All posts by BZC News

Sangha Support Is for Helpers Too

Are you helping a loved one do things they used to do for themselves? Many in oursangha are doing so. Sangha Support is sponsoring a second gathering to share experiences, tips and resources to support your efforts, facilitated by Laurie Senauke and Debbie Schley. All are welcome to come on Nov 22, 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 can’t attend: lauries@kushiki.org, debbieresearcher@gmail.com, (503) 505-4282 (Debbie).

From the Residents’ Table

Dear Sangha,

The residents would like to invite you to dinner! You may have noticed a new signup sheet on the porch bulletin board; we will now have space for two people to sign up for each meal. (Occasionally, the cook will be inviting guests which may take these two slots, but we will do our best to reflect this on the signup sheet in advance.) Please sign up and join our table!

Dinner starts at 6:30 (after afternoon zazen) every Tuesday except for the first Tuesday of the month (dates are shown on the signup sheet) and runs to 7:30. Then the rezzie meeting, which is limited to residents, begins. However, in the interests of greater transparency, we will be letting the sangha know, via this newsletter, what is on the residents’ minds at these meetings (besideswho is doing which chores.) Recently it has been:

Development around the corner?

An SF real estate developer has proposed to transform AW Pottery on the corner of Adeline and Russell into a 55 unit five-story apartment building. There have been two community meetings thus far to air the neighbors’ views and there will no doubt be more. Rahul Brown, his wife Asha and their daughter Uma came to Resident Dinner a number of weeks ago. They live next door at 1935 Russell “Tenants In Common” complex where Mark Copithorne, another sangha member, lives with his family. Rahul has been very involved in community organizing around this development project and shared some of his ideas to further our collective involvement as neighbors.

Katy has reported back (in a previous newsletter) the results of one of these community meetings. We are trying to keep abreast of these changes in our community, and to be part of the process that extends beyond our gate to shape the community we live in. If you are interested in participating, please let us know.Or just come join us for dinner!

Gasshos,

Ken
Head Resident

Winter Break

Our winter break will begin on Sunday, December 13. During this interim all formal practice activities are suspended until our New Year’s Eve sitting and celebration on December 31. We will be offering informal zazen in the morning, at noon, and in the evening during the break. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the patio bulletin board for volunteers willing to open and close the zendo.

Changing Hands

We are grateful to Katy Guimond for holding the position of kitchen keeper for over a year now. She has been in charge of keeping the kitchen tidy and stocked with supplies, and we appreciate all her efforts. We welcome Teri Jo Tinus to this position.

Teri Jo has been our community room caretaker this past year. She has kept this hub of activity clean and welcoming for all who use this room. Cole Bartholomew has graciously agreed to step into this position.

Directories

We are beginning to prepare for the 2016  BZC Directory. Please take a moment to check
your current entry in the Directory and let the  office manager know if anything should be
changed. This is also a good time to let us  know if you want to change your membership
status, or if you do not want to be listed in the  directory. You can e-mail changes to
bzcofficemanager@gmail.com or call the office  at (5100 845-2403.

Close Aspects of Practice Sitting

Aspects of Practice 2015 will close with sesshin on Saturday, November 14, led by Ryushin Andrea Thach. Everyone is encouraged to attend, whether signed up for Aspects or not. This will be a Saturday sesshin schedule—5:00 am to 9:00 pm. There will be the option of a lighter schedule—8:30 am to 5:40 pm—for students with significant physical limitations only. The signup will have a check box for those asking for this shorter schedule. The Aspects of Practice closing ceremony will be at 8:40pm. Questions about sesshin or the schedule should be sent to the Director, Gary Artim  (Sho Toku) gartim@gmail.com.

Rohatsu Sesshin

This year’s Rohatsu sesshin, led by Sojun Mel Weitsman, begins on November 29 and ends on December 5. Each day begins at 5:00 am and ends at 9:00 pm, with the exception of the final day, which ends at 5:00 pm. All are encouraged to participate for as many days as possible, but participants are asked to sit for a minimum of three consecutive full days.

