2024 BZC Calendar of Events (Updated 4.17.24 )
Events in March 2023
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Sandeep Lehil Way Seeking Mind Talk: Sandeep Lehil
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Fri, Mar 3, 2023BZC 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 on Zoom. The zendo is closed for Zazen on the First Friday of the month.
Sandeep Lehil will be giving the talk this Friday, March 3rd.
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Lecture: Abbot Hozan Lecture: Abbot Hozan
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Sat, Mar 4, 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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Founders’ Ceremony Founders’ Ceremony
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Sun, Mar 5, 2023Half-Day Sitting Half-Day Sitting
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Sun, Mar 5, 2023Berkeley Zen Center will have an in person half day sitting on Sunday March 5 from 8:00am to noon.Our health practices around masking and Covid vaccines will be observed. Muffins and tea will be served. A $10 donation is suggested.Email me with questions or to sign up.Mark Copithorne510.703.5465 -
Open Discussion Open Discussion
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Mon, Mar 6, 2023There will be an open discussion in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:
7:30 am: zazen
8:00 am: open discussion
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Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings” Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings”
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Thu, Mar 9, 2023Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings”
Please join Susan Marvin in a study of Eihei Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings of Great Beings” (Hachi Dainin Gaku), the last fascicle in the Shobogenzo, written in 1253, just before his death. This fascicle is as relevant today as it was in Dogen’s time, since it points all of us to important, accessible points of practice in our life right now.
The classes will focus on how we Zen lay practitioners relate and wake up to these Awakenings in our lives today. Translations will be sent out in advance of the first class.
The class will be held online only on three Thursdays: March 9, 16, and 23, 7:15‒ 8:45 p.m. The fee for the class is $30, or whatever you can afford. You may leave a check in the donation slot at BZC or use the “Generosity” tab on the website and click the “classes and sesshins” link. Please make a note that your payment is for Susan’s class on the “Eight Awakenings.”
Please register for the class by clicking this link in order to receive class material: https://forms.gle/e3XstiEFVp98YWvc80
For more information, contact Susan Marvin (lai_hang@yahoo.com) or Ryushin Andrea Thach (andrea.thach@gmail.com). -
Lecture: Ross Blum Lecture: Ross Blum
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Sat, Mar 11, 2023Saturday Morning Schedule
- Zendo opens: 8:20 am
- Zazen: 8:30 – 9:10
- Service: 9:10 – 9:30
- Kinhin/break 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:10
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Margaux Winter Way Seeking Mind Talk: Margaux Winter
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Mon, Mar 13, 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.
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Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings” Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings”
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Thu, Mar 16, 2023Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings”
Please join Susan Marvin in a study of Eihei Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings of Great Beings” (Hachi Dainin Gaku), the last fascicle in the Shobogenzo, written in 1253, just before his death. This fascicle is as relevant today as it was in Dogen’s time, since it points all of us to important, accessible points of practice in our life right now.
The classes will focus on how we Zen lay practitioners relate and wake up to these Awakenings in our lives today. Translations will be sent out in advance of the first class.
The class will be held online only on three Thursdays: March 9, 16, and 23, 7:15‒ 8:45 p.m. The fee for the class is $30, or whatever you can afford. You may leave a check in the donation slot at BZC or use the “Generosity” tab on the website and click the “classes and sesshins” link. Please make a note that your payment is for Susan’s class on the “Eight Awakenings.”
Please register for the class by clicking this link in order to receive class material: https://forms.gle/e3XstiEFVp98YWvc80
For more information, contact Susan Marvin (lai_hang@yahoo.com) or Ryushin Andrea Thach (andrea.thach@gmail.com). -
Lecture: Marie Hopper Lecture: Marie Hopper
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Sat, Mar 18, 2023Saturday Morning Schedule
- Zendo opens: 8:20 am
- Zazen: 8:30 – 9:10
- Service: 9:10 – 9:30
- Kinhin/break 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:10
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
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Board Meeting Board Meeting
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Sun, Mar 19, 2023Jizo Ceremony Jizo Ceremony
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Sun, Mar 19, 2023BZC priests Hondo Dave Rutschman and Ryushin Andrea Thach will lead this simple ceremony to invoke, honor, and ask for help from Jizo Bodhisattva, one of the most important figures in East Asian Buddhism. Traditionally, Jizo is understood to be the embodiment of fearless compassion, a protector of children and travelers, of all those who are vulnerable, and of those who find themselves grieving or in hell-realms. Jizo is especially associated with abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
One ancient story about Jizo is that in a former life he was a Brahmin maiden named Sacred Girl. Sacred Girl’s mother died and went to hell, and out of love and devotion, Sacred Girl sold all her belongings and made offerings to the Buddha of her age. Eventually, because of her good works, she was able to see into hell and learn that her mother had been saved. But as she witnessed the sorrow and pain of all the other beings still there, Sacred Girl’s heart broke and opened, and she made a great vow to work for the benefit of suffering beings until all the hells were emptied.
