Colorado State University Welcomes Zen Master to Lecture on the Thousand-Year-Old Traditions and Practices of Zen Buddhism

Colorado State University will host Zen Master Keido Fukushima Roshi to speak on Zen Buddhism and basic Zen sitting-meditation. Fukushima Roshi’s lecture entitled "The Training of a Zen Monk," will be presented from 5:30-7 p.m. on March 31 in the Main Ballroom of the Lory Student Center. This will be his only stop in the state of Colorado on this trip. The lecture will be presented in Japanese with English translation and is free and open to the public.

Fukushima Roshi represents the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism which dates back to more than 1,000 years in Japan, and which originated before that as Ch’an Buddhism in China. Zen Buddhism is an integral part of Japanese culture, and its roots include Taoism of China and Buddhism, originally from India. Zen Buddhism continues to be strong in Japan and has also been adopted as a spiritual practice in many western countries.

"This presentation is a rare opportunity for contact with an important aspect of Japanese cultural heritage," said Martha Denney, Director of International Programs at Colorado State. " We have only enough time to offer a glimpse at this ancient spiritual discipline but hopefully that glimpse will instill a desire among those participating to seek more knowledge about the tenets of Zen."

This is Fukushima’s third visit to Colorado State. His previous visits, in 1996 and 1998, generated a huge attendance.

Sponsors of this event include Colorado State’s Asian Studies Program, the Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Department of Philosophy, the Guest Scholars Program, International Studies Program, and the Japanese Student Association.

For more information, contact the Department of International Relations at (970) 491-5917.