Zazen is led by Michelle Jissan Nicolle & Henry Lafferty.
Michelle Jissan Nicolle
Michelle Jissan Nicolle is an ordained Buddhist Minister affiliated with the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is currently a board-certified chaplain and works at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital and School of Medicine. Michelle ordained as a novice priest with Sensei Joshin Byrnes of Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Center in Cornwall, Vermont. She is an ardent student of Dogen and practices in the tradition of the Zen Peacemaker Order. Please contact Michelle with questions at michellejissannicolle@gmail.com
Henry Lafferty
Henry is a practicing architect in Winston-Salem. He earned a B.A. degree in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before earning a Master of Architecture degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Believing that words get in the way, Henry began practicing meditation regularly 10 years ago. His practice has centered on Soto Zen for the past 2 years. You can contact Henry with questions at hhlafferty@icloud.com
““Shikantaza, or just sitting, is the most direct of practices in all of Buddhism. It is the method of no-method, and invites us to just sit in stillness and openness, perceiving things simply and directly as they are, without engaging in thought, including thoughts of motivation. An approach that requires no mediation of technique, shikantaza is a fully embodied and wholehearted practice that is direct, intimate, and uncontrived.”
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