This free event is part of the "PoemCity" celebration. In this introduction to the form, history, and practice of waka (5-7-5-7-7), the precursor of haiku (5-7-5) as conveyors of spiritual awakening in Zen Buddhism, transmitted Zen Buddhist teachers, Seiso Paul Cooper and Kagayaki Karen Morris, both award-winning poets and authors, will present the waka of 12th C. Japanese Buddhist poets from the golden age of Japan's enlightenment poetry. An introduction to the practice of Zazen (Zen meditation), as the core practice and foundational teaching of the Zen Buddhist tradition, will be given, followed by a brief practice period. The Zazen experience will serve as the jumping off point for writing our own waka, noting the function of the form to awaken the poet to the connectedness of internal insight and aesthetic experiences of the surrounding world.

May 13, 2024, 1 to 3 PM

May 13, 2024, 5 PM

May 18, 2024, 9 AM to 1 PM