Weekly journal: entry submission on this course website by Thursday 11:59 pm (ET).
Go to journal submission →Same series: CHIN 2080 weekly entry submission
CHIN 2081 · Fall 2027 · 3 Credits
Zen Koan Meditation I (Online)
Syllabus
Course info
Prof./Dr. Chia-ju Chang (she/her)
Friday, 8:00–10:45 am (ET)
Friday, 10:45–11:45 am, or by arrangement (online / WeChat)
Email is the best (only) way to contact the instructor; expect a reply within 24 hours. Please exchange contact info with at least one classmate.
Course description
This companion course to CHIN/MVMT 2081 centers on seated meditation practice (坐禪 / zazen). Students learn koan inquiry as a path of awakening, cultivating compassion, sharp awareness, and connection with community, while developing critical first-person (introspective) and impersonal contemplative perspectives.
Open to all students; also a core required course for Brooklyn College’s Chinese and Zen Contemplative Studies Minor.
Official minor page →Course requirements & grading
Attendance
Attendance for every class, for the full period, is mandatory. After one absence, each further absence lowers the final grade by half a letter. Four absences = failing grade. Two latenesses of 10+ minutes count as one absence.
Etiquette (20 points)
No electronic devices in class. Bring a cushion and yoga mat; wear loose, comfortable clothing. Graded on cooperation, respect, and participation. Cameras must stay on (blur/virtual background OK). Class while commuting, at work, or at appointments counts as absence. Join from a quiet, appropriate space.
Weekly journal (60 points)
Personal reflection entry on practice (~600 words); not letter-graded. Submit on this course website by Thursday 11:59 pm (ET). (Week 1 · 8/28 journal cancelled.)
Submission Page →Final reflection paper (20 points)
Overview of the semester’s progress; 1000–1200 words in English. Due 12/10 before midnight.
Submission Page →
Grade scale · 94–100 A · 90–93 A- · 86–89 B+ · 82–85 B · 79–81 B- · 76–78 C+ · 72–75 C · 69–71 C- · 66–68 D+ · 62–65 D · 59–61 D- · ≤58 F
Late work & INC · Late journals: −0.5 course points each; late reflection papers: −1 each. Work after the last day only in unusual cases arranged in writing. INC only at instructor discretion when most work is done and documented extenuating circumstances are agreed in writing by the last class day.
Class Zoom & Online Zen Circle
- Class / Zen Circle Zoom (same link) →
Class hours → Class Zoom; otherwise Zen Circle. One link only.
Group practice times
US Eastern (Brooklyn). Matches the community schedule: Community Practice / Interview every morning and evening (including Sunday morning). Bold = Community Practice slots that count toward the two required weekly Zen Circles.
- 7:30 PM–8:00 PMCommunity PracticeDaily
- 8:00 PM–8:30 PMInterview (one-on-one)Daily
- 8:30 PM–9:00 PMCommunity PracticeDaily
- 9:00 PM–9:30 PMInterview (one-on-one)Daily
- 9:00-9:30 AMCommunity PracticeDaily
- 9:30-10:00 AMCommunity PracticeDaily
- 10:00-10:30 AMInterview (one-on-one)Mon–Thu, Sat–Sun
Weekly schedule
Week 1 · 8/28
Intro: What is koan inquiry? Qigong, guided sitting, breath counting, writing & facial massage
Week 2 · 9/4
What is breath? Qigong, guided sitting, breath practice (“Drink up the West River in one gulp”), writing & facial massage
Kōan: Who Is the One Who Does Not Keep Company with the Ten Thousand Things? →Week 3 · 9/11
Qigong, guided sitting, breath practice (“In and out together”), writing & facial massage
Week 4 · 9/18
Qigong, guided sitting, breath practice (“Between the breaths”), writing & facial massage. Homework: watch Groundhog Day.
Watch Groundhog Day →Week 5 · 9/25
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (“What is breath?”), private interview & writing
Kōan: Life Is Between Breaths →Week 6 · 10/2
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (Baizhang’s Wild Ducks), interview, writing & facial massage
Kōan: Baizhang’s Wild Ducks →Class group: Seeing · What is this? →Week 7 · 10/9
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (Bring Me the Rhinoceros), interview, writing & facial massage. Homework (this week): watch the documentary Hunted By A Myth.
Kōan: Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan (Bring Me the Rhinoceros) →Homework: watch the documentary Hunted By A Myth →Entry writing: After viewing the documentary, begin to meditate on the koan “Bring me ___” (replace “rhinoceros” with someone you love).
Week 8 · 10/16
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (Nanquan Cuts the Cat), interview, writing & facial massage
Kōan: Nanquan Cuts the Cat →Ecological reading of Nanquan Cuts the Cat →心佛三禪機 Three Zen Encounters →10/16 Assignment; submit by Thu 10/22, 11 PM ET
No journal entry this week — the Three Zen Encounters assignment replaces it.
Week 9 · 10/23
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (The Lone Peak Does Not Whiten), interview, writing & facial massage
Kōan: The Lone Peak Does Not Whiten →Week 10 · 10/30
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (TBA), interview, writing & facial massage
Week 11 · 11/6
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (TBA), interview, writing & facial massage
Week 12 · 11/13
(Online) Qigong, guided sitting, koan (TBA), interview, writing & facial massage
Week 13 · 11/20
(Online) Qigong, guided sitting, koan (TBA), interview, writing & facial massage
11/27
Black Friday — no class
Week 14 · 12/4
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (TBA), interview, writing & facial massage
Week 15 · 12/11
Qigong, guided sitting, koan (TBA), interview, writing & facial massage
Suggested readings & links
College policies (summary)
Academic integrity follows CUNY/Brooklyn College policy. Notify the instructor by email in the first two class meetings about religious observances. Undocumented students may contact the Immigrant Student Success Office. See Brooklyn College student support services for fuller resources.