All posts by James Erb

BZC Leadership Update

BZC Leadership Update from Board President Karen Sundheim

I’m writing to all of you in an effort to summarize and clarify some of the recent events surrounding the passing of our Abbot Hozan, the work of our Elders Council and the status of our Abiding Teachers Linda Galijan and Greg Fain.

As you know, our beloved Abbot Hozan Alan Senauke passed away at about 4:15pm on Sunday December 22. In the weeks before he died, many of his friends and students spent time with him and his family. In his last days, some sat in silence by his bedside. A small group of Sangha members was with him when he took his last breath. Immediately after he passed he was washed, shaved and clothed in his robes. This was followed by a Pillow Ceremony, in which those present whispered softly into Hozan’s ear. He was then carried into the Zendo, his casket open in the center in line with the altar. Akiba Roshi came and led a service including the chanting of the Dai Hi Shin Dharani. For the next 24 hours Sangha members and residents sat zazen. The following day at 5:00pm there was a Taiya – Leaving Ceremony attended by approximately 60 Sangha members and friends. At 6:00pm the Pacific Internment staff carried him out to a van to be taken to the mortuary. During that time all that were there chanted the Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo until the van disappeared at the end of Russell Street.

On January 5th Akiba Roshi led a ceremony at Pacific Interment in Emeryville.  After the ceremony over 50 people witnessed the cremation in person and about 150 via zoom.

BZC is following the Buddhist tradition of holding a weekly memorial service for 49 days. Services are being held in hybrid format at 7:20am on Saturdays through February 8th. Online access is through the “Enter the Zendo Now” link from our homepage www.berkeleyzencenter.org

In late autumn as Hozan’s illness progressed he named some senior individuals to meet as an Elders Council. The Elders Council, consisting of long-term practitioners from BZC and outside of BZC in the Suzuki Roshi lineage, is tasked with recommending future spiritual leaders for our temple. Members of the Elders Council are:

BZC Leadership:

Tantos Susan Marvin and Laurie Senauke

Ino Ross Blum

Coordinator (now former) Carol Paul

Board President Karen Sundheim

Past Board President Mary Duryee

Outside Teachers in the Suzuki Roshi Lineage:

Steve Weintraub (Green Gulch Farm)

Jaku Kinst (Ocean Gate Zen Center in Santa Cruz)

Victoria Austin (San Francisco Zen Center)

Gaelyn Godwin (Houston Zen Center)

Catherine Cascade (Blue Haven Zen Center in Eugene, OR)

The Berkeley Zen Center Board has invited Linda Galijan and Greg Fain to be Abiding Teachers (specifically Head Priests, to use the terminology in our bylaws). They have agreed to stay at BZC in this capacity until summer 2026. They have moved into the 1929 apartment above the Community Room. Helen Cheng is moving into the upstairs of 1933 with Laurie Senauke. Some ceremonies are being planned to acknowledge their positions. Those will be announced in February after consultations with the Priests Group and the Senior Students. The Tanto-Ino Group has invited Linda and Greg to lead the Spring Practice Period which will include a Shuso. Those details will also be announced in February.

The Elders Council has met twice and will meet again in February. They have not yet begun the search for the next Abbot (s). The BZC Board takes seriously the input we received from the Sangha Survey which over 60 people responded to this past summer. The outside teachers in the Elders Council have brought an abundance of wisdom through their extensive experiences as spiritual leaders during times of transition. The most emphatic message we are receiving from both individual meetings and Council meetings is “Go slow. Do not hurry. Do not make decisions in reaction to feelings of uncertainty”.

It is understandable there may be a variety of feelings as we move forward. We are in wise and compassionate hands with Linda and Greg as Abiding Teachers for the near future. As Greg said in his Dharma Talk on Saturday, “Zen is a religion of action”. We cultivate calmness and clarity even in the times of uncertainty. And as Hozan Roshi often reminded us, our sincere practice will guide us to an “appropriate response”.

We will continue to sustain and enliven our practice with daily zazen (offered four times daily), sesshins, work days, classes and ceremonies. Our Abiding Teachers, Priests and Senior Students are available for dokusan and practice discussion. If you haven’t had an opportunity to meet with Linda and/or Greg I would encourage you do so as they are available and eager to be acquainted with individual Sangha members. BZC is their home temple where they began zen practice with Sojun Roshi. They bring deep insight, years of leadership and humor to their teaching.

