All posts by BZC News

Caregiver Support Group

Are you helping a loved one do things that they used to do for themselves? Many in our sangha are doing so. Being responsible for another can be an unrelenting practice. Sangha Support is sponsoring a gathering to share experiences, tips and resources to support your efforts, facilitated by Laurie Senauke and Debbie Schley. All are welcome to come on Sunday, July 24th, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, at the Senauke house, 1933 Russell.  Please RSVP at the contact info below (there won’t be a sign-up sheet for this). Also contact us if you’d like more information, or if this topic is of interest but you will not be able to attend.

Contact: Debbie at 503.505.4282 or debbieresearcher@gmail.com.

Caring for Buddha’s Robe

If you need assistance (or simply time and space) with rakusu/okesa/robe repairs, replacement, or finishing already started rakusu, the following dates are on the calendar. Each session is from 1:00 pm  to 5:00 pm except as noted.

Please contact the sewing teacher, Jean Selkirk, at (510) 655-0820 before you attend the first time.

Any changes to the schedule will be made on the bulletin board.

Material fees only apply for envelopes or new (second or replacement) rakusu, and the usual class fee applies for new rakusu.

Starting first rakusu for Lay Ordination will begin in January as usual. If you are considering this, please speak with your teacher and then also speak with the sewing teacher before the winter break begins.

Sunday        July 17
Saturday     July 30
Sunday        August 7
Sunday        August 21
Saturday     September 10
Sunday        September 25
Sunday        October 9
Saturday     October 22
Saturday     November 5
Sunday        November 13

Noon Zazen Bag Lunch

We are continuing the practice of sharing a bag lunch (BYO) and informal discussion with vice abbot Hozan Alan Senauke once a month after noon zazen. Upcoming dates are:

Tuesday         July 19
Wednesday  August 24
Thursday      September 22
Tuesday        October 25

Lay Ordination

On Saturday, June 4th, three members of the Berkeley Zen Center sangha received Lay Ordination (Zaike Tokudo) from Sojun Weitsman Roshi and Hozan Senauke Sensei. This ceremony takes place once a year at BZC and is a significant rite of passage for each participant and for the whole sangha. We have the feeling that we are all together witnessing and participating as the ordinees receive Buddha’s precepts. We welcome these ordinees into the lineage of Shakyamuni Buddha and Suzuki Roshi’s family.

Sojun Roshi’s students
Afsaneh   Michaels
Mei Un Sei Toku
Bright Cloud Quiet Virtue

Ben Clausen
Jun Sei Tai San
Purehearted Spirit Peaceful Mountain

Hozan Sensei’s Student

Peter Wolak
Hô Kan Sei Dô
Dharma Determination Accomplish the Way

Four-Day Mountains and Rivers Sesshin

The annual Mountains and Rivers Sesshin will take place Thursday, July 28th through Sunday, July 31st at Point Reyes.

Leslie Bartholic and Laurie Senauke will be joining us as teachers and doshis (officiating priests). They will be leading our daily discussions of Dogen’s “Mountains and Rivers Sutra,” and will also be available for one-on-one practice discussions during our free time periods on Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The sesshin will begin with an orientation meeting Wednesday evening, July 27th at 6 p.m. in the community room. Thursday morning we will carpool to Point Reyes, then hike from the Bear Valley Visitors’ Center to Coast Camp, moving at a moderate pace with frequent rest stops and lunch along the way. We will get back to Berkeley around 5 p.m. Sunday. All meals are provided and camping experience is not required. Everyone is encouraged to do the full four days, but provision will also be made for those who may have to arrive late.

The sign-up sheet will be posted on the BZC bulletin board as of July 4th. Your spot will be reserved after you submit all the information requested on the sign-up sheet. Sign-up deadline is Friday, July 22nd. The fee is $75. If you have any questions, please contact Christy Calame at ccalame@earthlink.net.

Zazenkai – A Day of Just Sitting

Sunday, July 12th, from 8:00am to 5:10pm, BZC priest Denkei Raul Moncayo will lead a silent one-day sitting. This will be a rare opportunity to spend a day doing nothing but zazen, kinhin, bowing and eating. We will maintain silence throughout, with the exception of bells to mark meditation periods, and chanting the Refuges aloud at 5:10pm.

Participants should plan to come for the whole day. A break from 12:20 to 1:00 will allow time for sack lunches to be eaten in the community room or, if we’re enjoying fair weather, outdoors.

There will be a 10 minute period of bowing at your own pace prior to the lunch break, and we will have two periods of fast kinhin. Both of these activities can be adapted to harmonize with individual needs and abilities.

A sign-up sheet and further information will be posted on the courtyard bulletin board. The fee is $20.

Please feel free to contact Raul Moncayo at drraulmoncayo@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Half-Day Sitting

Half-day sittings include five periods of zazen, kinhin (walking meditation) and an informal tea. Sojun Roshi asks participants to commit to the entire four-hour schedule. A $10 donation is requested. If you have questions or if you cannot sign up on the bulletin board, contact the director Greg Denny at greg@techsperience.org or 909-525-2198

Lay Ordination

This year’s Lay Ordination ceremony, zaike tokudo, will take place on Saturday, June 4th in the zendo at 3:00 pmpm.

Congratulations in advance to all who have been studying and sewing diligently with our sewing teacher Jean Selkirk. Everyone is warmly encouraged to attend the ceremony and the reception afterwards. Check the zendo bulletin board for details and please sign up for preparation (tenzo assistance & set-up) and clean-up.