort to identify and confront spiritual teachings which re-inscribe harm for members of marginalized communities.
Jan. 4
Intention and Vow Workshop
Saturday, January 4th,
9 am - 3 pm
with Koji Acquaviva
Registration open until 1/1/2025.
Intention and Vow Workshop
“Our present direction is clearly defined but without having a goal. When we stop projecting goals and hopes in the future, and refuse to be led around by them, yet work to clarify our lives, that is, the “direction” of the present, then we discover an alive and dynamic practice.” Uchiyama Kosho Roshi
Set the tone for the coming year! Instead of setting New Year’s Resolutions, this workshop is a chance to clarify our heart’s desire, and align our lives with our deepest intention. Questions we'll consider:
What is the deepest longing and meaning of our lives?
If we followed our heart’s desire, what would that look like in the coming year?
Can a vow come out of our deepest longing?
Join together with other sangha members on the morning of New Year's Eve to review the past year and explore future directions, while grounding ourselves in the present moment. We offer this workshop every year, and it's a great chance to touch that which is of utmost importance to us.
Koji Acquaviva is a Soto Zen priest and teacher. He began practicing Zen at the age of twenty at the San Francisco Zen Center where he was a resident student for ten years. He co-founded the Mid City Zen Center of New Orleans, Louisiana and served regularly as visiting teacher at the Austin Zen Center in Texas. In addition to Soto Zen, he's studied Vedanta, Hatha Yoga, and Tibetan Buddhism in residential practice centers. Koji encourages meditators to feel empowered to develop their own syncretic practice paths, availing themselves to the most supportive methods for their temperaments and needs. Koji is a member of the teacher ryo at Clouds in Water and is a staff member of Tergar International, a community of Tibetan meditation teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. As a queer and neurodivergent person, Koji makes his best effort to identify and confront spiritual teachings which re-inscribe harm for members of marginalized communities.
Jan. 7 - Feb. 25
Shantideva's Instructions on Meditation, Part 2,
Tuesdays, January 7th -
February 25th
6: 30pm - 8:00pm
Zoom Only
with Flying Fish Barbara Murphy
Shantideva's Instructions on Meditation, Part 2
In the first half of Shantideva’s chapter on meditation we learned about the importance of creating solitude in our life for our meditation practice to help us stabilize our mind. Shantideva brings us face to face with the truth of how we hide in our many distractions.
In the second half of the chapter Shantideva guides our reflections on impermanence to help us disentangle ourselves from these distractions–developing our awareness of how foolish these attachments are. Seeing through them we are left with a calm abiding practice. Cooling the fires of our desire “we can face these fires like swans sweeping down upon a lotus lake.”
We are left with the abundant joy that is our birthright and the genuine wish to serve all beings.
This class is the continuation of the class of Shantideva’s Meditation Chapter from this fall. If you wish to join this last half of the class please contact Flying Fish (info@cloudsinwater.org) if you would like to participate but do not meet the prerequisite.
Flying Fish Barbara Murphy
Currently living in Portland, Oregon, Flying Fish rejoins Clouds in Water from Dharma Rain Zen Center. She was ordained in 2005 by Diane Martin at Udumbara Zen Center in Evanston, Illinois, and transmitted by Byakuren Judith Ragir at Clouds in Water Zen Center in 2015. From 2005-2018 Flying Fish was a teacher at Clouds in Water Zen Center, where she helped advance the youth and family program. She completed her certified pastoral education in 2006 and worked as a hospital chaplain at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and as a hospice chaplain at Allina Hospice. Since 2019 she has been practicing with Dharma Rain Zen Center, where she now serves as a transmitted teacher. Her background includes a BA in art history and M.Arch in architecture. She lives with her husband and enjoys family life.
Jan. 10 - 12
Ryumonji Retreat
Friday, January 10th, 5pm -
Sunday, January 12th, 4 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn and Shoken Winecoff
In Person
Registration open until 1/2/25.
Ryumonji Retreat
Join us for this special Clouds in Water retreat at Ryumonji Zen Monastery in northeastern Iowa (about 3 hours from the Twin Cities). Ryumonji Monastery is designed from a blueprint of a classic Zen monastery in Japan. Built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way, its gorgeous buildings and temple grounds reflect the spirit of "peaceful dwelling." During this retreat you will learn about many of the Zen ritual objects and engage in some of the formal Zen practices.
The retreat will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, dharma talks by Sosan (Saturday) and Shoken (Sunday), traditional oryoki meals, zen chanting liturgy, temple care (mindful cleaning), body practice, rest breaks, and training in the Zen forms. The schedule will be less rigrous than a typcial sesshin, with more time for rest. While we will have some periods of silence, there will also be time for conversation.
