On May 19 at 12 p.m. ET, Soto Zen teacher and author Ben Connelly will join us to explore the teachings and lasting influence of Huayan Buddhism, one of the most consequential and least-known traditions in the East Asian Buddhist world. Rooted in the Avatamsaka, or Flower Garland, Sutra, Huayan is best known for the imagery of Indra’s Net—an infinite web of jewels in which each jewel reflects and contains all the others. It’s a vision of complete interdependence and one that shaped all the East Asian meditation schools.
In his recently published book, Inside the Flower Garland Sutra: Huayan Buddhism and the Modern World, Connelly offers a line-by-line commentary on the “Song of Dharma Nature,” a 30-line summary of the Flower Garland Sutra by the 7th-century Korean monk Uisang, situating its teachings in contemporary life and practice. Join Connelly to learn how this ancient tradition impacted Zen and Chan Buddhism, and how it speaks to challenges of the modern world.
Speakers
Ben Connelly
Ben Connelly is a Soto Zen teacher in the Katagiri lineage and the guiding teacher at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. He teaches mindfulness in a variety of secular contexts, including police training, addiction recovery groups, and social and climate justice groups. Connelly has written for Tricycle and Lion’s Roar, and is the author of Inside the Grass Hut, Inside Vasubandhu’s Yogacara, Mindfulness and Intimacy, Vasubandhu’s “Three Natures,” and Inside the Flower Garland Sutra.
-
DETAILS
- Date: May 19, 2026
- Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET
- Format: Zoom webinar
- Price: Premium subscribers: Free // General admission: $10
- SIGN UP