Two Tuesdays: April 19 and 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET Online
Ruth Ozeki already has proven her literary ability, such as being shortlisted for the 2013 Booker Award for her last novel, A Tale for the Time Being. With this new novel, she continues to transport us to new worlds. For instance, the book talks, actually really talks. Other objects find voices, also. We’re out on the edge with Ozeki again. A clue to the novel’s backbone: Ozeki is an established Zen Buddhist practitioner and teacher. The book’s title comes from one of the most famous of the Buddha’s sutras, The Heart Sutra, which says, “…Emptiness is form, form is emptiness…” What does that mean? And how does Ozeki play with this meaning throughout her book, meanwhile exploring a panoply of topics, such as insubstantiality, impermanence, anxiety, wholesomeness, creativity, compassion, etc. Certainly, Ozeki creates bizarre yet endearing characters who, despite all odds, often seem to find their way, somehow, to a real form of loving-kindness and communion.
The class will include short meditative and short writing exercises.
Two Tuesdays: April 19 and 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET Online
Required book:
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki 9780399563645
Jerry Webster, Ph. D., (Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland) has taught numerous courses in literature for the U. of MD. and in multiculturalism for Montgomery County Public Schools (MD). He has taught English full-time in public school systems for forty years. He served as the Shastri, or head teacher, for the Shambhala Buddhist Center in Washington, D.C. for 10 years until he retired in 2020. He teaches regularly for the D. C. Politics & Prose Bookstore, as well as the Johns Hopkins Odyssey Program, Frederick Community College ILR Program, and the D.C. Shambhala Buddhist Center.
REFUND POLICY: Please note that we can issue class refunds up until seven (7) days before the first class session.
