Soji Zen Center

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the Lansdowne Leader April 2008, Vol. XVI, No. 1

Jules Shuzen Harris Achieves Highest Buddhist Mastery

Soji Zen Center, a Soto Zen Buddhist center located on Marshall Road announced that its director, Jules Shuzen Harris, Ed.D., received dharma transmission.  One of the most important themes in Buddhist philosophy, dharma transmission confers mastery of Zen thought and practice, and the continuation of an authentic lineage going back nearly 2500 years to the founding of Buddhism.  This unbroken chain ensures that Buddhist teaching is preserved and transmitted in its original form.

Dr. Harris is one of the first African-Americans in the world to receive dharma transmission.  A Sensei and Soto priest, he has been practicing for more than 25 years.  His transmission reflects the creative evolution of Buddha teachings into new circumstances.  Dr. Harris founded Soji Zen Center to offer the community a contemporary Buddhist center providing instruction on Zen meditation, philosphy, and contemplation techniques.  He is also involved with local colleges, health organizations, and yoga groups in offering dharma teaching to beginners who want to learn about mediation, as well as to experienced practitioners of Zen Buddhism to strengthen their technique and continue training their minds.

The history of Buddhism spans from the sixth century B.C., starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama.  This makes it one of the oldest spiritual philosphies practiced today and the fourth largest, with approximately 350 million adherents worldwide (six percent of the world's population).  Today, it is seeing considerable growth in Western societies and medicine, where the value of meditation on physical and emotional health is being explored.  Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, University of Chicago and the National Institutes of Health are currently overseeing clinical studies investigating whether meditative practice can reduce anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, chronic pain, and the discomfort of psoriasis and irritable bowel syndrome, among many other problems.

Soji Zen Center has regular talks on Zen meditation and teaching every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  The center is located at 2325 West Marshall Road in Lansdowne, PA.  For more information, visit www.sojizencenter.com or contact Brenda Waters, 917-856-5659, brendawaters@verizon.net.

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