Soten’s Dharma Talk, “Bodhisattvas in the Brothels,” August 15, 2024

In this dharma talk, “Bodhisattvas in the Brothels,” Senior Student Soten discusses how in his eponymous sutra, the paragon of Buddhist practice, Vimalakirti, is praised for his skillful means of teaching the Way in the usual, but also in the most unusual places - including his city's brothels. Soten explores the lessons of Vimalakirti and the Village Zendo's roots in the early days of the AIDS era. When he was coming of age as a gay man in New York City, Enkyo Roshi and her dharma brother, Robert Genjin Savage, were already taking the Buddha's teachings to the most feared and rejected of our city's communities: into the gay clubs and the nascent Gay Men's Health Crisis.

The Village Zendo is a community of people who come together to practice in the Soto Zen tradition. Based in downtown New York City, we offer zazen (sitting meditation), one-on-one instruction with a teacher, dharma talks, chanting services, retreats, workshops and study groups.

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