The sesshin fee is $35 daily, paid in advance. (Anyone unable to pay the full amount may request a reduced fee from the sesshin director). Payment must be received by the sign-up deadline or no seat will be reserved for you. Please leave checks marked “Rohatsu” in the courtyard laundry room door slot or mail it to the BZC Office Manager at 1929 Russell St., Berkeley 94703. The sign-up sheet will be posted on the patio bulletin board by November 1 and sesshin information forms (with other important sesshin information) are on the shelf below. Please put completed forms in the sesshin director’s mail slot. The sign-up deadline is Wednesday, November 25 at 7:00 am.

We will be eating all of our meals oryoki style in the zendo. If you are unfamiliar with oryoki please request training which is offered every Saturday at 6:40 am. You may also contact oryoki instructor, Ellen Webb at elweb@sbcglobal.net to schedule an oryoki training session at a different time. If you wish to stay overnight at BZC during sesshin, please contact the shika, Tamar at bzcshika@gmail.com.

If you have questions about sesshin, please contact the sesshin director, Gerry Oliva, at (415) 290-6015 or sesshindirectorbzc@gmail.com.

Finally, as Rohatsu commemorates the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha, everyone is invited to attend Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony on Saturday, December 5, at 11:10 am, after lecture. In addition, everyone is invited to the Suzuki Roshi Annual Memorial Ceremony on Monday, November 30 at 8:20 pm.

Sesshin: Close Aspects of Practice

Aspects of Practice 2015 will close with sesshin on Saturday, November 14, led by Ryushin Andrea Thach. Everyone is encouraged to attend, whether signed up for Aspects or not. This will be a Saturday sesshin schedule—5:00 am to 9:00 pm. There will be the option of a lighter schedule—8:30 am to 5:40 pm—for students with significant physical limitations only. The signup will have a check box for those asking for this shorter schedule. The Aspects of Practice closing ceremony will be at 8:40 pm.

Questions about sesshin or the schedule should be sent to the director, Gary Artim  (Sho Toku), gartim@gmail.com.

Cold and Flu Season is Upon Us

In an effort to support each other’s health, we are asking that sangha members stay home if they are ill. We are recommending following the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines: please don’t come to the zendo if you have fever, cough, runny nose, muscle aches, or anything else you equate with viral illness. Consider getting a flu shot. Please stay home and take care of yourself for seven days or until you have not had fever for 48 hours, whichever is longer. If you realize you are ill after you have arrived on a Saturday or sesshin day, please let the director know before you go home.

This policy is in effect to support those who are ill as well as to protect others, particularly those with chronic debilitating illness or those who are immuno-compromised. We understand that some coughs and sneezes may result from allergies. Please inform the Saturday or sesshin director if this is the case with you. If you are uncertain, speak with the Saturday or sesshin director.

If you have further questions regarding this policy, please bring the issue to the practice committee.

This policy is cross listed on the Policies page.

“Song of Zazen” with Hozan Alan Senauke

Hozan Alan Senauke will lead this year’s one-day study sesshin on Sunday, September 6 from 5:00 am to 5:30 pm. As the summer winds down, this day will provide a quiet and reflective respite. It will include zazen, oryoki meals for breakfast and lunch, soji, and two study and discussion sessions. Our study will be Hakuin Zenji’s “Song of Zazen” / “Zazen Wasan.” This teaching poem by Hakuin Ekaku (1686 to 1769) in certain ways parallels Dogen Zenji’s “Fukanzazengi,” and is regularly chanted in Rinzai dojos.

Materials will be available on the bulletin board shelf in advance of the sesshin. The fee is $35, and should be paid in advance. Please leave payment marked “Study Sesshin” by Thursday September 3 in the donation slot in the laundry room door. For more information contact the sesshin director Gerry Oliva (sesshindirectorBZC@gmail.com). A sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board in mid-August.