2024 BZC Calendar of Events (Updated 4.17.24 )
Events in January 2023
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Zendo Holiday Zendo Holiday
All day
Mon, Jan 2, 2023No talk or service - informal zazen schedule to be determined.
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Gensan Kristopher Thompson Way Seeking Mind Talk: Gensan Kristopher Thompson
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Fri, Jan 6, 2023There will be a student talk in the online zendo after 5 minutes of zazen:
5:40 pm: zazen
5:45 pm: 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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Lecture: Abbot Hozan Lecture: Abbot Hozan
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Sat, Jan 7, 2023Saturday Morning Schedule:
- Zendo opens: 8:30 am
- Zazen: 8:40 – 9:20
- Service: 9:20 – 9:30
- Kinhin/break 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:10
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
Sojun Roshi Interment POSTPONED Sojun Roshi Interment POSTPONED
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Sat, Jan 7, 2023This event postponed until January 21.
A portion of Sojun’s ashes will be interred beneath his memorial stone in the Memorial Garden on Saturday, January 21, at 11:15 a.m., following Hozan’s talk that morning. This ceremony will include placement of the ashes, chanting, and purifying the space with sangha offerings of fresh water.
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Lay Entrustment for Mary Duryee Lay Entrustment for Mary Duryee
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Mon, Jan 9, 2023On Monday, January 9, at 7:30 a.m., Hozan will confer lay entrustment and offer a green rakusu to Mary Duryee/Honkyo Josu (Original Home‒Calm Center), acknowledging her grounded practice and her ability to share her understanding and teach others. The ceremony will be simultaneously live in the zendo and online, and will be followed by a brief opportunity to raise dharma questions with Mary. All are invited to take part and celebrate.
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Introduction to Zen Class with Abbot Hozan Introduction to Zen Class with Abbot Hozan
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Thu, Jan 12, 2023Introduction to Zen
Hozan will offer a five-week Introduction to Zen class on Thursday evenings at 7:15, from January 12 to February 9. This class will explore the history of Zen by way of five pivotal figures in our tradition: Bodhidharma, Huineng, Tungshan, Dogen, and Suzuki Roshi. Each of these figures has left us a living legacy of Zen practice.
Class materials will be available online and will be sent to the BZC listserve weekly. The main text will be Nelson Foster's classic book, "The Roaring Stream." A pdf of the entire book is available by downloading from this link: https://terebess.hu/zen/roar.pdf
Up to 30 people can be seated in person in the zendo,. The class will also be video conferenced and is available through the "Enter Zendo Here" button on the BZC home page.
Please register here: https://forms.gle/TZb6iCSL7o47J2VY7 (paste into browser)
For further information, contact class coordinator Ryushin Andrea Thach at andrea.thach@gmail.com. Suggested donation for the class is $50, or whatever you can afford. (She is away 1/11-1/15)
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One-Day Sesshin One-Day Sesshin
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Sat, Jan 14, 2023Registration: https://forms.gle/upztrAip28Hga6eF7
This sesshin will follow a modified winter schedule similar to that used at our recent Rohatsu sesshin, with three periods of zazen in the morning followed by a dharma talk, and then three periods of zazen in the afternoon. There will be a midday break for bag lunch, rest, and work period. This streamlined schedule is intended to minimize possible transmission of Covid or other seasonal viruses.
For all in-person participants, Covid protocols will apply. We require that you be fully vaccinated and boostered, and that you wear an KN94, N95, or KN95 mask indoors. We also ask that you get tested within 48 hours of the start of sesshin (an antigen rapid test will
suffice), and also that if you have any Covid symptoms such as fever, cough, etc., that you shift to online participation.When paying for sesshin, please indicate on your check or in the PayPal note field that your donation is for the sesshin or sesshins
that you will attend. The suggested donation is $15 per day (or whatever you can afford). Mail a check to the BZC Office Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703, or pay through the website using the “Sits/Classes” tab on the “Donate” page. Please also consider an additional donation to Berkeley Zen Center above the suggested fee, to help us maintain our practice.If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the sesshin director, Rob Lyons, at dharmawork@yahoo.com.
General Sesshin Information: https://berkeleyzencenter.org/sesshin-info/
Lecture: Abbot Hozan Lecture: Abbot Hozan
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Sat, Jan 14, 2023During sesshins, in person attendance is limited to those registered for sesshin. All are welcome to join the following in the online zendo:
9:40: zazen
10:15: lecture -
Special schedule - no 6 am zazen Special schedule - no 6 am zazen
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Mon, Jan 16, 2023No usual zendo program at 6:00 am. See special Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day Schedule, which begins at 8:30 am:
MLK Day Neighborhood Engagement MLK Day Neighborhood Engagement
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Mon, Jan 16, 2023On Monday, January 16, BZC will commemorate the MLK holiday with an 8:30‒11:00 a.m. program of zazen, reflection, and neighborhood service.