During the reatreat, Sosan and Shoken will offer teachings from Katagiri Roshi's book, The Light that Shines Through Infinity.
While this retreat is appropriate for beginners, if you have not done a sesshin previously, please contact the Ino (retreat coordinator) before registering to help determine if retreat is right for you at this time.
Sosan Theresa Flynn (she/her) is the Guiding Teacher at Clouds in Water Zen Center. She has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, mindful speaking and listening, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. She has officiated at many ceremonies (daily & special liturgies, weddings, baby namings, and memorial services), and offers premarital and couples counseling. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for 36 years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in both community mental health and staff training. Sosan and her husband of 35+ years have one child, now an adult who brings them great joy. They live a short distance from Clouds in Water with their three cats. For more information, see Sosan’s website
Shoken Winecoff is founding teacher and abbot of Ryumonji Zen Monastery. He is a Dharma Heir of the late Dainin Katagiri Roshi, founder of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. Rev. Winecoff practiced with Katagiri Roshi in Minneapolis from 1976 until Katagiri Roshi’s death in 1990. Shoken also received formal training with Ikko Narasaki Roshi and Tsugen Narasaki Roshi at Zuioji Zen Monastery and Shogoji Zen Monastery in Japan for three years from 1989 to 1992. Since that time he has devoted himself to establishing a Soto Zen monastery in the Midwest.
Jan. 25
White Bodied Anti-racism workshop: Zen Practice & Liberation for All
Saturday, January 25th,
2 pm - 6 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn and
The WURK group (White-practioners Unraveling Racial Karma)
Registration open until 1/23/25.
White Bodied Anti-racism workshop: Zen Practice & Liberation for All
Free (donations gratefully accepted). Registration required. Note: to register online, a nominal amount must be paid. Alternatively, you can register with no charge by sending an email to info@cloudsinwater.org.
This half-day workshop is designed for white Buddhists and friends who want to create a Sangha (Community) where people of all races, gender, and economic class feel like they belong. This is how we actualize the vow of liberation for all.
The class is open to people who are beginning this journey, as well as those long on the path to exploring the white racial framework that shapes our world. We will explore how whiteness impacts our lives and hinders us from being present to the racialized world we live in and look deeply into how white racial conditioning affects our lives and the lives of people of color in our Sangha and beyond.
The afternoon will include meditation, chanting, and an exploration of how our zen practice is not separate from the work of dismantling white supremacy. We will create a space where white-bodied practitioners can listen and speak from the heart about this important work which is sometimes painful, emotionally charged and tender. When we look deeply at white racial conditioning, these difficulties transform and the result is joyful, uplifting and liberating for ourselves, the Sangha, and the world.
Sosan Theresa Flynn (she/her) is the Guiding Teacher at Clouds in Water Zen Center. She has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, mindful speaking and listening, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. She has officiated at many ceremonies (daily & special liturgies, weddings, baby namings, and memorial services), and offers premarital and couples counseling. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for 36 years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in both community mental health and staff training. Sosan and her husband of 35+ years have one child, now an adult who brings them great joy. They live a short distance from Clouds in Water with their three cats. For more information, see Sosan’s website.
The White-Practitioners Unraveling Racial Karma (WURK) group is committed to helping create a sangha at Clouds in Water where all who wish to practice the teachings and precepts of Zen Buddhism feel safe, welcome, and nurtured. The creation of WURK responds to a call from LAB and BIPOC sangha members for white-bodied sangha members to more fully engage in the work of sangha transformation. The group helps plan and promote programs and activities for white-bodied practitioners to examine racism in our society, and how the white mind is conditioned to support and maintain it.
Jan. 14 - 28
Becoming a Zen Practitioner
Tuesdays, January 14th - 28th
With MyoOn Susan Hagler
Registration closes 1/12/25.
Becoming A Zen Practitioner
In this class we will explore fundamentals of Zen practice. This will incorporate foundational teachings, meditation and mindfulness in everyday life.
MyoOn Susan Hagler (she/her) began Zen practice in 1980 with Katagiri-Roshi and the MZMC sangha. She took time off from formal practice while raising her family in the 1990s, participating in family practice at MZMC and practicing at home. In 1999 she returned to MZMC more formally and was ordained by Tim Burkett in 2003. In 2010 she began practicing with Dokai Georgesen at Hokyoji Zen Practice community. MyoOn received dharma transmission from Dokai in 2018. In 2020, she joined the teacher-ryo at Clouds in Water. MyoOn works with Zen students at all levels from lay to ordained. She can also officiate at marriages and memorial services. She has lived in Minneapolis with her spouse, Duane Peterson since 1986. They have 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren who bring them great joy.
