Zen lecture at Vassar, March 29

Roko Sherry Chayat, Abbot of the Zen Center in Syracuse, will give a talk titled "'Ordinary Mind is the Way': Contemplative Practice in Everyday Life" at Vassar College at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in the Jade Parlor, Main Building.

Chayat, a graduate of Vassar's class of 1965, is one of several speakers in a series of programs exploring the relationship between "Wonder and the Life of the Mind." Her talk, sponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, is free and open to the public.

Chayat began studying Buddhism in the 1960s while pursuing her degree in creative writing at Vassar and doing graduate work in painting at the New York Studio School. She began Zen practice in 1967 at the Zen Studies Society with Eido Roshi and received lay ordination from Maurine Stuart in 1985 and full ordination from Eido Roshi in 1991. Eido Roshi acknowledged Chayat as a Dharma teacher in 1992. In 1998, he gave her inka, Dharma transmission, in the Hakuin/Torei lineage, making her the first American woman to receive official Rinzai Zen transmission.

Chayat is an adjunct professor at Syracuse University. She travels widely to give Zen talks, workshops, and retreats. She is translator, editor, and author of several books and the author of numerous articles. Her most recent book is "Endless Vow: The Zen Path of Soen Nakagawa," compiled, translated, and edited with Eido Tai Shimano Roshi and Kazuaki Tanahashi.

For additional information, call the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at (845) 437-5550. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings at (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2001.