Summary: Episode Description: In this beautiful and inspirational talk, Joshin presents an introduction to practice period as well as an exploration of silence, the theme for this Fall Practice Period. What is practice period? Why do we seek it? Why do we feel called to practice, to silence? How do we embrace it? To investigate these questions, Joshin shares passages from Dogen Zenji's writings on summer practice period, "Ango." Dogen's profound insights, while certainly applicable to an extended period of intense study, are equally valuable for Zazenkai or even in our daily practice. Joshin concludes this talk by reciting Hung-chih Cheng-chueh's "Silent Illumination." Bio: Joshin Brian Byrnes is a novice priest at Upaya Zen Center and president and CEO of the Santa Fe Community Foundation. He worked at the Boston AIDS Action Committee, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and was CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation and Managing Director at Tides Foundation. His nonprofit career spans over twenty years, where he has led complex organizations through profound change processes, organizational growth, and repositioning them for increased social impact, financial sustainability, and organizational learning. Currently, he is involved with a number of of national philanthropic projects including being the chair-elect of CFLeads: Community Foundations Leading Change, and is a member of the Community Foundation Leadership Team at the Council on Foundations. His academic background includes undergraduate and graduate work in philosophy at St. Meinrad College, theology at the Aquinas Institute at St. Louis University, early music performance at New England Conservatory of Music, and medieval musicology at New York University. He has also studied and practiced organizational development with Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline), and has been trained in Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching. He is cultivating a “back and forth” practice, moving between the zendo and the larger world of social service, organizational leadership, and social engagement.