Feb. 1
Writing From the Bones -
Writing Workshop
Saturday, February 1st, 1 - 4 pm. With Heather Renkyo Fehst and Taizan Alford
Registration closes 1/28/25.
Writing From The Bones
Join poet/songwriter Rev. Taizan Alford and novelist / editor Renkyo Heather Demetrios for a writing workshop exploring how Zen can be woven into writing practice. In this three-hour exploration, we'll be using prompts and reflections to play with words. From three-minute bursts to longer stream-of-consciousness fragments, writers will have a chance to write from their own somatic experience , from what's present and wants to be on the page, right here, right now.
All levels and styles welcome.
Heather Renkyo Fehst (she/her)
She is an author, writing coach, and teacher of many things. Ren works with writers on integrating mindfulness into their writing practice, process, and life. In addition to her work as Executive Director at Clouds in Water, she is a Trained Mindfulness Facilitator through UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center and holds a certificate in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness. She is also the program director of Rebecca Dykes Writers in collaboration with the Highlights Foundation, where she works with writers who tell stories about trauma for young readers. In her Zen practice, creative work, and service, Ren believes in being a lighthouse for those who are awakening to the gift and challenges of being human on this particular planet, at this particular time.
Find out more about Ren and her work at heatherdemetrios.com
Taizan Alford (he/him)
Taizan was ordained as a Soto Zen priest by Sosan Flynn in 2016, and completed shuso in 2021. Taizan's journey with meditation began on the yogic path in the early 1980s after getting sober. He has been to India, studied Ayurveda, and taught yoga since 1998. Taizan spent three months as a resident at Zen Mountain Monastery in 2020 Taizan’s focus in Soto Zen Buddhism is on how zazen, taking refuge and loving kindness can heal old wounds and help create less suffering for individuals and their communities. He is an associate member of the Teacher Ryo at Clouds. Taizan is committed to long-term recovery from addiction, healing from trauma, and not creating more suffering. Taizan is deeply grateful for his loving and supportive husband Tom.
February 6 - 20
The Dharma of Money: Practicing with our Feelings about Saving, Spending and Giving
Thursdays, February 6th-20th
With Sosan Theresa Flynn
Registration closes 2/4/25.
The Dharma of Money: Practicing with our Feelings about Saving, Spending, and Giving
In this class, we will explore our complicated relationship with money through the lens of Buddhist practice and teachings. We may, at times, value money for security, control. status, enjoyment or benevolence. Some of these values may be in conflict with each other. To help us practice with these complications and conflicts, we will use teachings from the Buddha and Zen Master Dogen, wisdom from Lynn Twist's book, The Soul of Money, and other contemporary Buddhist teachings. We will endeavor to talk candidly with one another as we explore our fears about not having enough and our desires to give freely.
Feb. 7 - 8
February Loving-kindness Sesshin
Friday, February 7th, 5 pm -
Saturday, February 8th, 9 pm
With Sosan Theresa Flynn
Registration closes 1/4/25.
February Loving-kindness Sesshin
Sesshin, which means “collecting the heart/mind”, provides a rare chance to step into a sanctuary of stillness, to close the door for a little while on the cacophony, and to appreciate the freedom and spaciousness of life in the present. Whether you are a beginner or experienced practitioner, we hope you will consider joining this wonderful practice.
A typical sesshin includes multiple periods of sitting and walking meditation, one or more dharma talks, traditional oryoki meals, zen chanting liturgy, temple care (mindful cleaning), and the opporutnity to meet one-on-one with the teacher. We refrain from unnecessary speech and settle into silence.
While some instruction is given during the sesshin, if you are a first-timer, we recommend that you first attend an introduction to meditation and Zen Buddhism sesshin, and reach out to one of our teachers before registering.
Guided meditations on Loving-kindness will be offered periodically throughout this sesshin. We will practice completely loving ourselves and others in a way that is free from attachment. Please join us for this courageous practice in realizing wholeness in the face of suffering.
Sosan Theresa Flynn (she/her) is the Guiding Teacher at Clouds in Water Zen Center. She has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, mindful speaking and listening, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. She has officiated at many ceremonies (daily & special liturgies, weddings, baby namings, and memorial services), and offers premarital and couples counseling. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for 36 years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in both community mental health and staff training. Sosan and her husband of 35+ years have one child, now an adult who brings them great joy. They live a short distance from Clouds in Water with their three cats. For more information, see Sosan’s website.