[Online] Introduction to Koan Practice
with Sarah Bender, Roshi
June 6 - 27, 2026
Online
Date and Time Details:
Four Saturdays
June 6 - June 27
Contact: DDLOnline@dorjedenmaling.org
Cost:
Sliding Fee Scale. Suggested amount $160
- CAD $160.00 – I can offer the suggested amount.
- CAD $80.00 to CAD $300.00 – I can offer this amount.
This series offered by Sarah Bender, Roshi, resident teacher for Springs Mountain Sangha in Colorado Springs, will give you a glimpse and a first experience of koan practice, in the Open Source Zen lineage.
Koan practice is a methodology peculiar to Chan and Zen Buddhism, treasured for its power to evoke experiences of sudden awakening, from most subtle to most earthshaking, that leave one’s world irrevocably changed; and over time, to help release a person from the bondage of their own opinions, leaving them more and more free to welcome experience as it happens and to respond, with gratitude for life just as it is.
The koan itself is a kind of story—sometimes just two words, sometimes much longer—recounting encounters marked by a sudden shift or transformation.
Collected over more than 1,500 years in China, Japan, and elsewhere, these stories carry that same transformative quality, even on the printed page.
Yet they come most fully to life in relationship—with teachers and companions on the Way—where an intimate, personal connection with the koans can unfold.
What to Expect
In each session you’ll learn a little more about the tradition and what it’s like to practice within it, but mostly we’ll directly encounter a number of different kinds of koans and have an opportunity to practice with them.
Who May Attend
Open to all, whether you are new to koan practice or more familiar.
Cost
$160 – Suggested price. This program is also offering a sliding fee scale starting at $80.
Generosity Policy
We want everyone to be able to attend retreats at Dorje Denma Ling. If you need additional assistance beyond the sliding fee scale, please reach out.
Other Useful Links
Registration and Cancellation Policy
About the Leader
Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sarah Bender, Roshi is resident teacher for Springs Mountain Sangha, a Koan Zen practice community in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA which is part of Cloud Gate Zen, an Open Source community in the line of Joan Sutherland, Roshi. SMS is in the Harada-Yasutani lineage of Zen Buddhism. Sarah began her practice of Zen Buddhism […]
Learn more about Sarah Bender, RoshiCategories : Featured Events, Online