Spring Term 2026 – Practice Intensive Group Resource Page

Spring Term 2026 Meeting Dates:

Meetings with Domyo take place on her Zoom (ending in 5898); Peer Group Meetings take place on BWZ Zoom #2 (ending in 1010).

Thursday Practice Intensive Group: 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, March through July.
Meetings with Domyo are two hours long: 6-8pm Pacific, 7-9pm Mountain, 8-10pm Central, 9-11pm Eastern.
Peer Group Meetings are one hour long: 6-7pm Pacific, 7-8pm Mountain, 8-9pm Central, 9-10pm Eastern.

• March 5th (1st Thursday) – Meeting #1 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898)
• March 19th (3rd Thursday) – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• April 2nd (1st Thursday) – Meeting #2 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898)
• April 16th (3rd Thursday) – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• May 7th (1st Thursday) – Meeting #3 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898) 
• May 21st (3rd Thursday) – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• June 4th (1st Thursday) – Meeting #4 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898) 
• June 18th (3rd Thursday) – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• July 2nd (1st Thursday) – Meeting #5 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898) 

Saturday Practice Intensive Group: Almost all 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, October – February except where noted.
Meetings with Domyo are two hours long: 11am-1pm Pacific, Noon-2pm Mountain, 1-3pm Central, 2-4pm Eastern, 6-8pm UK, 7-9pm Eastern Europe.
Peer Group Meetings are one hour long: Noon-1pm Pacific, 1-2pm Mountain, 2-3pm Central, 3-4pm Eastern, 7-8pm UK, 8-9pm Eastern Europe.

• March 7th (1st Saturday) – Meeting #1 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898)
• March 14th (2nd Saturday – there is a One-Day Retreat on the 3rd Saturday) – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• April 4th (1st Saturday) – Meeting #2 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom – 5898)
• April 18th (3rd Saturday) – 12–1pm – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• May 2nd (1st Saturday) – Meeting #3 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898) 
• May 16th (3rd Saturday) – 12–1pm – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• June 6th (1st Saturday) – Meeting #4 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898)
• June 20th (3rd Saturday) – 12–1pm – Peer Group Meeting – BWZ Zoom #2 (-1010)
• July 4th (1st Saturday) – Meeting #5 with Domyo (Domyo’s Zoom -5898) 

Study Plan:

In Spring Term 2026 we will be immersing ourselves in Taoist-Chan teachings as presented in David Hinton’s book China Root: Taoism, Ch’an, and Original Zen, and in a selection of Taoist and pre-Chan, and early Chan writings in Hinton’s The Way of Ch’an: Essential Texts of the Original Tradition. (Links to Amazon so you can see inside the texts – not suggesting you should buy them this way instead of from your local bookseller…)

When Buddhism arrived in China during the first century of the current era, it was fundamentally reinterpreted and reshaped by Taoist thought, its more abstract metaphysical sensibility becoming grounded in an earthly and empirically based vision. The result of this amalgam, which began to take shape from the third into the fifth centuries C.E., is Ch’an. – Hinton, David. China Root: Taoism, Ch’an, and Original Zen (p. 6). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.

Hinton offers a sometimes provocative view of Chan/Zen, stating that as Buddhism encountered Taoism in China, it was “so transformed by Taoist thought that, aside from a few institutional trappings, it is scarcely recognizable as Buddhism at all.” We don’t need to agree with all of Hinton’s points, but they will definitely provide interesting material for discussion!

In addition, Hinton discusses many concepts central to Chan/Zen but through a Taoist lens. This can facilitate a new kind of understanding – a broadening of our minds, a recognition of our tradition’s ancestral roots. It is true that many aspects of Chan/Zen have much more in common with Taoism than with Indian Buddhism, but of course we can also honor and treasure the thoroughly Buddhist aspects of our practice too.

Domyo will be working on a plan for how participants can actively engage the material between meetings. In the past this has included things like journaling, mondo, and taking charge of leading discussions. More info soon.

Syllabus

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FEBRUARY, BEFORE the first meeting, read:

• China Root – Introduction (14 pages)

MARCH MEETING (Meeting #1) : Check-in; Domyo presents the plan for the term; discussion of Introduction to China Root.

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After Meeting 1, in preparation for Meeting 2, read:

• China Root – Tao, Meditation, Breath, Mind (23 pages)
• The Way of Ch’an – Part I: Taoist Origins (31 pages)

APRIL MEETING (Meeting #2) : Check-in followed by discussion of each subject led by a member of the group who has adopted that concept (Tao, Meditation, Breath, and Mind).

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After Meeting 2, in preparation for Meeting 3, read:

• China Root – Words, Absence, Empty-Mind, Mirror (31 pages)
• The Way of Ch’an – Part II: Dark-Enigma Learning (25 pages)

MAY MEETING (Meeting #3) : Check-in followed by discussion of each subject led by a member of the group who has adopted that concept (Words, Absence, Empty-Mind, Mirror).

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After Meeting 3, in preparation for Meeting 4, read:

• China Root – Rivers-and-Mountains, Dharma, Buddha, Dark-Enigma (23 pages)
• The Way of Ch’an – Part III: The Birth of Chan (41 pages)

JUNE MEETING (Meeting #4) : Check-in followed by discussion of each subject led by a member of the group who has adopted that concept (Rivers-and-Mountains, Dharma, Buddha, Dark-Enigma).

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After Meeting 4, in preparation for Meeting 5, read:

• China Root – Absence-Action, Meditation, Sangha-Case, Unborn, Awakening (40 pages)
• The Way of Ch’an – Part IV: Early Chan (37 pages)

JULY MEETING (Meeting #5) : Check-in followed by discussion of each subject led by a member of the group who has adopted that concept (Absence-Action, Meditation, Sangha-Case, Unborn, Awakening).

Zoom Rooms:

Practice Intensive Groups meet on Zoom.

Meetings with Domyo take place on her Zoom (ending in 5898).

Peer Group Meetings take place on BWZ Zoom #2 (ending in 1010).