After a short period of zazen (8:30‒8:45), Hozan will give a brief talk on the legacy and dharma of Dr. King. This will be followed by a period of discussion in which we will have an opportunity to discuss these themes and to explore ways BZC can engage with our neighbors on issues of diversity and inclusion.
At 10:00 a.m. sangha members are invited to serve our neighborhood, particularly focusing on the often-neglected east end of our block. We’ll let our neighbors know of our plans, and they will be welcome to join in if they wish. Details of this day’s activities will be shared on the BZC website and listserv.
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Introduction to Zen Class with Abbot Hozan Introduction to Zen Class with Abbot Hozan
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Thu, Jan 19, 2023Introduction to Zen
Hozan will offer a five-week Introduction to Zen class on Thursday evenings at 7:15, from January 12 to February 9. This class will explore the history of Zen by way of five pivotal figures in our tradition: Bodhidharma, Huineng, Tungshan, Dogen, and Suzuki Roshi. Each of these figures has left us a living legacy of Zen practice.
Class materials will be available online and will be sent to the BZC listserve weekly. The main text will be Nelson Foster's classic book, "The Roaring Stream." A pdf of the entire book is available by downloading from this link: https://terebess.hu/zen/roar.pdf
Up to 30 people can be seated in person in the zendo,. The class will also be video conferenced and is available through the "Enter Zendo Here" button on the BZC home page.
Please register here: https://forms.gle/TZb6iCSL7o47J2VY7 (paste into browser)
For further information, contact class coordinator Ryushin Andrea Thach at andrea.thach@gmail.com. Suggested donation for the class is $50, or whatever you can afford. (She is away 1/11-1/15)
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Lecture: Abbot Hozan Lecture: Abbot Hozan
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Sat, Jan 21, 2023Saturday Morning Schedule
- Zendo opens: 8:30 am
- Zazen: 8:40 – 9:20
- Service: 9:20 – 9:30
- Kinhin/break 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:10
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
Sojun Roshi Interment Ceremony Sojun Roshi Interment Ceremony
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Sat, Jan 21, 2023A portion of Sojun’s ashes will be interred beneath his memorial stone in the Memorial Garden on Saturday, January 21, at 11:15 a.m., following Hozan’s talk that morning. This ceremony will include placement of the ashes, chanting, and purifying the space with attendee offerings of fresh water. In person attendance only.
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Board Meeting Board Meeting
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Sun, Jan 22, 2023All BZC Members are welcome to attend Board meetings. They happen monthly on a Sunday morning. You'll need to let the president, Karen Sundheim (ksundheim@gmail.com) know ahead of time if you’d like to attend (or find out the agenda). Meetings are currently on the zoom platform but that may change at some point.
Monthly meeting minutes are printed out and posted on the patio bulletin board (lower right side). Please feel free to read them so you know what happens in Board meetings, including what topics we are discussing and making decisions on. At the moment it’s just the 2022 minutes. Older minutes can be obtained by request.
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Nathan Britton Way Seeking Mind Talk: Nathan Britton
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Mon, Jan 23, 2023There 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.
-
Introduction to Zen Class with Abbot Hozan Introduction to Zen Class with Abbot Hozan
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Thu, Jan 26, 2023Introduction to Zen
Hozan will offer a five-week Introduction to Zen class on Thursday evenings at 7:15, from January 12 to February 9. This class will explore the history of Zen by way of five pivotal figures in our tradition: Bodhidharma, Huineng, Tungshan, Dogen, and Suzuki Roshi. Each of these figures has left us a living legacy of Zen practice.
Class materials will be available online and will be sent to the BZC listserve weekly. The main text will be Nelson Foster's classic book, "The Roaring Stream." A pdf of the entire book is available by downloading from this link: https://terebess.hu/zen/roar.pdf
Up to 30 people can be seated in person in the zendo,. The class will also be video conferenced and is available through the "Enter Zendo Here" button on the BZC home page.
Please register here: https://forms.gle/TZb6iCSL7o47J2VY7 (paste into browser)
For further information, contact class coordinator Ryushin Andrea Thach at andrea.thach@gmail.com. Suggested donation for the class is $50, or whatever you can afford. (She is away 1/11-1/15)
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Lecture: Ellen Webb Lecture: Ellen Webb
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Sat, Jan 28, 2023Saturday Morning Schedule
- Zendo opens: 8:30 am
- Zazen: 8:40 – 9:20
- Service: 9:20 – 9:30
- Kinhin/break 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:10
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
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Half-Day Sitting Half-Day Sitting
All day
Sun, Jan 29, 2023Half-day sittings are in-person from 8:00 a.m. to noon. For further information, or to sign up, please contact Mark Copithorne (510-703-5465 or copithorne@hotmail.com).
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Myosui Erna Andre Way Seeking Mind Talk: Myosui Erna Andre
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Mon, Jan 30, 2023There 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.