2024 BZC Calendar of Events (Updated 4.17.24 )
Events in February 2024
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Ed Herzog Way Seeking Mind Talk: Ed Herzog
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Fri, Feb 2, 2024BZC schedules a Way-Seeking Mind Talk on the First Friday afternoon of each month. The talk, followed by Q&A, begins at 5:45pm after five minutes of zazen and runs until 6:25pm. Please note, our First Friday afternoon WSM Talks are online only. The zendo is closed for in person Zazen on the First Friday of the month.
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Dharma Talk: Ellen Webb Dharma Talk: Ellen Webb
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Sat, Feb 3, 2024Saturday Morning Schedule
To be announced
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February Zazenkei February Zazenkei
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Sun, Feb 4, 2024There will be a Zazenkai (a day of just
sitting) on Sunday, February 4, 8:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. There will be eight periods of zazen
plus kinhin, bowing, and eating. We will
maintain silence throughout except for bells to
mark meditation periods and chanting the
refuges aloud at the closing. A mid-day break
will allow time for sack lunches to be eaten
outdoors. The fee is $15 or what you can
afford. Please check the BZC website for the
sign-up link in mid-January. -
Open Discussion Open Discussion
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Mon, Feb 5, 20247:30 am: zazen
8:00 am: open discussion -
Dharma Talk: Mary Duryee Dharma Talk: Mary Duryee
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Sat, Feb 10, 2024Saturday Morning Schedule
Saturday schedule to be announced
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Jake Van Akkeren Way Seeking Mind Talk: Jake Van Akkeren
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Mon, Feb 12, 2024There will be a student talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:
7:30 am: zazen
8:00 am: way-seeking mind talkWhat is a "way-seeking mind" talk? See below.
Way-Seeking Mind at Berkeley Zen Center
“Way-Seeking Mind” talks by practitioners at Berkeley Zen Center have been a regular event on Monday mornings for more than thirty years. Each of us came to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. Each of us arrives at BZC from our own diverse backgrounds—social, familial, educational, religious, and so on. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for students to share how it is that they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each of us is engaged with.
The talks are by invitation, and last about twenty-five minutes, including time for presentation and short question & answer period. For newer students, this is a chance to meet and hear those we are sitting with. Those invited to talk have been sitting steadily at BZC; for them it is an opportunity to tell their story and be seen and heard. One of the teachers or senior students is available for advice in shaping one's talk, should that be useful.
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One-day Sesshin One-day Sesshin
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Sat, Feb 17, 2024A one-day sesshin on Saturday, February
17, 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This sessin will be led by Gerry Oliva. Breakfast and lunch
will served oryoki style in the zendo. The
requested donation is $35. Look to sign up on
the website beginning three weeks ahead of
time, as space may be limited. If you have any
questions, please contact sesshin co-director
Mark Copithorne (copithorne@hotmail.com).Sign up here: https://forms.gle/GiCPHDdcxTYQdAtx9
Dharma Talk: Gerry Oliva Dharma Talk: Gerry Oliva
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Sat, Feb 17, 2024Saturday Morning Schedule
To be announced
Buddha’s Parinirvana Ceremony Buddha’s Parinirvana Ceremony
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Sat, Feb 17, 2024According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the
Pali canon, at the age of 80 the Buddha
announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana, or the final deathless state, and abandon his earthly body. After this, he ate his
last meal, fell ill, and died.Each year we celebrate Buddha’s transition
with a ceremony where we all can make
offerings and chant in honor of this occasion.
This year the ceremony will take place
Saturday, February 17, at 5:00 p.m., as the
closing of our sesshin on that day. -
Zendo Holiday - Informal Zazen Only Zendo Holiday - Informal Zazen Only
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Mon, Feb 19, 2024Times for informal zazen to be announced.
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Dharma Talk: Luminous Heart Thompson Dharma Talk: Luminous Heart Thompson
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Sat, Feb 24, 2024Saturday Morning Schedule
- Temple cleaning: 7:35 – 8:10 (in person)
- Zazen: 8:30 – 9:10
- Service: 9:10 – 9:30
- Kinhin: 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:05
- Kinhin/break 10:05 – 10:15
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
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One-Day Sesshin One-Day Sesshin
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Mon, Feb 26, 2024One-day Sesshin. Saturday, March 16 from 6:00 AM to 5:30 PM. The priest and speaker will be Hannah Meara.
The deadline to sign up is Noon on Thursday, March 14. In-person attendance will be limited to 33 people. Those who sign up after we reach the 33-person limit will be placed on a waiting list. Sesshins in 2024 have been fully subscribed and people have been turned away so sign up soon to guarantee a spot.
SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE:
The sesshin will also be offered online; sign up using the same link.
For all sesshin attendees, proof of vaccination and booster shots are required to participate. Indoor masking is now optional, but social distancing protocols will still be observed.
Breakfast and Lunch will be served in the zendo using the traditional oryoki form. To purchase a set of oryoki bowls, check our website for a link. An oryoki refresher class will occur during the second period of zazen.
We will have a short work period, so please bring work clothes you can change into.
The sesshin fee is $35 for in-person attendees. You may pay online, or you can send a check to BZC at:
Berkeley Zen Center
1931 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA 94703Attention: Office Manager, Helen Cheng
Additional donations may be made at https://berkeleyzencenter.org/support-bzc/.
If you have questions, please contact the Sesshin Director, Mark Copithorne at copithorne@hotmail.com.
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Hax Baker Way Seeking Mind Talk: Hax Baker
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Mon, Feb 26, 2024There will be a student talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:
7:30 am: zazen
8:00 am: way-seeking mind talkWhat is a "way-seeking mind" talk? See below.
Way-Seeking Mind at Berkeley Zen Center
“Way-Seeking Mind” talks by practitioners at Berkeley Zen Center have been a regular event on Monday mornings for more than thirty years. Each of us came to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. Each of us arrives at BZC from our own diverse backgrounds—social, familial, educational, religious, and so on. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for students to share how it is that they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each of us is engaged with.
The talks are by invitation, and last about twenty-five minutes, including time for presentation and short question & answer period. For newer students, this is a chance to meet and hear those we are sitting with. Those invited to talk have been sitting steadily at BZC; for them it is an opportunity to tell their story and be seen and heard. One of the teachers or senior students is available for advice in shaping one's talk, should that be useful.