Please keep in touch with Board members, Linda and Greg, the Tantos and other Practice Leaders if you have concerns or questions. We are trying to be as transparent as possible. If something seems unclear, or opaque, that may be because we do not know the answer (yet). However that should not discourage you from asking. So please keep us informed of your thoughts. More all-Sangha meetings will be scheduled in the near future as another avenue for communication. Stay tuned.

With gratitude and love,

Karen

 

Election Vigil, November 5

For several past presidential election days, we have kept the zendo open all day until the polls close. We did this to support those in need of respite and support in difficult circumstances. This year, on Tuesday, November 5, we will again have a special all-day program. This will include the usual periods of 6:00 morning and 5:40 evening zazen as well as the informal noon sitting. Starting after morning zazen we will keep the zendo open for informal periods of sitting and/or walking meditation overseen by volunteer sangha members who will be hosts/timekeepers, and who can welcome anyone who attends and direct them to the restrooms, etc. We will also provide coffee and hot water for tea. Attendees can bring snacks for themselves or to share with others. There is no need to register. As we get a sense of the number of volunteers, we will send out and post a more detailed schedule. For more information, please co

Aspects of Practice

Aspects of Practice

This fall the Berkeley Zen Center sangha is so
happy to welcome Visiting-Teachers-In-
Residence Greg Fain and Linda Galijan. They
will lead our Aspects of Practice period with the
theme “Ordinary Bodhisattvas: The
Brahmaviharas in Action.” This theme will be
studied at Thursday evening classes as well as
in Saturday dharma talks and Way-Seeking
Mind talks. Aspects opens and closes with
one-day sittings on October 12 and
November 9. Most programs will be in hybrid
format; check the website in mid-September for
the full calendar of activities. Please consider your schedule and responsibilities and participate as fully as you can.

Registration will open after Labor Day. The
link to the registration form will be shared on
the listserv and posted on the website. There
will be separate registration forms for the class
and for each of the one-day sittings. Please do
sign up separately for those events. We look
forward to this opportunity

Upcoming Class on Hsin Hsin Ming – Postponed.

The great way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

All are invited to join Ellen Webb and Susan Marvin in a study of the sixth-century Zen poem, the Hsin Hsin Ming (“Faith in Mind”) MONDAYS, September 16, 23, 30, and October 7 (7:15−8:45 p.m.).

This class has been postponed until further notice.

This famous poem expresses the far- reaching truth of the enlightened mind, the Buddha mind in all of us. True faith in mind is our grounded belief that we have this mind right here—constant, still, and central to our life of practice.

The class will be offered in person at BZC as well as online. Please watch for updates on the listserv as well as on the BZC website. For now, mark your calendars!

Coming-of-Age Program

Berkeley Zen Center is offering a nine-month coming-of-age program for middle school youth between the ages of 12‒14, beginning in the Fall of 2024. Meetings are on Sundays for two hours once a month. Participants will be introduced to basic Buddhist teachings and mindfulness practice, and will explore how to apply these concepts in their journey toward adulthood. A half-day retreat and ceremony at the end of the program will recognize each of the participants for their accomplishments and their unique self.

For more information, please see the Family Practice section at the BZC website (berkeleyzencenter.org) or contact Marie Hopper (marie_hopper@sbcglobal.net).

New Saturday Schedule

The Saturday program will now begin at 6:00 and includes Oryoki breakfast.  See the schedule page for the current Saturday schedule and the schedule for other days of the week.

  • 6:00-6:40 Zazen
  • 6:40-6:50 Kinhin
  • 6:50-7:20 Zazen
  • 7:20-7:40 Service
  • 7:40-8:30 Breakfast
  • 8:30-8:45 Break
  • 8:45-9:30 Work Practice
  • 9:30-10:05 Zazen
  • 10:05-10:15 Kinhin
  • 10:15-11:15 Dharma Talk

Followed By Informal Tea

GUIDELINES/OPTIONS for Saturdays:

  • Come at 6:00 and stay for the morning
  • Come at 6:00, stay through work period in order to give back to the temple
  • Come after breakfast – for work period at 8:45  or for 9:30 zazen and stay for Dharma Talk and tea

BZC Work Crew

We all treasure our temple. And like ourselves, our temple, specifically our temple property, needs a lot of love. Please read on about a new project to maybe get some more of the love flowing.

There are two main challenges of taking care of our sangha property. One is addressing large projects that require financing and/or the hiring of outside contractors or other vendors. Examples are the heating and ventilation project we just completed for the upstairs of 1929, and the upcoming project to replace all the windows downstairs in the community room and the kitchen. The generosity of members and friends makes these large and exciting projects happen.