So whenever and in whatever way we find ourselves in hell, we know that Jizo has vowed to be there with us.
The ceremony will take place in person at BZC. During the afternoon, we will draw, write, or sew—creating actual tangible objects as expressions of our prayers. Often those objects are red caps or rakusus, which are then draped onto Jizo statues; but they can also be drawings, written messages, or anything else that feels right. There will be time for sitting in silence, and for sharing and discussion.
All are welcome to attend, especially those experiencing heartbreak and grief. The registration form can be accessed here: https://forms.gle/oxitq3wEiLqSRpkp6. A suggested donation of $15 (or whatever you can afford) will cover the cost of materials. For answers to any questions, please email andrea.thach@gmail.com or hondodave@gmail.com.
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Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings” Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings”
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Thu, Mar 23, 2023Class on Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings”
Please join Susan Marvin in a study of Eihei Dogen’s “Eight Awakenings of Great Beings” (Hachi Dainin Gaku), the last fascicle in the Shobogenzo, written in 1253, just before his death. This fascicle is as relevant today as it was in Dogen’s time, since it points all of us to important, accessible points of practice in our life right now.
The classes will focus on how we Zen lay practitioners relate and wake up to these Awakenings in our lives today. Translations will be sent out in advance of the first class.
The class will be held online only on three Thursdays: March 9, 16, and 23, 7:15‒ 8:45 p.m. The fee for the class is $30, or whatever you can afford. You may leave a check in the donation slot at BZC or use the “Generosity” tab on the website and click the “classes and sesshins” link. Please make a note that your payment is for Susan’s class on the “Eight Awakenings.”
Please register for the class by clicking this link in order to receive class material: https://forms.gle/e3XstiEFVp98YWvc80
For more information, contact Susan Marvin (lai_hang@yahoo.com) or Ryushin Andrea Thach (andrea.thach@gmail.com). -
One-Day Sesshin One-Day Sesshin
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Sat, Mar 25, 2023We will be holding a one-day sesshin on Saturday, March 25, 7:50 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The sesshin will be offered in-person as well as online. A sign-up form will be posted on the website several weeks prior to the sesshin, and the deadline for registration is Thursday, March 22.
To Register, click here:
https://forms.gle/6LMs5NZA226z1RJ18
This sesshin will follow our recent schedule, 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 lunch, rest, and work period. Participants are expected to bring their own lunch or dine locally.
This streamlined schedule is intended to minimize possible transmission of Covid or other seasonal viruses. For all in-person participants, Covid protocols will apply. You must be fully vaccinated and boostered, and wear a 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 that you shift to online participation if you have any Covid symptoms such as fever, cough, etc.
When paying for sesshin, please indicate on your check or in the PayPal note field that your donation is for the March 25 sesshin. 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 BZC 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.Lecture: Gerry Oliva Lecture: Gerry Oliva
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Sat, Mar 25, 2023Saturday Morning Schedule
- Zendo opens: 8:20 am
- Zazen: 8:30 – 9:10
- Service: 9:10 – 9:30
- Kinhin/break 9:30 – 9:40
- Zazen: 9:40 – 10:10
- Lecture: 10:15 – 11:15
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All-Sangha Meeting & Budget Review All-Sangha Meeting & Budget Review
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Sun, Mar 26, 2023Our semi-annual all-sangha meeting will take place Sunday, March 26, 7:00–8:30 p.m. on Zoom. This is an important meeting where the BZC Board presents the 2023 budget and asks for the members’ approval. There are two substantial expense items in the proposed budget this year, designed to ensure the sustainability of our BZC leadership and of our buildings and property. You can join the meeting through the online zendo link. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Sundheim at ksundheim@gmail.com.
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Sue Oehser Way Seeking Mind Talk: Sue Oehser
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Mon, Mar 27, 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.