There is a second challenge, though: all the smaller projects, repairs and tasks that could potentially be accomplished on our own, from within the sangha, if only we had more time. History shows that our sangha members are as generous with their labor, time, and sweat as with their pocketbooks. Unfortunately, the work periods in our schedule—sesshins, work days, Saturdays—do not offer enough time to address all the care our property needs.

For this reason, we would like to try a new initiative—the creation of an ongoing work crew, and we are looking for volunteers. The idea would be that folks would volunteer to be on the crew and offer time to help, but on their own schedule, in coordination with the project manager. Here are some of the other proposed features of this initiative:

1. Tasks would only be ones each volunteer is comfortable with. Possible tasks might include painting (there is a lot of painting we need to get done!), simple carpentry, simple home repairs, various cleaning (maybe messy cleaning, like scraping old paint).

2. Work would be accomplished during “off” sangha hours.

3. All necessary tools and materials would be provided.

4. Support and guidance would always be available from the project manager or others. I

If you are interested in being part of this crew, or if you have any questions, please contact Greg Denny at greg@techsperience.org. Thank you!

Tassajara Work-Study Week

Every year the Tassajara Mountain Zen Center provides an opportunity for sanghas to practice together as part of the Guest Practice Program during the summer guest season. Teachers from sanghas in the Suzuki Roshi lineage can bring a group of from 7 to 10 members including the teachers.

This year there will be two sangha week groups from BZC. The first will be July 2‒7, led by Ryushin Andrea Thach. The second will be September 3‒8, led by Ikushin Gerry Oliva and Mary Duryee. The daily program includes 5:50 a.m. zazen, 6:50 service, 7:15 soji (short work period), 7:30 breakfast with other guest students, 8:30 until noon work assignments, then noon lunch with students. The rest of the day will be structured by each study group. We will then join the guests for dinner and sit the final zazen period of the day.

The cost for these programs will be approximately $80 per day. We will plan to drive down together if possible. If we can’t drive all the way to Tassajara because of parking constraints, there is a stage from Carmel Valley to the Center for $65 round trip. If you are interested in participating, please let us know by the end of March. If there are more than 8 people interested, we will do this by lottery. There will be no scholarships available for this event.

If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Ryushin Andrea Thach (andrea.thach@gmail.com) for the July week or Gerry Oliva (gryoliva@gmail.com) for the September week.

Schedule Changes During Practice Period

We are happy to announce that during our spring practice period we will experiment with a return to the pre-pandemic Saturday schedule, starting at 6:00 a.m. This means we will have oryoki breakfast in the zendo after two periods of zazen and service. After breakfast there will be a short rest period, a work period, another period of zazen, a dharma talk, and then tea and cookies outside.

The oryoki breakfasts will once again provide the opportunity to train cooks, assistant cooks, servers, head servers, and dishwashers (all of whom will sign up on the bulletin board on the CR porch). We are hoping to get back into the rhythm of this important aspect of BZC practice with all of you, both in signing up and attending!

Also, each day of the two practice period sesshins will start at 5:00 a.m. (while still ending at 5:30 p.m.). Both of the above changes are experiments, offering us a way to intensify our practice during the six-week practice period. Watch for more information to come. Meanwhile, please mark your calendars!

Abbot Hozan on Practice Periods

Our practice period, in the springtime when the circle of life turns in renewal, is an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the practice of living an enlightened life, to renew our beginner’s mind. Practice period includes sitting, walking, chanting, cooking, serving, eating, working, resting—all of this is enlightened activity, woven into whole cloth by zazen.

BZC members have jobs, families, and responsibilities outside the gate. Our practice is as much in our homes and in the world as in the zendo. This is our ongoing Dharma experiment—dedicated lay practice, sitting with everything. During practice period we do have recommended requirements, but within these requirements each person creates his/her/their own schedule. Some will be able to do only the minimum; others who are able can extend themselves further.

Each of us must be realistic about our capacity. The important thing—during practice period and throughout the year—is to clarify and set a practice intention, then do our best to keep to that intention. You don’t have to break your bones to do practice period. But don’t be slack with yourself either. With Right Effort our practice edge comes into view. What is the Middle Way? Whatever commitment and schedule one arrives at, we are all practicing together intimately.

Not everyone in the sangha has the time and energy to participate in practice period. That is completely understandable, and everyone is welcome to come to the zendo when they can. The PP class is open to all, and sesshins will be open to non-PP participants as space allows. All of us are supporting and being supported by the practice period— peaceful abiding. These weeks together can extend throughout the year. As Dogen says, “Practice period goes beyond this.” (from the May‒June 2023 Newsletter)